You Are Cordially Invited To Enter

You are cordially invited to enter
and share our memories of an amazing era.
If you have any questions about the art of the corsetiere or the garments of that time please feel free to contact Ivy Leaf on
ivyleaf@corsetiere.net
Ivy Leaf last updated this site on 4th April 2012. Recently updated areas are highlighted.
If you are navigating around the site and wish to return here, then please click on the corsetiere If you wish to contact Ivy Leaf, please email ivyleaf@corsetiere.net
Introduction Links
Ivy Leaf's Diary Ivy Leaf's Archives 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003
Corsetieres Spirella
History Foundations & Catalogues Spirella's Numbering System Brassieres Girdles Panty-girdles Corselettes Corsets - The 305 Waist Nippers
Reducing Corsetry
Alstons Playtex
Berlei Camp Charis Spirella Spencer Playtex Alison Isobel Diana of Medeq Ethel Granger Illa Knina Marianne
Corsetry Compendium
What is the difference between a Girdle and a Corset ? Zippers and other Perils General Girdle Questions The Audibility of Underwear
Spirella Corsetieres
Training Sales Technique Measuring and Fitting Corsetieres in Real Life Headquarters and the Models Spirella Corsetieres of the Past Spirella and the Film Industry The Spirella Magazine Weddings Demise Health Stereo Images The Older Woman An Alternative Social History
Spencer
Spencer pre-War Spencer post-War Spencer 1962 The Spen-All Barcley
Surgical Corsets
The Bad Back German Back
The Visibility of Underwear Rosalind Foundations (how many?) Wilbro The Feel of Foundations Dorothea Allen Corsets and the War Iris Norris & Gardner's Sleeping in Corsets Vestigial Lacing Awful Corsetry Strange Names Corsetieres' Tales Tight-Lacing Cautionary Tales Curiosities Letters Hip-spring Pet Names Big Hips The Stout Woman Under-belts Girdle Hooks The Stout Woman's Point-of-View What lies beneath? Knickers and Corsets Stewardesses and Girdles Trapped inside my Panty-girdle How to Lace your Corset, Madam How to don your girdle, young lady Reminiscences of Wearing Corsets When were Foundations worn ? What was the best foundation ? The Trendelenburg Position Roll-ons, Step-ins and Belts Suspenders and Stockings A Panic in Fat The Otherside of Corsetry Cartoons The Old Corset Shop Unusual Boning Glorious Satin
Advertising
Fan-Lacing Corsets
Samuel Higby Camp and his Amazing Corsets Decades of Camp Brochures Girdles Panty-girdles The Scientific Support Maternity Engineering Memories Jenyns - The Australian Rival<
The Amazing World of Before and After Woman Corsets and the War
Roger's Ramblings Technical Corsetry

A Lengthy Subject And a Weighty One too! Who wore what, when? Corset Detectives! Dating Girdles Bra Sizes Advisories and News Pantyhose: A Relic of the 20th Shapewear Century Revival Other Stories Hideaway Holsters Humorous Rechargeable Bras Articles Visibility of underwear Girdle Sales Statistics Bras: Bewildering and Bewitching Bra Sales Statistics
Surgical Corsets Pul-Front Corsets
Other Famous Brands
The Ivy Leaf Collection

Making the 2010 Calendar
Ambrose Wilson Berlei Charis Gossard Lane Bryant Marks and Spencer Rigby & Peller Sears Strodex Symingtons Triumph Twilfit Warners Other Brands
Making the 2012 Calendar Pulling Together
European Corsets
French
Dior Colour and Satin A Discussion
Dutch Scandinavian German

German Abdomen German Back Figesta
Italian Spanish
Spirella in Malm
Finnish
Belgian
The Rest of the World
Introduction
For many years my husband and I researched and added to an inherited collection, the articles from which form this basis of this web site. The original idea was to publish the fascinating history of Spirella and the corsetieres who worked for this company before knowledge of the era became lost forever. However, the idea of compiling a small book that would almost certainly never be published was overtaken by the advent of the Internet. Definitely not of the Internet generation, our introduction to this new medium was slow and painful, but ultimately so worth while. We found many sites dedicated to foundation garments. Their professional approach to the subject and their layout left us acutely aware of our limited abilities to create a web site. It was simply the unexpected discovery of Microsoft's Front Page that allowed us to start building this site. As the compilation of this web site progressed, we began to realise how little we knew about this fascinating era. What I believed was my 'in-depth' knowledge was very much based on the experiences of somebody who has lived in Britain and Holland. These experiences differ in detail from the American experience and I am always grateful to correspondents who correct me when my assumptions from the east of the Atlantic contradict those from the west. The major additions to this site have largely been completed; however, there is quite some text that should be added to lend substance to the photographs. The site has grown rather like 'Topsy', a consequence of our inexperience, but one day we may try to rationalise all the pages. Several visitors to our site have requested that recent changes be indicated for the regular reader who may not want to trawl through the entire script repeatedly. This has been incorporated into the Contents Page, which should allow easier navigation of the site. Various styles have been adopted in the text. For example, the Spirella pages have a completely different layout from those describing Spencer. This was a consequence of the material available and our personal whims and fancies at the time. We have tried to be scientific in our research and to catalogue references. Occasionally my husband, who has helped enormously with the scanning and compilation, makes his presence felt in the text by the inclusion of the odd flippant comment. I have left these in since some are actually quite amusing, and they do represent a curiously male attitude to the serious topic of foundation garments. We have been sent many accounts, recollections and articles, both solicited and unsolicited. The veracity of these is checked as well as we can, however, there is no guarantee as to their authenticity. We have avoided those texts that describe blatant wish fulfilment, that are too explicit or that simply do not pass the criteria of our scrutiny. We hope you enjoy these pages.
Ivy Leaf, UK 2003 (updated in 2011)
References and Links

I would like to mention the two extremely comprehensive and beautifully constructed sites that were our original inspiration to publish on the web:
The Long Island Staylace Association, and Virginian's excellent site ZONA: Girdle Zone
Throughout these pages, we had intended to use illustrations from our own archives; however, I soon realised that these archives had completely missed some of the most beautiful and elegant corsets procured by the vendors that frequent the Ebay auctions. These garments were quite an education to me and this web site would be a poorer place to visit without them. I would like to thank Cherry-Tomatoe, Gilo49, Lyn Locke and Trishypoo (Vintage
Glamour Puss) for their generous permission to use these photographs. I have tried to credit the photographs accordingly, using their Ebay initials. Their web and auction sites were a wealth of information for a researcher who believed that such garments existed only in her memory and the few remaining catalogues of that period. Sadly, like so many things in the serious world of corsetry, some of these sites no longer exist.
Cherry-Tomatoe (CT) Trishypoo (TP) Vintage Glamour Puss (VGP) Lyn Locke (LL) Gilo49 (G49) Dollhouse Vintage (DH)
Lyn Locke deserves a special mention. This energetic lady, inspired by her late partner Mike, bought the foundation garment back into the open. My husband and I only regret that circumstance and distance have precluded our meeting her in person.
Acknowledgements
We are most grateful for all the comments that we have received, particularly constructive criticism. Without being told that certain links were inoperative, or that stated facts were incorrect, we would have ploughed on regardless of our ignorance. A very special thanks must be made to 'Roger K' who, unasked, very generously went through the entire text and edited it for mistakes. My husband and I had tried to eliminate the usual 'typos', but Roger elevated us to a higher grammatical plane than we knew existed! This reminds me of an incident completely unconnected with corsetry that happened when we were courting. I am Dutch, and my husband is Scottish. In the 1970's, I had to sit an exam to assess my English. My future husband's protestations that my English was fluent did not sway me from my intent, and whilst I got dressed to go out to dinner, my 'English-speaking expert' completed my homework. The next day, I scored 3/10 for my work, and an astonished teacher asked me what had gone wrong. (I normally scored 8/10). My husband, somewhat sheepishly, explained that perhaps his idiomatic English was a bit advanced for the teacher!! Roger K has set this all to rights.
Alison , a Spencer corsetiere from America, Isobel and Rosalind who worked in the traditional corset shops in Britain, and Marianne, who had similar experiences in Denmark, have given freely of their reminiscences.
Several corsetieres, past and present, in Britain, France and Holland have talked to us, and without exception, have been charming and helpful. We owe all of these ladies a debt of gratitude. Finally, I should explain the provenance of Ivy Leaf. Spirella corsetieres, to my mind the quintessential corsetieres, could join the Ivy Leaf Club. Emblems were issued and corsetieres could collect pins for each decade of selling. It was hoped that the influence of Spirella would grow and cover like the ivy itself. In a small tribute to these energetic ladies, we have developed the character of Ivy Leaf. She is actually a whole range of women that we and our correspondents have known, but her interface to the world is through the very real characters of my husband and myself. For those of you with a curious mind; yes, I do appear within this web-site - Ivy. Please proceed to the
Contents
and enjoy a trip down memory lane. There's over 190 separate web-pages to explore!
Ivy Leaf's Diary 2012 Wishing all our Readers a Happy New Year
January 2012:
It has been a stormy start to the New Year. I did not realise that we get winds of over 160 miles per hour in this country but we did over the festive period. Even the Glaswegian hills felt 100 mph gusts on Tuesday. This was unfortunate since that is where we were spending the New Year and our travel arrangements were somewhat disrupted as was the electricity supply. Even today, back in the west country (and that is a long journey by car, some 400 miles) our electricity has been on and off. My husband says that 400 miles for our American and Australian readers is probably little more than a 'short hop', but for a woman of a certain age wearing 'proper underwear', it is a tiresome eight hour slog. I am glad that my husband elected to take our four-wheel-drive vehicle. This sits infinitely better than his ageing sports car which is an uncomfortable companion for his ageing wife. I do wish he would sell his sports car; he is far too old to be having a mid-life crisis!
..Meanwhile, Life goes on

with a fascinating visit to the museum.
My husband and I are serious researchers and managed to see what goes on behind the scenes, however, he does to tend to lapse into a state of eclectic interest as he assembles bits and pieces that make a point or interest him. This frustrates my serious approach but does yield some lovely period pictures. From the left:- An old measuring garment: Either the lady is tiny or that corset is huge! The poise of the professional model sets her apart from the amateur (or does it? See the 2012 calendar!) Say it with flowers! Period cartoon (my husband instantly wanted to make a lampshade from my old
corsets. I think my look alone dissuaded him!) Rack after rack of research material.
...with some more research.

We have some excellent examples from Spirella in Sweden, however, rather like our interest in the German side of Spirella, we were keen to find out if the factory and shop still remained in Malm. Obviously (and sadly) they would not be making and selling corsets any more. My husband dived into the world wide web with a will and, although failing to find the factory, did find the original facade of the Spirella shop as the pictures reveal. There on the Gustav Adolfs Torg, a street famous for its corsetry emporia (note Fox korsetter) lies the Spirella shop, the outlet for the factory. Ironically, the shop is now the home of 'Les Trois Roses' a choclaterie. Sadly, just when your Swedish woman could well do with a firmly constructed lower foundation, this is no longer available to her. Click on the right-hand picture to see the shop today.
A very rare example of a Swedish Spirella back-laced 205 girdle
Demonstrably the same building (above) in 2012 as the photograph from the Spirella magazine in 1957.
In the 1960's, high-waisted girdles were de rigeur with Stockholm's smart set; a far cry from the liberal and liberated picture that is commonly associated with the Swedes. In fact, the Scandinavian countries produced some elegant yet extremely functional foundations during this period. I must apologise for the somewhat random 'brain dump' nature of this diary. We have always "published first, and edited later," a poor industry practice, but this is an amateur venture! From time to time, we will move sections of the diary onto the appropriate pages.
A huge frustration to any researcher is the publisher who fails to date his work. We came across a Spirella catalogue but it was undated. These catalogues are rare, particularly from the 1950's - 1970's, however, this particular catalogue yielded some valuable information. It was the catalogue that solved the problem of the mystery girdle in 2011 that we wrote about in the
Diary in 2007 and 2008. We could not identify this girdle until we saw a picture in the catalogue that confirmed it to be nothing more than a standard 205, but not of the pattern we had seen in brochures from the 1970's. It was an earlier style. Spirella had to re-design the old favourites after the war as the trend of more food, central heating and an easier life-style became established. Women simply grew bigger, the hip-spring increased and the 205 that was a good shape for the scant hips of yesterday was simply not fitting properly. As the motor manufacturers know, if you have a successful name (Cortina, Civic, Golf and so on) you do not change it, so the 205 was re-designed in the mid/late 1950's. The evidence for this is as follows:- the catalogue does not mention the 246 girdle that was introduced in 1958, therefore the catalogue is from 1957 at the latest. We know that the 246 girdle was developed in response to the social conditions mentioned above and we have therefore assumed that the 205 was re-designed in that era. Why the 246 did not keep its predecessor's name, I do not know. Perhaps it was not such a good seller as the 205. The change in design is shown on the right and allowing for the artist's exaggeration, it is the placement of the elastic gores at the front that distinguishes the dates (pre-1960 on the left; post 1960 on the right). The backs of the girdles are identical. We really must update the girdle page soon.
February 2012:
The mild winter has given way to more seasonal weather and the temperatures have dropped below freezing point. For some reason that escapes me and infuriates my husband, a litre of fuel for the car now costs 1.46 in our neck of the woods (that is US$ 8.65 per US gallon for our American readers). It is quite sobering in what might be regarded as a 'well-off' village that people are choosing to wear fleeces indoors and to turn down the heating to save money. Who would have thought that after a lifetime as a professional, we would end up in such a state. At least the banker who moved into the largest property in the village appears not be suffering. Was it Woody Allen that said "A banker is somebody to whom you give your money so that they can live a lifestyle you can't afford!" Enough of the rant, the calendar has generated some very positive responses. We had dinner with the models and their husbands the other evening and a very jolly time was had by all.
A HUGE THANKS! ....

to all of you who purchased the 2012 calendar. The kind comments and the response have been excellent and we recovered the printing costs within the first day of sale. Everything since then has been profit that will be donated to charities chosen by the models. A lingerie shop snapped up 20 calendars without even thinking about it and have placed orders for the 2013 edition! We have effectively sold out now and raised 350 for charity in the process.
March 2012: One of the uplifting consequences of maintaining this site is that one learns all the time, and what one had regarded as fact is sometimes challenged and disproved by our eagle-eyed readers. I had always assumed that the panty-girdle developed in response to the advent of tights. I am at a disadvantage here since the panty-girdle barely made any impression in Holland where I grew up, but in Britain I know it replaced the girdle (for those women who persisted with a lower foundation) at the end of the 1960's and in America, almost a decade before that, however, it origins are far earlier. Meanwhile, we came across a lovely Spirella advertisement that capitalises on the British obsession with the weather. Mind you there is good reason. My husband got a suntan working in the garden yesterday, today it rains hard and last Sunday it snowed! This lovely picture of a young lady in her girdle and long-line bra holding a brolly over her head is so typical of the Spirella theme where an otherwise normal lady
in a normal situation appears to have forgotten to dress. Our calendars have played heavily on this theme! Talking of calendars, so many of you commented favourably on the format of the 2012 Ivy Leaf calendar. We decided to re-make the 2010 calendar in the same format as 2012 so that the pictures have an A4 page to themselves. We have received a draft version from the printers and, I must say that the full colour version is rather special. It matches the 2012 calendar and will form a set with the forthcoming 2013 calendar and, who knows, a 2014 edition*. Compared to the 2010 sepia rendered version, the re-figured calendar has full colour photos that have more space to be displayed and are larger than before. We intend to make a limited print run of 25 calendars and sell them for the usual price of 10. * We have illustrated a 2014 mock-up, but such a calendar would use new photos taken later on this year.
Please register your interest with Ivy Leaf. Times flies! It's nearly three weeks since we updated the web-site. Getting the 2010 calendar re-print has taken up some of that time but family matters have intervened. As often happens, after a lean spell on the web-site, a reader from Sweden sent a veritable cascade of information on Swedish corsetry including some
Spirella data that was completely unknown to us! It will take us a little while to load this data and sort it out. April 2012: Old Money I suppose that my husband and I could be pigeon-holed as middle class, financially reasonably comfortable (although Goodness knows for how long, my pessimistic husband added) and fairly chameleon-like in our ability to blend in at most levels of society. A normal, older retired couple I suppose you could say. We were invited recently to a local farmer's house for no better reason (I imagine) than to enjoy the warm weather and to get the village together over a buffet lunch in one of his barns. I had been introduced to the farmer's wife via my lately deceased acquaintance (of the muddy boot episode) and had got on well enough with her to merit an invitation. My husband had never been to the farm before and was suitably impressed by the size, age and abundance of buildings and the barn of a garage that could have swallowed our house with room to spare. Tractors and farm equipment were dotted around like a child's discarded toys and the paddock was full of the guests' cars, nothing flashy you understand, simply Land Rovers and a smattering of Jaguars, Mercedes and Audis with some smaller Volkswagens, (ours included). This was very much a landed gentry, hunting set, old farming money gathering. You could spot the men with the real old money, they wore a sort of uniform:- brogues, corduroy trousers, Viyella check shirt and tie and a Barbour jacket. It seemed important that although the ensemble should be 'nature'-coloured (so as not to scare the prey), on this festive occasion, the trousers should be of a clashing colour at the ochre-red end of the spectrum. A flat cap and an attendant retriever completed the outfit. Needless to say, my husband was more normally attired. The women, oddly enough, were far less predictable and wore anything from jeans to tweed. Nothing was flashy, everything was understated, but there was the indefinable scent of serious money in the air. The buildings in the farmyard would be worth well over three million, without even considering the hundreds of hectares attached thereto. Every horizontal surface was festooned with sandwiches and cakes, cups of milky tea and coffee and at the end of one enormous barn, hidden by a throng of men were several barrels of beer. I am just setting the scene for the appearance of a lady that grabbed the attention of both my husband and myself. She appeared from the main house carrying yet another platter of meat but was dressed more as I had expected, that is a throw-back to about 50 years ago. She wore a smart tailored tweed skirt, a silk shirt and a cardigan, all in hues of the countryside. She was old, possibly in her late 70's, but was immaculately turned out and had an enviable figure. I imagine her pearls and the few rings she wore would comfortably have paid for our car, yet she carried her tray and chatted with the hired maids and farm labourers. Old, old money and infinite confidence personified. I wanted to talk to her, but never got a chance for this, I am almost certain, would be a lady that understood foundation garments. Meanwhile, we have come across a couple of curiosities, such are the caprices of the corset marketing departments. Regard on the left a vaguely sinister advertisement from Spirella of Sweden. The text goes along the lines of the 1950's ethos where hard-working women needed firm foundations least they collapse under the burden of responsibility. Of course that girdle (recognisable as a Swedish 205) would be needed to hold up those support stockings, another hall-mark of the working woman. Nevertheless, dental surgeries are, to my mind, not the first choice to attract me to a product, in fact, I was tempted to skip the advertisement altogether! The nurse, who lacks that 'angel of mercy' expression, that so endeared us to the film "Reach for the Sky", appears to be holding a large hypodermic needle or is that just my imagination! Sorry gentlemen, you have just lost a sale, not that a dental nurse could afford Spirella in the first place! On the right we have an interesting alternative to the padded brassiere; just wear six at once! Seriously though, I have mentioned elsewhere that the wearing of multiple foundations was not uncommon and I know of a lady today that wears click to enlarge three 'shapers' of various lengths and configurations to persuade her body, and the casual observer, that her shape has remained constant for decades. In practice this can be successful, but one has to tread a careful line between compressing one's torso, whilst adding layers of elastic.
click to enlarge
Ivy Leaf's Diary 2011 Happy New Year

The Vital Statistics Calendar 2010
Many of our readers have asked if there are any of the 2010 calendars left for sale and sadly, we thought that we had sold out early last year. Over the Christmas period, however, an unsold box of calendars was returned to us and we would like to offer these for sale at 10.00 plus 2.00 p&p. As before, all monies will be given to a charity as dictated by the Winchester Soroptimists. We have decided to offer these calendars firstly to our regular readers for a period of one week before advertising them on Ebay. Please contact me at
We do hope to create another calendar or similar product in 2011.
January 2011:
The new year has begun in our village with all the snow gone! Long may it stay away, for 2010 was the snowiest year on record. We had a local lady round for drinks the other evening and she admired the small snow statute that my husband had made in a moment of childish whimsy. It was melting even then and quite apparent that it was a snow-woman. "I'm afraid everything is sagging and drooping" said my husband, who then artlessly added, "It's a bit like reality really!" Before I could melt my husband with one of my famous stares, our friend said "That's why we buy these expensive foundation garments!" Now I know her secret! Talking of which, women have, in the past, gone to all sort of lengths to conceal underpinnings that might be seen by some as giving an 'unfair advantage'. I can think of several examples:In Singapore in 2003, I came across a powerful panty-girdle complete with waist cincher (in an unattractive brown colour). The notable feature was the built in 'knicker line,' quite sufficient to show through a pair of slacks. It effectively mislead one as to the structure of what was quite a formidable garment. Ambrose Wilson (and others) have made corsets with 'concealed lacing' so that one's peers 'need never know your secret' according to their resident corsetire. I know of an elderly lady who wore a corselette over her corsets, partly to suspend a second set of stockings over her less than attractive surgical pair, but also to conceal the engineering of her foundations. This ploy was not successful and simply enhanced the 'rigging' (as the brilliant authoress Jilly Cooper puts it) seen through her blouse. But the most devious tactic was that of a rather vain lady who religiously each washing day hung a flimsy panty-girdle on the line for all to see. She actually wore a far heavier girdle, but this secret was allowed to dry, out of sight, in the airing cupboard.
A letter from the erudite Roger K

We are always delighted to receive criticism of the site provided that it is constructive. We can always rely on Roger K to put us right when some of our assertions fall short of the proven fact - Ivy In your Diary for September 2010 you reprinted the following comment:I had always assumed that 'women's lib, 'the 'bra burning' episode and the advent of tights put paid to the girdle, but an expert recently challenged this point-of-view. Far from 'bra burning' in the 1960's, this decade saw the advent of the first mass produced well-fitting brassieres. Manufacturers could not make them fast enough and department store buyers clamoured for these garments. Most stores had little storage capacity, so why store bulky corsets and girdles in many sizes that were not selling quickly in a space that would make a fortune in bras! The girdle simply vanished from the stores since the money was in the upper foundation. Certainly the advent of tights reinforced this trend so the panty-girdle lingered on for a decade, but it was business that killed the girdle, not any particular social trend. US sales statistics dont support this conjecture. These statistics are provided in my two articles on this site, US Bra Sales Statistics, 1960 1982 and US Girdle Statistics, 1960 1982. They show that:Sales on non-longline bras were 175,068,000 in 1960, rising to 238,980,000 at their high-water mark in 1968, and falling to 195,240,000 in 1976. IOW, they rose by 37% in the first eight-year period, and fell by 18% in the 2nd period. Sales of girdles (including corselets and corsets) were 63,996,000 in 1960, rising to 98,592,000 at their high-water mark in 1968, and falling to 48,300,000 in 1976. IOW, they rose by 54% in the first eight-year period, and fell by 51% in the 2nd period Hence its untrue that The girdle simply vanished from the stores since the money was in the upper foundation. On the contrary, girdle sales grew at a rate about 50% greater than the bra-sales growth rate through 1968, the penultimate year of the sixties. And when their sales fell, it wasn't because rising bra sales displaced them, because bra sales were falling as well. And its untrue that it was business that killed the girdle, not any particular social trend. On the contrary, girdle sales didnt decline until 1968, famous as the year that social trends turned (and that pantyhose hit the market in a big way, for which I also have the sales statistics).
Many thanks for that Roger; fair comment! There's quite a bit to think of here. I'm not so good at figures so I'll ask my technically-minded husband so look at the statistics. I wonder if the fact that our 'expert' was Australian had any effect on the matter. - Ivy
My husband, the engineer, pondered upon Roger K's statistics (above) and found that prior to 1967, 30% of foundation sales were 'lowers' and 70% were 'uppers'. That proportion had not changed for a decade. In the half decade that followed, the proportions changed to 80% 'uppers' and 20% 'lowers' where once again the ratio stabilised. In this transition period, lower foundation sales dropped by a third, whereas 'upper' sales increased by just over 10%. It was the death knell of the the lower foundation garment; - or was it? There is hope! That one-time bastion of the British 'stout' woman, the Ambrose Wilson catalogue, dropped through our letter box the other morning. Forty years ago, this mail order catalogue brimmed with girdles and corsets. Rubber reducers, waspies, corsets with 'invisible lacing'; all were present, sandwiched between the pages of sensible shoes and stylish, if commodious, dresses. Over the years, the catalogue dropped the girdle and the corset and simply, as did all the high street stores, advertised only brassieres. The British hip was allowed to waddle unfettered to the detriment of many women today. However, in this, the first edition of 2011, I was amazed to find a corset advertised as a corset. For sure, it is nothing like my trusty Spirellas, and the garment may even be worn over the clothes, but there is hope. There are several 'shapers' and 'waist trimmers'. Perhaps most heartening to read were some of the descriptions and garment names that easily rival the verbal excesses of the 1930's. My favourite is the Balconette Banger Booster. My husband asked if I would like such a device to which I replied that if my bangers needed boosting (which they certainly don't) then I'll commend the job to the Triumph company and their admirable range of Doreen bras!
I watched an interesting interview on television the other day. There were two fashion journalists and the usual male and female presenters discussing 'shapewear'. Apparently, 80% of women in Britain today wear 'shapers'; a 75% increase over the year and purchased by women of all ages. Many famous women admit to wearing them and Gwyneth Paltrow was mentioned. (Actually, I should stop putting the word 'shaper' in inverted commas since it had regrettably become part of the language!) One journalist was very anti:- "What a hideous colour; how unsexy; they take 10 minutes to put on; it's like squeezing into a rubber garden hose!" The other lady was an enthusiast:- "They are so comfortable; they make you look so good." I feel that the female presenter hit the nail on the head when she said "Perhaps 80% of women own a shaper, but don't wear them all the time - just for special occasions!" The cast then produced a corselette. "This is what my granny wore in the 1940's and 50's." Really? They are still produced today and were mainstream articles in the 1970's. Oddly enough, the anti-shaper journalist was impressed "At least it looks sexy." The younger woman did raise an important point that we have stressed on these pages before. Compressed flesh cannot vanish; it must go somewhere and so the cut and length of the garment must be appropriate to re-distribute the flesh correctly. Hurrah! How wonderful to hear this good corsetry advice in the 21st century. A girdle was produced and everybody recoiled. The younger journalist explained that if dyed and worn over trousers it would be very Madonna-esque. Oh dear! Just when she was doing so well! The interview was fairly predictable and some of the phrases obviously rehearsed, particularly the reference to rubber; a guaranteed turn-off for most women. So women today keep a shaper at the back of their undie drawer for special occasions. I wonder how many corsets and M&S's girdles have also served silently, awaiting the call to duty. In corsetieres' anecdotes, there are several accounts of the trusty corset or girdle being deployed for those special occasions. True or not true? We are very careful when compiling this web site to ensure that letters, emails and other recollections that we publish at least pass the basic tests of veracity. We eliminate the blatant wish fulfilments and episodes that simply do not make sense or violate basic times and dates. One reader recently commented on a recollection from a camping trip. Surely no woman would ever hang her corsets on a washing line? Surely campers were not the sort of people that wore corsets? We welcome all enquiries and challenges (for example, Roger K's comments above), however, this particular challenge forgets that fifty years ago, we were very different from today in morals, dress and outlook. The letter published in the Spirella house magazine of December 1959 describes how a Spirella corsetiere actually made sales from hanging her stays on the line. It does not mention, however, whether this was accidental or a clever marketing tactic! February 2011: Back again I must apologise for the lack of recent updates but I have been away, following my husband on one of his last international business trips. At least I have kept in touch by email and have several interesting accounts to post on these pages, but first I must recover from jet lag. One project we will start on soon is to sort out the rambling mass of corsetiere's anecdotes. We will sub-divide these tales into categories such as:- husband's observations, son's observations and so on. One thing I learnt from our travels is that corsets and airports do not mix well in these days of heightened security! I made the mistake just the once and now travel in several layers of expensive (but un-boned) elastic. I have recounted elsewhere about an elderly lady who had heard of 'pressurisation' and the swelling of the body during flight. She was concerned that confined as she was by her corsets, brassiere and surgical stockings, the only place left to expand would be her head. This was written as a serious concern to the airline! Of course these days, if you don't wear surgical stockings you may suffer from DVT. I think I was well protected against that but on the 13 hour flight home I really did feel a bit like that elderly woman. Flying is not my favourite past-time! March 2011: Mistakes
The dangers of over-tightening are well-known to corsetires. Regard the rather splendid American Spirella corset from 1954 ( right ). It is a very uncommon example of a corset with 'no entry'. The only way to don the garment is to
release the lacing as far as possible, pull the corset up over the hips and then tighten the lacing. This time-consuming procedure was used by ladies whose vanity could overcome any amount of trouble or discomfort. The typical wearer would lace tightly. But look closely at the picture on the right. The corset has split (actually on both sides) where the fabric would bend as the wearer sat down - or has it? This is what we thought when we wrote this piece back in 2005, however, closer inspection of the garment reveals that those seams are not split, they were sewn that way to accommodate the straps of an under-belt. I can well imagine the difficulty of donning such a garment, but with the added complication of an under-belt, it must have been nigh on impossible. No wonder the offending belt was removed. What corsetiere would persuade a client to buy such a thing? Or perhaps the client persuaded the corsetiere? It was not uncommon for a client to over-ride the years of experience of her fitter. This usually ended in tears! I have only ever encountered two of these corsets with no entry and the one shown here is in our collection.
A Question to our Readers The photographic company who took the photos for the 2010 calendar are planning to use some of the Ivy Leaf Collection for a series of modelled poses. Would anybody be interested in purchasing such pictures? We have mentioned before, rather tongue-in-check, the purchasing of 'corset futures' as a hedge against inflation. Recently (these things come along a bit like buses - nothing for ages then several in one go), we received two offers to purchase the entire Ivy Leaf Collection. Currently, we hold over 500 foundation garments, 150 items of vintage clothes and uniforms and over 150 brochures, books and sales materiel. The Collection is not for sale, however, reduced space and increasing age (both of ourselves and the garments) have decided my husband and I to part with some articles from the Collection, if only so that others can enjoy these amazing articles of a bygone era. April 2011: A Time of Change The 1960's started a profound time of change, the echoes of which still reverberate with increasing amplitude around the world. From a corsetry perspective in Britain, the girdle would die at the end of the decade as women moved into panty-girdles or more often discarded their lower foundations forever, or so we thought. Little did anybody guess that 40 years later, the lower foundation would re-appear in the mainstream stores. But let us return to the mid-1960's and regard an interesting observation from a Spirella Magazine of the period. The magazine often used weddings to illustrate the impact that Spirella had upon the bride, bride's mother, granny, bridesmaids and even the corsetiere herself, who was often invited a s a guest. In one instance from 1968, the bridesmaid wears a corset. This would certainly have been untypical, but not unknown as the
chubby sister of the bride attempted to get into the dress that fitted scant months before. The mother of the bride and bridesmaid wears a Coppelia girdle. What of granny? Granny, a widow, met a visiting American from the same church in the late 1950's and moved to New England where she re-married. Like her peers in America, granny wore a panty-girdle and was more than surprised to discover her grand-daughter wearing a corset. In the 1960's, things changed but not quite in the regular order than one might have suspected. Indeed, it was still more common for granny to wear the corsets, mother the girdle and daughter the panty-girdle, but sometimes the order could be completely reversed! Whilst we are in this contemplative mood, let us consider the picture on the right. Two women stand in the kitchen. They are wearing corsets from the 1960's, yet this is 2009. They are looking at a computer screen during the making of the Ivy Leaf Calendar of 2010. In the 1960's, it was suggested by the authorities of the day, that computers might be useful for some universities, but that their application for the general public would be minimal. Who was it who said that 90% of what you read and hear is rubbish? Probably my husband, but he heard it from a greater authority. Now, would you believe that!
There are four decades between these foundations and the laptop computer.
The End of April: For everybody in Western Europe, the weather has been glorious. One day of rain has fallen on our village in the last six weeks and the plants are in dire need of water, nevertheless, the hills are green with the verdant touch of Spring. Sad to say that with all traditional signs of Spring come more modern indicators:- the bra-strap, matching the top in neither shape nor colour; the bulging midriff contained by nothing more substantial than jeans two sizes too small, and the pale, white, unclad leg. Those that are not that uniquely British shade of luminous white are coloured in that strange orange hue that comes from lotions and the sun-lamp. To be fair, there are a goodly number of fit, healthily tanned Britons out there, which is just as well since the country will host the Olympics next year! The Royal Wedding is on everybody's mind, or if it isn't, then the media has failed in its avowed intention. It has certainly failed in the direction of my husband who simply grunts when the subject is mentioned. His contribution to the subject was to suggest that there would be more than a few corsets in the wedding party. I imagine there will be, as well as a goodly array of shapers (sorry I should say girdles), and why not. Surely this sets a good example to the Nation. May 2011: That which is tightly confined, cannot get fat. When I was a girl, we were treated much the same as our brothers with the exception of clothes for church and formal occasions. We could dress in shorts and T-shirts in the summer and run with abandon through the local fields and woodland. As we entered teenage, a dramatic change was effected by our mothers who suddenly felt that if we were not swathed in industrial strength elastic, our organs would collapse through our pelvic girdles and we would be condemned to a life of pendulosity, varicose veins and general immorality. I think there are several points that emerge from this state of affairs. Firstly, support. Women performed quite hard labour at home in those days, a decent support of the back and abdomen was actually quite a help. A women will have to withstand the trauma of childbirth, so again support is needed. With any size of developing bosom, support is both a comfort and a necessity. Secondly, security. Panty-girdles do, to a limited extent act as chastity belts! Even today, women who wears shapers are somewhat coy about revealing their secret to some potentially ardent swain. Panty-girdles were referred to as 'finger nippers', but whose fingers I leave to the imagination. Thirdly, peer pressure, surely the strongest force on the planet. Girls listened to their mothers in those days, and they certainly copied their friends. Lastly, and here I must quote Ken Jenyns:- "That which is tightly confined, cannot get fat." He said that there was no scientific proof for this, but coming from a family that made corsets for decades, it simply was an observation based on his and his family's experience. How often do we ignore the mores and customs of
yesterday, only to find that they were based on hundreds of years of cold, hard experience. We ignore experience at our peril. Doreen Caldwell states in her book 'And all was revealed' (above right), "It was curious that girls who appeared to us all as fearless Dianas, even Amazons, should have crushed themselves into such constricting garments. I think that Mothers and peer pressure had a lot to do with this. On another subject, who remembers when the telephone directories carried pages of Spirella Consultant contacts. One person certainly does! Girdle Observations:
I will badly plagiarise Mark Twain's famous statement here:- "Whenever my husband feels the need to perform DIY, he should instantly lie down until the urge passes!" Occasionally, he does actually perform a useful task and I did mention some years ago, his effective repair of a car exhaust using a steel bone from a corset. I feel that may have been a pinnacle in his achievements! It did, however, bring to mind the effective use of a girdle in repairing a machine on board a submarine in the old film "Operation Petticoat" ( left ).
We have talked at length about vestigial lacing, that reminder of the days of the laced corset that appears on so many foundation garments that most of us forget its implication. Rarely, however, is it so blatantly displayed as on this modern pair of Marks and Spencer shapers ( right). June 2011: Weddings Regard the charming and typically 1960's wedding group photograph. It was in fact taken in 1963 and I have discussed elsewhere, the lengths to which the local Spirella corsetire would take to gain the 'inside track' on providing as many women at the wedding with Spirella's finest.
Contrary to Spirella's house literature, not every woman wore Spirella and not just for financial reasons. The high street girdles were, quite frankly, nearly as good as the made-to-measure variety and were many times cheaper. Nevertheless, by the standards of the day it is likely that beneath coats and fitted rayon dresses lie at least six corsets and a dozen girdles and four corselettes. One can also surmise that there will be 18 brassieres of which perhaps 10 will be long-lines. Of the corsets, a couple might be regarded as surgical. These does not imply some orthopaedic appliance, but simply a heavier boned garment with heavy back boning and perhaps an under-belt. Amongst the girdles, there might be a couple of suspender belts and a waspie for the bride and bridesmaid. Tights and panty-girdles were not at all common in Britain in the early 1960's. There would have been possibly 26 pairs of stockings of which a dozen would be classified as support stockings and a couple as surgical stockings. That is more pairs than the number of women present, but in those days, it was not uncommon for a woman with varicose veins to wear a surgical pair under a more fashionable pair. Now, as we said, not all the women would be wearing Spirella, however, if they were, the sum total in today's money would be just over 4000 in foundation garments and stockings. That is 400 in commission! With such a potential, if probably unachievable, target on offer, no wonder predatory corsetires networked and then pounced at the notice of an impending wedding. June 2011: Camp Corsets and Bunty Although I have never regularly worn CAMP corsets, I never fail to be impressed by the sheer ease of adjusting the lacing, and the instant and flattering (not to mention flattening) results on one's abdomen. Our good friend Bunty modelled one such corset that we wished to sell on the internet. Bunty is not a corset wearer, however, she was sufficiently impressed that she tried to persuade us not to sell it. As we explained, she would probably never wear the garment. Remember the prodigiously long Spencer corset that she ordered a few years ago. She rarely wore it since, in her words, "It was a bit of a faff to put on!" She was more impressed by the CAMP. Although 10 inches shorter at the front, it hoisted her not insubstantial abdomen into its proper place with little more than a tug on the straps. As Tom Sharpe wrote in his excellent and funny book 'Porterhouse Blue' "Lady Mary adjusted the straps of her surgical corset with a vigour that reminded Sir Godber of a race meeting!" Bunty comes from the rarified world of the English Country woman where donning a corset is a commonplace task (or it was 30 years ago!), not an act of seduction. Sadly, Bunty has no Sir Godber to ogle the donning of her stays for she has resolutely remained a spinster. July 2011: Prose Although I have lived in Britain for many years, English is not my first language and, although regarded as fluent, I can never match my husband's talent for spotting eloquent or graphic prose. Indeed, the final editing of the web site is left to my husband unless, of course, the erudite Roger overrules him. "...Lady Mary asked, adjusting the straps of her surgical corset with a vigour that reminded Sir Godber of a race meeting!" "...Lady Mary disembarked from her corset languidly." Tom Sharpe's Porterhouse Blue "Mrs. Dredge pushed open the door and leant against it, gasping with all the vigour of a leviathan that had just zoomed up from several hundred fathoms. She was large-boned, like one of the better varieties of Shire horse, and on this stalwart framework there hung great, soft, voluptuous rolls of avoirdupois. A buttress-work of stays, linen and rubber was required to keep this bulk under control, so Mrs. Dredges body creaked and groaned alarmingly with each breath she took. Her black hair was piled high on her head and nailed in place with a forest of pins and round her massive neck hung a vast array of necklaces and pendants that tinkled and clattered as her massive bosom heaved." Gerald Durrell's Rosie is my Relative "....strapping and lacing herself into the rigid satin tube that was her underwear." "The elastic confines of womanhood." "The stout matron grimaces rather than smiles. If you had seen the effort that it took her to lace tight that unaccustomed corset, you would not be surprised at her expression. Her eyes bulge, her bosom is hoisted inches higher than even Howard Hughes intended by the hip-quenching force of her
Indeed, the sight of Bunty in the corset rendered a formidable garment even more formidable!
formidably over-tightened stays. Her corsets have removed her feminine hips and she tapers like a female tent-peg into the arrow-head agony of her stilettos." "Her spectacularly elevated bosom eclipsed the food on the table when she sat down to eat, a feat accomplished not without effort; both sitting and eating that is. Like her friend, her corsets were tightened to life-threatening levels. The groom secretly wondered (as all grooms do) if this was what the future held for his new bride." The memoirs of Ian McRoberts ".. and old Mrs. Lomax, who misheard her stewardess's assurances and came screaming on deck, bald, toothless and in her corsets." Richard Gordon's The Captain's Table Notice how in the examples above, a corset is sometimes referred to as 'corsets'. For example, 'my granny wore corsets' or 'my granny wore a corset'. To my mind, the latter is the more modern. The term 'corsets' comes from 'a pair of corsets' since corsets are made in two symmetrical halves joined together by lacing to form one garment. It is the same with a pair of trousers where the tailor cuts two symmetrical parts and joins them together. In this case however, the term 'trouser' does not exist. A Tale to Gladden the Heart I heard recently of an American lady who had become very obese. Like many overweight women, she retained a very smooth and handsome face, but the rest of her body had simply filled out and overflowed with fat. She determined to lose the weight by a number of successful strategies and within about a year had reduced to a conventional size. Unfortunately, and this is often the consequence of rapid weight loss, her skin had failed to keep up with the mass reduction resulting in hanging folds of cellulite. Showing great courage, she did not give up and with exercise and commitment took steps to minimise the excess folds of skin. At about this time, somebody must have suggested to her the benefits of proper foundation garments (by proper I mean by the modern standards of spandex and lycra rather than whalebone and laces). She described how, with a properly fitted brassiere, a waist cincher and a capri-length shaper, her remaining wayward bulges were smoothed into a firm and very feminine shape. August 2011: I must apologise for a pause in our usual ramblings but my husband was taken ill and had to spend a few days in hospital. Full marks to the NHS who were terrific, however, any form of enforced inactivity, be it a hospital bed or an aeroplane, rankles with my husband. Fortunately he is once again restored to rude health and able to update the site as I deem appropriate. End of August 2011: After a gap of several years, we were delighted to receive a letter from Alison, the retired Spencer corsetiere. She describes how she fitted a college girl with a proper brassiere. It is so interesting to receive these letters. Sadly, our circle of retired (and active) corsetieres is diminishing as a lack of Christmas cards points to yet another fitter's demise. In response to several readers requests, the new text provided by Alison has been displayed in a different colour to make it easier to find. An eagle-eyed reader noticed two entries regarding the use by a teenager of her mother's / granny's corsets to achieve a narrow waist and asked if this was not the same episode that had been passed along and modified in the re-telling. It is hard to tell. The entries came from different sources and both passed our tests of verisimilitude. The singer Dusty Springfield is mentioned in both accounts, but in one account, the corset is a modified Camp and in the other, a waspie from Dickens and Jones. I would like to believe that there are two independent accounts here. As my husband said, it must have happened more than once. There were just so many tiny waists then and teenage girls will go to any lengths to achieve what is fashionable. I told him that women of all ages are prone to this! September 2011: A brief sojourn abroad has allowed my husband to recuperate in time to face the challenge of creating another calendar. The enthusiasm of our models appears to be undiminished and we are sorting out what garments might fit which model. This is not trivial since modern women, even those boasting a modern size 12, are larger than their sisters of yesterday. Sadly, at our time of life, friends and acquaintances start to pass away and so it was with our sturdy friend from the village who my husband rescued from the mud three years ago. Her niece kindly allowed me to dispose of her clothes, however, her corsets were worn beyond reasonable recovery and had been
neatly but often repaired. They were consigned to the dustbin rather than our collection. It was obvious that she had not contacted my corsetiere, and I can not really blame her for the price of a new corset these days is astronomical. Talking of things astronomical, this is a bit of a passion that my husband likes to indulge in the winter months. I noted with interest that Ethel Granger's husband had a similar passion. I shall have to make sure that my husband concentrates on photographing the right sort of heavenly bodies this winter! Alison continues to provide us with an 'Indian Summer' of recollections. It is so interesting to read these snippets from a bygone era. She mentions in her latest text "trapped in her bra". This echoes one of our pages entitled "Trapped inside my Panty-girdle" and also harks to the confinement in general of women's clothing that we have discussed at length within this web-site. Pencil skirts, impossible rear suspenders, back-laced corsets, tight dresses ("Will you zip me up, Darling?") all formed part of a complicated ritual of, some might say, subjugation. Of course, in these liberated days, such confinement does not exist, or does it? I noticed at a recent award ceremony on television how several of the actresses were hobbled by their skirts and ludicrously high heels. The 'mincing gait' of their hey-day may well turn out to be the only way they can walk in later life! October 2011: Our weather patterns this year have seen the best warm periods in March, April, May and now September and October. In the village pub, however, there are dire prognostications of an impending hard winter. The farmers have noted that the cows have a thicker coat than is usual, the finches in the back garden have put on weight, and the berries are in super-abundance on the bushes. My husband scorns these signs are says the mere fact that Heathrow Airport has laid in extra snow ploughs guarantees a mild winter! My old Dutch aunt (of the rubber corsets incident) always maintained that you couldn't wear enough clothes whatever the season; that she was proved wrong in the Ardennes was a singular episode. We are becoming very busy. We hope to be involved in the Spirella centenary year (2012) and meanwhile have started to arrange the fitting sessions for the next calendar. Before winter each year, we try to visit as many of our corsetiere acquaintances as we can. Regrettably, these visits tend to get fewer each year. We recently met up with the Spencer fitter from the south coast. It is a long way from the west country, but she was visiting her daughter in Exeter and we could meet up. Her grand-daughter was attempting to show her some home movies of a cousin's wedding in the 1960's that had been uploaded to YouTube or some such social site. Our friend watched with interest and was moved to say "You just don't see figures like that any more!" She was referring of course to the torsos of the women in the film. How different they are from the unfettered potato sacks that one sees all too often these days; even at weddings. "I could have fitted those women myself. In those days I had hundreds of clients in the West End. Diplomat's wives, actresses and even some lady politicians. You'd be surprised who I fitted!" ...more Alison continues to provide recollections of her time as a Spencer corsetiere. This, she assures us, has been prompted by her grand-daughter's interest in her past. I have often said that there is so much to learn from the older generations. Last week we visited the First Garden City Heritage Museum at Letchworth. They have a considerable collection of Spirella memorabilia, not the least impressive of which was a vast tome (that took a strong man to lift) showing the photographs of corsetieres who had worked continuously for 21 years. That the tome went from 1910 to barely 1930 shows how prolific Spirella were in those days. Note also the motto on the front page and the moralistic exhortations. Truly this was another era of work ethic and upright moral standards. Not that this applied everywhere; Spirella was committed to caring for its staff and in return expected commitment from its staff. Even the town of Letchworth was 'dry' for many decades after its founding. The meeting at Letchworth was to discuss plans for the Spirella centenary at Letchworth (this post-dated Spirella in Britain by two years.) There will be an exhibition in the museum, talks and educational features. Their impressive collection of books and garments will be catalogued and rendered easier for the serious researcher to access. We hope to be involved in the assessment of their collection. Whilst at Letchworth, I discovered the model number of the mystery Spirella girdle about which we wrote in 2007 and 2008. It is an older style of the 205. We found it advertised in a Spirella brochure of the late 1950's; the style changed somewhat during the 1960's hence the confusion.
A Meeting with an Amazing Lady:
This report has been moved to a page specially dedicated to Medeq.
Fitting Sessions: (this section has been moved to Making the 2012 Calendar)
November 2011: We were most pleasantly surprised to receive a package containing some bras and corsets that a house owner had found in her loft. What interested us in the first place was that the items were from Spirella and unused in their original plastic bags. The owner had no idea of their provenance for the name on the labels was not the previous owners of the house, but it was the labels themselves that were interesting for they form a lovely piece of history. One can surmise that the lady, a Mrs. B*ck, who owned the corsets lived in the house in the late 1970's and perhaps for decades before that. As the labels and receipts demonstrate, she would order two 305 corsets and a 369 brassiere in the winter, and then two brassieres and a corset in the spring. This was not unusual for a regular Spirella corset wearer although by today's standards that represents about 800 - 900 a year on her foundation garments. IIn fact, the real cost may have been less since corsets were not a speciality item like they would be today but it still represents a considerable financial outlay for somebody presumably retired. The odd thing is that all the garments are unworn. It may be that the elderly lady had become a little eccentric with advancing years and would still order her foundations with the regularity of the past but save them for a 'rainy day' and use her existing corsets. One of my husband's distant Scottish relatives had no fewer than 20 Spirella
corsets when she passed away. In her defence, they were all worn and varied between winter fabrics and tropical fabrics for she travelled extensively. It was still a huge investment of many thousands of pounds. Another lady of my mother-inlaw's acquaintance had a full drawer of Marks and Spencer girdles when she died in the 1980's. So there we have a story! The elderly and slightly eccentric Mrs. B*ck providing a nice commission
for the Spirella corsetiere thanks very much!
Research
The calendar has taken us a lot of time and effort, nevertheless, our researches continue into all things Spirella. A gap in our knowledge has always been Spirella in Germany, however, after some judicious trawling through the internet and with the help of Google's 'Orange Man' we have found the following information:Although the Spirella literature of 1924 mentions Berlin, this may have only been the head office, for the factory lies in Dsseldorf some 300 miles west. The factory was originally built in 1907 for the company Die Bhne GmbH in Dsseldorfs Oberkassel neighbourhood. The picture (left) was taken from the north-east in what was then an expansive railway marshalling yard. Today, the area has changed and the marshalling yards have gone. The picture (left) can no longer be reproduced since the north-east flank of the factory is now a narrow alley, the Greifweg (aerial view - right). The view from the southeast (right, recent) shows that the building's exterior has not changed in over a century. After Die Bhne ceased operations on 7th November 1912, Spirella Gesellschaft took over the premises in 1913 and remained there until 1936, using the factory for the manufacture of corsets in the Spirella tradition. Typically of the Spirella factories all over the world were the large picture windows and ceiling windows. Cutting and sowing requires good light if your seamstresses are to produce top class workmanship. Today, the factory houses the Julia Stoschek Collection, an international private collection of contemporary art with a focus on time-based media art. The collection opened in 2007 and comprises installations, videos, photographs, paintings and sculptures. Each year a different exhibition presents, documents and makes available to the public different aspects of the collection.
The 2012 Calendar: We have moved previous sections of the diary relating to this topic to a dedicated page 'Making
the 2012
Calendar.'
Yesterday, the photographs were taken for the new calendar. We are so lucky to have four charming ladies who are prepared to model the garments from the collection. That they thoroughly enjoyed the experience is such a bonus. The highlight had to be where the oldest model was put into a Spencer measuring garment. These are not easy to assemble and the hysterical giggles from the dresser and the other models brought the house owner and my husband rushing along from one of the sets to see what was happening. Discrete as always, my husband called out "Are you decent?" at which point the laughter erupted once more. Fortunately, my husband brought his engineering skills to bear and our long-suffering model was finally encased in the contraption. We are also incredibly fortunate to have a friend whose house is a perfect backdrop for the scenes that we had in mind. Our own humble abode is gezellig (there is no English equivalent), but with neither the style, furnishings nor space to accommodate such a venture. We are very lucky; in fact, the day started inauspiciously. Thick fog determined us to avoid the main roads and head across country, however, the road we needed was closed and
we only got to our destination just in time. The house owner's husband staggered upstairs with a 25 kilo suitcase full of corsets whilst my husband assembled his camera and lights. At this point, one of the models phoned up from Exmouth to say that she had a flat tyre and would be late; she hadn't actually left home. The second dresser then phoned up to apologise. She couldn't leave her farm due to some malady afflicting the herd. We decided to press on regardless since we had a tight schedule. The first scene was to feature the gorgeous satin Camp from the previous calendar but to our horror, we discovered that one of the metal-centred suspender knobs had disintegrated. Safety pins to the fore, we attacked the errant garter whilst my husband muttered darkly about PhotoShop. After this shaky start, we all settled down and the team began to function as a unit whilst our fourth model turned up and almost leapt into a back-laced German corselette. There were so many off-hand yet hilarious comments that one model suggested that we should be recording sound as well as pictures. In the jolly atmosphere, we broke for lunch and thoroughly enjoyed a totally inappropriate lunch of sandwiches, stollen bread, sticky buns and chocolates. "I really will need a corset after this" was uttered by several of the models. By chance, our planning had put the corset scenes in the morning, and the more forgiving girdle scenes in the afternoon. This is a handy piece of advice for all aspiring corset calendar designers! In view of Letchworth's Spirella Centenary next year, we planned to re-create some of the scenes from the Spirella magazines of the 1960's and the models dressed in clothes of the period. In this respect we were very lucky. The models all found something to fit. I realised that my husband has a disturbingly good eye for picking the right clothes for the right model. He puts it down to his engineering training but I do wonder! During the 'black corset' scene, an unwelcome piece of Spirella history manifest itself as the seam of one of the black orchid material 305's started to rip asunder. Our model was quite distressed but we assured her that the corset had already split and it was a fault with the last batch of black orchid that Spirella ordered. They never made black corsets again! All in all, it was a very successful day. In fact it was one of the most enjoyable days that I can remember and the models assured us that they felt the same way. I do believe they were sincere in this since they asked when were we going to make another calendar and could they buy some of the girdles and corsets! We took some 300 photographs at the photographic session with the idea of accumulating enough material to make a calendar for 2012 and also one for the Letchworth Heritage Museum in 2013. We are putting together a draft for the latter since this may require much more forward planning. If you are interested in these calendars please let us know so that we can order the appropriate print run. The calendar mock up below is rendered in sepia, however, there will be a full colour version available.
December 2012: The 2012 Calendar
At last, the draft of the 2012 calendar has been completed (above). In order to make a paltry 12 pages, one for each month, we have been fitting and photographing our models since September. The big day was on November for the 'live' photo shooting session. As recorded elsewhere, this was not without drama, however, of the 300 odd photos that were taken, there are enough to make this colour calendar and another for the Spirella UK centenary next year (the 2013 calendar). We have tried to re-create the 1960's and the spirit of the corsetiere in those days. All the garments come (more or less) from this period as do the models, although three were teenagers then and one (remarkably) in her mid-30's for she had her 80th birthday during the gestation of the calendar. I might add that she celebrated this event by two weeks of travelling, parties and a "good, long walk with friends" and I mean about 10 miles or so. 80-year-olds are not quite what they used to be! For many reasons too boring to relate, the calendar will not be ready for the new year, however, I suspect that the content rather than the calendar may be the selling factor. All proceeds will go to the charity selected by the ladies who modelled the garments, for charity work is something at which these ladies excel and have a proven track record. We hope to have the calendars ready for the end of January and they will be sold at GBP 10, USD 16 and EUR 12. They are double-sided A4* in size so that when hung, they form an A3 page with the pictures at the top and the month at the bottom (see mock-up for 2013 right). This gives a much bigger picture than the 2010 calendar and it will be in full colour. *before printer's trimming

The Ivy Leaf Collection is more than just foundation garments, it also includes period costumes from the appropriate era. From this source we were able to provide the models with clothes suitable for a garden party or wedding. The models took to the clothes with the same enthusiasm that they wore their corsets and girdles and I think that the results speak volumes for their confidence and poise. As my husband commented "I think women are just born actresses!" This was borne out recently when a friend from the village and I went to visit a local National Trust property. My friend was unusually distracted and admitted that she was concerned about a forthcoming fancy dress party for which she had no appropriate costume. On returning home for lunch, I instructed my husband to dig out a costume for the lady. She retired to the guest room and emerged after a while with confidence restored to such an extent that, she related later, she was the centre of attention at the party. Over lunch, she talked about her own mother in Ireland who, after a period of being rather overweight, restored her figure with 'proper' foundation garments and never looked back. Our friend was duly encouraged to wear a corset as
a slightly chubby teenager, however, this was not an episode she remembered with affection, particularly when her secret was discovered whilst staying with a girl-friend. Apparently the friend's brother burst into her room by accident and saw her in her corsets, a fact that was widely communicated at the time. Our friend's mother always maintained that women chose the nunnery to avoid the embarrassment of being 'left on the shelf'. "They would never be on the shelf if they wore proper foundations!" Even the inimitable Jane Russell had an opinion on the subject. When asked what was the secret of her enviable figure that she maintained well into her 70's, she breathed huskily in reply "Underwear!" In this shot (left), her dresser proffers a Playtex girdle that the actress declines to wear thereby undermining her own sound advice!
End of the Year

The year is nearly over and what a year it has been. Sometimes we think that no new ideas will come our way, but then, often unexpectedly come new offers and challenges, not the least of which was to make the second calendar that will now stretch to 2012 and 2013. We have described the fun that this generated amongst the models, all of whom were amateurs ranging in age from late 50's to early 80's. We met the charming Mme. Medeq, and corresponded with Robert and Cathie Jung. We met so many interesting people and next year is the centenary of the Spirella Building in Letchworth in which we have been invited to take part. There is so much to do! Meanwhile, we would like to wish all our readers and supporters a
Merry Christmas
and
a Happy New Year

Footnote to 2011:
The Ivy Leaf Calendar 2012 will be advertised on this web-site. Thank you for all your interest. This has helped us gauge the number that we should produce. The printers are ready to start work on the calendar as soon as they return to work in the new year. In order to get a calendar, please wait for the announcement on this web-site (not any other web-site) and let us know your wish to place an order by email to ivyleaf@corsetiere.net An invoice will then be sent to you with a request for a postal address where the calendar should be sent. The cost will be GBP 10.00 + 2.00 p&p; EUR 12.00 + 3.00 p&p; or USD 16.00 + 4.00 p&p. All proceeds will go to a charity chosen by the models.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year - Ivy
Ivy Leaf's Diary 2010 Happy New Year

January 2010: A New Year, New Opportunities
We have so many plans for the coming year. Buoyed up by the success of the calendar, we really want to use the Ivy Leaf Collection to its full potential. The Collection needs to be modelled and probably thinned out a little. We have many duplicate garments that should be sold off, and some of such rarity that they really should belong in museums for the benefit of others to enjoy. Several years ago, we lamented the passing of the foundation garment, little realising that the 'shaper' was about to hit the shelves of the fashionable stores. On one hand, our few remaining stalwart corsetieres struggle on, with our Liverpool friend selling only three corsets this last year, but our Eastbourne contact measured an encouraging 12 clients. The former commented on how poorly the corsets in the calendar were fitted. She is absolutely correct, however, we only had a limited range available (there are a million more female shapes than our motley collection of 500 garments can match). Also, modern women are bigger than their sisters of four decades ago. We did our best and had a lot of laughs, but this year, we want to do better. In the last two days, apropos of nothing, we overheard two women at two separate parties commenting on their shapewear. One mentioned that shapewear was part of her standard wardrobe and another commented on the feeling of blood rushing back into compressed spaces after her night-time escape from its powerful embrace. Comments like this, I have not heard in many decades. Perhaps the '20-teens' herald a new era.
The elegant lady wears a satin combination of an Indeed perhaps they do. There is any amount of literature on the correlation of American Camp corset and tight underwear. One can only hope that the return of half-decent corsetry and a Swiss Desir something better than the offerings of the last decade! brassiere.
social harmony heralds
Let us start the year with a couple of charming offerings from a web page that we are currently developing called "Making the Calendar."
Annual Calendar Awards:

Our calendar was entered for a competition that I barely registered at the time, the British Annual Calendar Award. We received a note two weeks ago asking four of our team to attend the 'Worshipful Company of Stationers' by St. Paul's Cathedral in London. My husband, who loathes London, encouraged me and three of the models to attend, however, it was decided that my husband, myself, another of the models and the lady whose house had been used as the set should attend. It meant an over-night trip plus, I could predict, an incessant series of husband-like rants:"HOW much for a cup of coffee?" and the like. I don't know what we were expecting, but we didn't really imagine that we would be competing with the top national calendars! Predictably we failed to gain any award, however, we were congratulated on getting the calendar displayed. Only 150 calendars out of 500 entrants got that far so we were
rather pleased. The wine and canapes, were not only delicious and plentiful, but free (since we were a charity) and served by charming young ladies. Even my husband was impressed! February 2010: Oh dear! We must apologise for the lack of updates recently. This is partly due to travel (when we could), incessant snow (when we couldn't) and numerous invitations. The latter are part and parcel of village life, however, the Calendar has attracted rather some attention and we have been invited to speak at functions in June, July and September. In addition, it seems that Leeds University has a course in which textiles, fabrics, fashion and corsetry figure prominently. We have had numerous enquiries about the Collection in particular and corsetry in general. It is very gratifying to be part of this foundation renaissance and we hope that we can make the most of this opportunity. Meanwhile plans proceed apace. We hope to photograph the collection as worn by real women and to begin an entirely new project called "What Lies Beneath!" Perhaps this might be the subject for a 2011 calendar? St. Valentine's Day: St. Valentine's Day is another occasion that might as well have been invented by shop-keepers to part us from our hard earned cash. The link to romance, however, which is always appreciated, seems to have been a 14th century invention of Geoffrey Chaucer. My husband read this text and commented that if separating us from our cash was worthy of note, then every day should be called Bankers' Day! But I digress. Across the country, roses and cards will be given and expensive meals eaten. Amongst the younger couples, saucy undies or night attire might be be presented to a blushing wife for one night of passion before, like the others before it, it gets consigned to the back of the 'not for normal use' drawer. One of my husband's old aunts had one of those drawers that, on her death, was found to contain an outrageously diaphanous nightie, a maternity corset and some old and rather stretched girdles that seemed to have been used for spare parts in later years. Indeed, the chronology of the last sentence might be exactly correct. It was this very lady who once commented "I owe my hips to Darwin and my waist to Spirella", however, no Spirella foundations were ever recovered from her house. Perhaps they had become too expensive, or possibly she was echoing a remark made about Mae West by an unkind, if truthful reporter. "Mae owed her figure to the Spirella corset company!" Mae's Teutonic ancestry was blamed for her lifelong struggle to keep her waist and hips under control. March 2010: We have been doing our annual audit of the Ivy Leaf Collection. There's well over 500 garments and the statistics are interesting. Just over half the garments are white, a third are variously tea rose, pink, flesh, skin-tone or beige, and about a sixth black. There's some blue foundations from the lovers of that colour, the French, and some unlovely patterns that Marks and Spencers thought would sell in the early 1980's. They didn't. A quarter of the collection are girdles, a quarter are corsets from conventional to bizarrely complex and a third are generically brassieres, although this covers corselettes, torselettes, all-in-ones, gupires, basques, bustiers and combinaires. The brassieres run the gamut from long-line, midiline, short-line, cathedral, bullet, uplift, minimising, laced-back and laced-side. The statistics don't actually mean anything, in fact they are misleading. They are simply the result of 40 years of eclectic collecting, gifts and the residue from some corsetieres and corset shops. Inevitably the odd sizes and unpopular styles last into history. The popular fashions just wear out and are usually consigned to the dustbin. After all, for the last 20 years, brassieres
have outsold lower foundations by more than 99 to 1. We always enjoy the audit and inevitably we discover garments that we had completely forgotten. We hope to share far more of the collection with you all this year that we have done in the past. The 2010 calendar was but a taster. A charming advertisement passed our way recently. In the 1930's, the corset houses were remarkably candid and slogans such as "Are any of your friends inclined to be stout?" (to which the answer is "probably yes, but if I want them to stay friends, I might not mention it!") filled the columns of the woman's weeklies. However, the Spirella advert depicted here coins a new phrase "Figure Tragedy." A walk along any street in Britain these days will explain exactly what that means. The advert is actually rather clever, combining a slim maiden in a new-fangled automobile with the ever present fear of curves, bulges and, without the assistance of Spirella (like some corsetry RAC), ultimate figure tragedy would follow. One little bonus of the collection was the re-discovery of a rather severe Jenyns panty-girdle. Slightly yellowed with age (it would date from the late 1960's), the interesting point about this garment is the broken top of the zipper pull tag, where the original satin flash has broken off the end of the tag. This could have been a manufacturing defect. The old corsetiere in Upper Street, Croydon refused to sell any zippered foundation in the 1970's due to the unreliability of the zippers. There is however, other evidence in the distorted lower hooks and eyes that reside beneath the zip. Indeed, this garment was far too tight for its wearer. Whether this was simply sheer vanity or 'figure tragedy' (described above), we cannot say. What is evident is that closing the hooks and eyes must have required heroic effort. Pulling the zipper taut against the elastic forces of the over-stretched garment must, at some point have overcome the zipper tag. Was the wretched women trapped in her underwear, the zipper at half-mast I wonder? Oh, the perils of vanity. A word of warning to any lady that tries to wear too tight a lower garment. You may think it's tight when you don the article standing, but when you sit down, the nether regions will expand and place a huge force on any fastenings around the hip area. The forces involved can become intolerable to wearer and can, in short order, part the zipper and pull the hooks and eyes from their industrially anchored mounts. It is a miss-conception that tight lacing (or tight underwear) puts a strain on the waist. It may do, but the strain is constant. It is the strain over the hips that can increase dramatically as one attempts to sit. On the same theme, I remember a lady recounting how, in exactly the manner described above, she pulled the end of the tag off her zipper. The zipper was finally hoisted by the use of a pair of pliers (not the first time these articles have been usefully employed in dressing or undressing). Late March 2010: We came across this picture of a Spirella corset (the 305 model of course). Contrary to what many people might imagine, this corset was made in the 1980's although the style dates back to the 1930's. Some pointers when dating corsets are to be found by regarding the suspenders (garters - US). As
skirts became shorter and shorter, so stocking became longer and longer. Indeed, latterly it became impossible to buy any quality short length stockings. Consequently, the length of the suspenders became shorter and shorter, and in this corset, they have almost vanished underneath the corset skirt. Artistic licence aside, Nora Batty's wrinkly stockings were a feature of many elderly ladies as they simply could not purchase stockings short enough for their aging foundations. Attempts to fold over the stocking top to shorten it courted the humiliation of suspender and stocking parting company. April 2010: I was going to write about Spring being in the air, and the budding flowers, but the 1st April dawned frosty, and my poor husband was, for the umpteenth time this winter, forced to scrape the ice of the car windscreen before driving to work. Roll on retirement I say; if we can afford it. Goodness knows what hitherto respectable institution will try to relieve us of our savings next. But let me shake off the gloom for it is Easter and we will have four days to sit peacefully at home and listen to the accounts of strikes and traffic jams on the radio. We may continue our foray into the collection that, now it is all hung up and displayed, is quite an amazing, even daunting sight. Daunting, for we know that we must catalogue every one of the 530-odd articles at some point. Duplicates will be sold and the classic pieces photographed with as much skill as my husband can muster. Sadly his skill with a camera, like his DIY abilities is sadly amateur and I may encourage him to take classes in the art as soon as he retires. My husband is graduate of the school of thought that believes "Only two items are required for DIY. Gaffer tape (Duct tape in the US) and WD40. Gaffer tape sticks together that which has parted, and WD40 parts that which has stuck together! Job done!" Sadly, it rarely is in my husband's case. Talking of sticking together, I have lamented on other pages, the demise of the busk in traditional corsets. It was so easy to fasten as opposed to the myriad hooks and eyes currently employed for the job. By why oh why did the French use buttons on many of their corsets? That sounds awfully faffy to me. This brings me to April Fools Day. It was some years ago when I was donning my trusty Spirella 305's. I had just fastened all the hooks and eyes when my husband commented (ungrammatically) "You've done it wrong. You've got one left over at the bottom." I may have uttered some 'words' as I automatically started to unfasten the wretched thing. As I was half-way down my husband shouted "Hunty* Gowk!" and started to laugh. I did not find it funny, simply very irritating, but since we have never fought in over 30 years, I was not going to start. I simply extracted my revenge later on! *Hunty Gowk is a Scots expression for April Fool. It comes from Hunt the Gowk, where Gowk means cuckoo or fool. In numerous places on the web-site web-site we have commented how the traditional displays in corset shops have been replaced by an anodyne 'sea of bras .' I recently came across some pictures that I had seen that I thought rather appropriate! mid April: I have lamented the passing of the finer materials for corsetry, the busk and numerous little details that used to make female underwear so alluring. I must add, however, that
the allure is rather a male preoccupation. Women are far more interested in comfort, fit and wearing what their peers wear. I remember well the slogan on the corsetry pages of Ambrose Wilson's 1970's catalogues. "Let's not romance about corsetry!" admonished a rather stern looking Mary Armstrong. Sadly, this has become the norm and the ardent swain who dreamed of un-lacing his girl-friend's corsets would be less enthusiastic about the peeling of her latter day counterpart's anodyne beige shaper. Camp, who had in their collection, some of the most gorgeous confections, have been reduced to beige (again that colour) coutil
secured with Velcro. To disembark from this 1990's abdomination from Camp requires ripping asunder no less than six large pieces of Velcro. Even the most ardent of lovers I fear would be running for the hills by this point. A Question for our Readers We came across a French advertisement that extols the virtues of a girdle made by a French manufacturer, F. Berl. Is this the French version of the Australian Fred Burley's* famous brand Berlei? *This is not a joke, that really was his name!
Another advertisement for Rva announces La gaine rve Porte hiver comme ete La gaine toujours en place Se porte sans slip anticellulite. Roughly translated this means dream girdle turns winter into summer the girdle always stays in place can be worn without a slip (on the continent a slip means panties) and anti-cellulite of course. Why not, the girdle seems do most other things! The advertisement shows a conventional girdle with a extra piece that turns it into a proto-panty-girdle. This dates the advert to the 1950's. The imagery of the girdle as a three dimensional model reminds me of a number of French girdles in our collection that are so well built from such heavy gauge elastic that they could, indeed, stand up torsoshaped all by themselves!
Iris Norris, Corsetire extraordinaire

You are reminded that Monday April 19, was the 10th anniversary
of the death of Iris Norris, (1921-2000). Much loved by grateful customers not only for her kindness and understanding, her personal dedication to tight-lacing, and her skill in producing wonderful corsets, when working at A. Gardner and Son Ltd, Islington, London, 1942-1981 and on her own account in Bletchley from 1981 until shortly before her death in 2000.
May 2010: Who would have believed that in the space of three weeks we have seen temperatures rise from - 2o C to 28o C and a change of Government from a right-wing left-wing party to a left-wing right-wing coalition. We wish them good fortune for we surely need it. The dramatic rise in temperature has hardened the mud that plagues winter on the moors. Walking is now a pleasure and there is no fear of getting stuck, the fate that befell our acquaintance from the village. The lady to whom we refer has become a good friend, especially since I passed to her the name of my own corsetiere. We have compared notes on our foundations. We both wear the successor to the Spirella 305, the Spencer posture corset, but hers are longer in the back and have two rigid steels either side of the spine. I have worn corsets like that but I hate the fact that when you bend over, the steels don't and the rim of one's stays is clearly visible through even the thickest clothing. She agreed but obviously was not as sensitive as I seem to be. She added that by wearing a laced brassiere that has no elastic panels, the effect can be minimised. I mentioned that so might breathing and bending as well. She laughed and said "Well you can't have everything! So what if people know I'm wearing corsets." There followed a grumpy old woman conversation on how morals, finances, even weather might be improved if the younger women of today wore corsets, but not, please as fashion accessories over their clothes. Now that is something I will never do! Dear Bunty: I lamented some time ago that our dear friend Bunty managed to scupper our Abdominal Corsets page by losing weight. We were visiting her recently in the depths of rural Yorkshire and she agreed to pose one last time in her remarkable Spirella 325 (actually a Spencer posture corset laced front and back, but spiritually a 325). At its tightest, she could insert a hand down to the waist. She also wore a Hunkemller laced brassiere that our friend from the moors could well have recommended (above). The corset was built to accommodate Bunty's substantial frame of yesteryear, but alas no more. The corset was made for a 38 inch waist, 44 inch hips and is a whopping 23 inches down the back and 17 inches in the front. It has, of course, the six mandatory suspenders. She happily returned the item to us and confessed that she had rarely worn it, even though it used to have a great effect on her figure. I think we may sell this piece of corsetry history for somebody should wear it.
June 2010: Talking of laced brassieres, and we have a dozen in our collection, mainly back-laced but two that are side-laced, we acquired another one recently. This Spirella gem has no give whatsoever at the bust and two firm elastic inserts over the lower rib cage. Shallow breathing from the base of the diaphragm apparently allowed the wearer to inspire enough air to survive! It is a shame that the matching lower foundation was not available. From experience I suspect that its only concession to mobility would be two microscopic elastic gores over the thighs. Mind you, minute mincing steps would be all that the limited oxygen in the wearer's blood-stream would permit. We also came across a German laced brassiere of similar lung-quenching power. When you consider the very substantial corsetry available to your average Hausfrau in the 1960's, once again flexibility of the torso was at a premium. If you regard films of the period and, if you are lucky, home movies, you will see that female locomotion is more restricted than
we know today, just as the highly restricted gait of the Victorian maiden was compared to her grand-daughter in the 1960's. July 2010: Summer has arrived. Wimbledon progresses without a break for rain and with my Dutch origins, the World Cup is still exciting. I have commented before about the noisy female tennis players of today. A hundred years ago, the only sound would have been that of their stays creaking! Our updates have been few of late due to 'family problems', my husband's very busy job and travel to foreign climes when sometimes I get the opportunity to accompany him. The last trip was to the Far East and it is interesting to note how the Oriental woman, sadly these days afflicted by Occidental eating habits has begun more and more to rely on elastics rather than genetics to achieve a desirable figure. The panty-girdle was much slower to take on in Europe than in America, as, indeed, were many styles and fashions. In the early 1960's the panty-girdle was becoming main-stream wear for both Mrs. and Miss America whereas in Britain, girdles persisted until the end of the decade when suddenly, they all but vanished from the scene leaving corsets and pantygirdles to control Granny and her offspring. (Bunty contradicted us here and maintained that the girdle still held on in the north through the 1970's, such are the regional differences in Britain - IL.) In this American advertisement from the early 1960's, we an interesting transition period where a choice between girdles and panty-girdles of the same design was given. August 2010: Oh dear! Summer was good, but all too short and the rain has now returned. Mind you, the garden and fields sorely needed moisture. In the eight years that my husband and I have been working on this web site, we have received thousands of emails, letters and general correspondence with corsetieres, corset wearers and corset makers. We love digging into history, however, this site is not a work of scholarship. We try to keep the facts straight and weed out letters that are obviously untrue or blatant wish fulfillment. From time to time we are contradicted and we love this. Learning from mistakes is one of life's great teachers. We have mentioned many times our dislike of the euphemistic names used these days for girdle. Names such as 'magic knickers' lend an air of levity, but the word we dislike is 'shaper'. I really thought that this word was an invention of our beleaguered millennium, but an American reader kindly referred us to a wonderful old catalogue site. To our amazement, the term shaper was used in the Montgomery Ward catalogue of Fall 1976! For sure the word girdle is there on the pictures, but the generic terms for what appear to be Playtex girdles made under licence is 'shaper'. We were quarter of a century out, but now we know.
9th August 2010: Pat and Ken Jenyns Two years ago, we entered into correspondence with Julie, great granddaughter of Sarah Ann Jenyns who founded the 100 year dynasty of the House of Jenyns. She put us in touch with her father and mother, Ken and Pat Jenyns who would be visiting England in 2010. Ken, a grandson of Sarah Ann, was a director of Jenyns in 1961 and, with his wife Pat, steered the company right through until the late 1980's when it passed into the hands of Sister Ann Bryant. We were delighted to welcome Ken and Pat
into our home last week. This charming retired couple related the story of the House of Jenyns and added so much to our limited database. It was a real pleasure to have lunch with such knowledgeable people who worked for three decades in the corset manufacturing and sales business. We will re-write our Jenyns page in the light of all the information they kindly passed on to us. They gave us a couple of 1912 corsets made to the Jenyns patent in England. One of the corsets had not been unwrapped for nearly one hundred years! We gave Pat and Ken a copy of the 2009 calendar. The picture on the front of a Camp and a Jenyns corset sent Ken off into a lengthy description of the pros and cons of Camp versus Jenyns. We will write all this down, for such knowledge rests in the minds of very few people these days and it should be recorded.
Ken and Pat Jenyns inspect some Jenyns corsets from the 1950's to the 1990's.
Pat and Ken explained something has had intrigued me for ages and that was the difference or similarity of Camp and Jenyns corsets. "Jenyns eventually sold Camp products in Australia but they worked on very different principles. Camps had a far more adjustable lacing system with two to six pulley systems that could accommodate a multitude of figures. Jenyns had less adjustment, so relied on nine figure types to get the closest fit first and used the lacing only to tighten and to fine tune. This meant that Camps were
inherently poorer fitting but compensated by more adjustment. Jenyns fitted better, but stores then had to carry many more garments in all of the figure sizes. In a declining market for traditional corsetry, where storage for bras was at a premium, this heralded the beginning of the end. The Jenyns had to be fitted in tack, returned to the factory for finishing and then sent back to the store. The result was excellent and approved by physicians, but timeconsuming. Camps tend to flatten the abdomen. Jenyns were cut more dished to lift and support the abdomen, hence the medical recommendations." I found an Australian photo of the correct period. What is quite outstanding is that of the three fairly average women in the picture, one had taken a serious interest in her figure. Is she simply a shapely woman, or is there a proper foundation at work here; perhaps a Jenyns? Both Pat and Ken were convinced that fat cannot form under a firm foundation. September 2010: What killed lower foundations in the late 1960's? I had always assumed that 'women's lib, 'the 'bra burning' episode and the advent of tights put paid to the girdle, but an expert recently challenged this point-of-view. Far from 'bra burning' in the 1960's, this decade saw the advent of the first mass produced well-fitting brassieres. Manufacturers could not make them fast enough and department store buyers clamoured for these garments. Most stores had little storage capacity, so why store bulky corsets and girdles in many sizes that were not selling quickly in a space that would make a fortune in bras! The girdle simply vanished from the stores since the money was in the upper foundation. Certainly the advent of tights reinforced this trend so the panty-girdle lingered on for a decade, but it was business that killed the girdle, not any particular social trend. My husband and I were honoured to make a presentation of the subject of corsets to a local women's group the other evening. The group is dedicated to good causes and ties between women worldwide, so we thought the title "Pulling Together" was highly appropriate. The title is not totally original and owes its origin to the clever title dreamed up by Robert Lancaster of the Letchworth Museum, "Pull Yourselves Together Girls!" The edited presentation can be found on a new web page. It happened to be my husband's birthday as well, and the ladies presented him with a lovely cake decorated with one of the pages from the Vital Statistics calendar. He was reluctant to cut the cake claiming that he did not want to behead any of the ladies, especially his wife! October 2010: Dating corsets I suspect that this topic might turn into full page one day; it is a subject that we are often asked about. There are many clues to consider:- length of suspenders; material; is the elastic made from latex or lycra; is the zipper metal or plastic? Style plays a part, particularly in the last decades when change has been rapid. Before that, the Spirella 305 corset, for example, remained unchanged for
decades. In such a case, attention to the details of fabric and elastic are critical. Generic shape is also a subtle clue as women became larger with bigger hips after World War II. In the talk that we gave last month, I emphasised that corsets did not mutate into girdles and thence to panty-girdles. There was a huge overlap with panty-girdles appearing in significant numbers in America in the 1950's. They still exist today of course as 'shapers' (a term coined in the 1960's), as do corsets. The girdle is virtually extinct as British women at least binned them at the end of the 1960's in exchange for panty-girdles or simply unfettered hips. A request recently went into some detail concerning the lower fastenings of a Spencer corset. The photos show the robust closures, the one on the left coming from Britain in 1947 (thank Goodness that Spencer often dated its garments) and the one of the right from an American Spencer of the 1950's. Otherwise, things have been quiet in our little village. Our 'tweedy' acquaintance is still to be seen, challenging the muddy hills, her not insubstantial torso supported by Spencer's best. I wonder how long it will be before this last bastion of the made-to-measure corset will cease to exist? I know that my own collection of corsets will last for decades yet. We still receive requests for the 2010 calendar. Sadly, we have now run out of stock and there will be no 2011 version. However, we do have plans with the photographers who took all the photos for another project. November 2010: I have heard people who live in the tropics lament about how much they miss the English seasons. To be honest, at the beginning of November it is hard to think why! It has become cold, everything is damp, the paths are treacherous with mud and even an innocent walk can lead to that most dangerous of all things to those with a bad back, the little slip with the automatic muscle tensing that sets off a painful spasm. Good corsets help of course but one is always on edge. Our tweedy acquaintance from the village has started to join me on occasional forays onto the moors when my husband is at work. Last week when we met at designated car park she greeted me with a hearty "All laced up and ready to go!" She slapped her hips to lend action to the words. Yes; I was all laced up and ready to go but I would rather that the local population was kept in ignorance of the fact! To the uninitiated, the word Spirella all too often conjures up a vision of unyielding strong satin, rows of hooks and eyes, yards of lacing, and bones, bones, and more bones Spirella Magazine January 1958. Whilst we were updating the page on the 'Feel of Foundations', prompted by an email from a reader, we decided to check out the girdles with the most bones and seams. Our reader commented that, as a teenager, she wore a girdle just like her mother. The trouble was that her mother was half again as big as herself so that the bones, seams and zipper, that seemed entirely reasonable to mother with a 35 inch waist, were
uncomfortably close together for a girl with a 25 inch waist! The Sears standard pantygirdle does well with 11 seams, a zipper, six bones and six suspenders, the rearwards of which lie exactly where you want to sit down. The Spirellette 105, can only boast nine seams, six bones, a zipper and four suspenders but is heavier and feels more substantial. The materials are simply heavier duty items. The Spirella was, however, custom-made and the owner may well have omitted the rear suspenders. The Sears wins again around the leg with five seams per leg; Spirella can muster only four. By comparison, the M&S satin-elastic girdle of the 1960's fields nine seams, a zipper, six suspenders but a whopping nine bones and outweighs either of the panty-girdles. "But, they really didn't stand up by themselves, surely?" How often have we heard that comment. In the nature of scientific enquiry, my husband and I selected the Spirelette 105, an unused M&S satin elastic girdle (8054/956B, for those of you who are girdle spotters) and a 2010, firm control pantygirdle - sorry - shaper also from M&S. The results are clear to see, and those vintage
girdles are not touching the wall or supported in any way other than by the very fabric of the garment. The collapsed mess in the foreground is, of course, the modern shaper! December 2010: I remember as a child, how many clothes we had to wear to keep warm. Our house was a rarity in having central heating (my father was a doctor) but many of my friends had no central heating at all and relied upon fires that had to be laid every day. The car had no heating and the plastic covered seats were painfully cold in winter unless one's derriere was well protected. I recall that my aunt (of rubber corset fame) clad her torso in corset, knickers, petticoat, lined skirt and coat. Often ten layers were called into play, and none of them were thin. A good half inch of assorted fabrics kept the elements at bay, not to mention my poor long-suffering uncle. These days, we have heat at the flick of a switch. Gortex and Thinsulate provide an insulation that even the most robust of brocades and tweeds cannot hope to match. It was, therefore, quite a surprise on attending a small drinks party hosted by our tweedy acquaintance from the village, that she had not turned on any heating. There was six inches of snow on the ground and a wholly inadequate smouldering lump of wood was the only external heat source. Despite being in her lounge, everybody was dressed as though for an assault on the South Pole. I hate being cold, and for the first time I realised that not everybody in the village can afford to heat their homes in these difficult times. But let us leave the cold behind and remember the positive elements of yesterday. Frangard recently sent us a comprehensive article on a corsetire from the 1960's called Illa Knina. Finally, as the year draws to a close and, once again, the human race astounds us scaling new heights but sadly plumbing new depths, let us fervently pray for
Peace and Goodwill
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

from Ivy Leaf and her long-suffering husband!
Ivy Leaf's Diary 2009

Some additions have been made to Ivy's diary from 2008.
January 2009: The Spencerette is dead: Long live the Lightweight Girdle!
I doubt it! Our Spencer contact informed us that the Spencerette girdle has been discontinued. For those that wear traditional girdles, the only alternative is the 'Lightweight', that really does not do the same job, or a corset that does more than many women require. Our friend has worn Spencerettes for years and laments their passing. It was only to be expected however. Consider Spencer's last offering to its corsetieres, a poorly and cheaply reproduced manual. Although the girdle is labelled as figure 80, there's far fewer diagrams than that. The fitter's manual is not even bound, it is held together by a bulldog clip. We reported elsewhere that Spencer discontinued making brassieres many years ago. They lost their patterns as Spencer became part of Remploy, Thamert and other enterprises. The seamstresses had little experience of the complex three dimensionality of the female upper torso. In brief, their brassieres were a poor fit and sales and bosoms collapsed. Undaunted, our friend has stocked up on enough foundations to "see her out". Again, I doubt it. These long-lasting corsetieres are made of sterner stuff than we know today. She'll probably see us out!
She was kind enough to loan us her 'Spencer Bible'; the last proper fitting instruction manual issued to their corsetieres. It has 1978 crudely stamped on the fly-leaf, but the text shows that this is the seventeenth edition of their 1952 manual! Regard some images from this manual and let us lament the passing of an era. It is this passing that prompted my husband and I to record as much as possible using the medium of the internet. We certainly have not finished yet and each year brings us new surprises. On the left is the Spencerette, mainstay of Spencer's girdled clients and on the right is the fiendish complexity of the standard measuring garment. Our friend has not used this device for years. Only once have I tried on a similar modelling garment from our collection. It took my husband nearly 30 minutes to get it right in what I called at the time "A triumph of enthusiasm over experience!" I doubt if its kind has been worn for measuring for over a decade. We always appreciate correspondence, even when, perhaps especially when the reader has discovered a mistake. How
else can one learn? We had referred to a French foundation from Scandale that we thought was called restrictions; an odd name for a girdle! Apparently, the name of the girdle is not restrictions. The French advertisement talks about restrictions in the use of rubber during the war. Apologies to Scandale whose garments were the epitome of flexibility. One of their advertisements shows a young lady doing acrobatics in her corselette!
More Ramblings:
Our robust acquaintance from October has become a friend over the past few months. She's had us round for dinner twice now and, of course, we have reciprocated since we enjoy her company. She was delighted with her new Spencer corset and persisted in discussing it during pre-dinner drinks. This embarrassed my husband to such an extent that he vanished into the kitchen to start preparing the meal. (I must use that ploy again!) She had ordered two and hoped that they would last for a good while. Like many of her ilk, it is impossible to guess whether she is well-off or not, but to buy two Spencer corsets is not far off three weeks state pension. I suspect she has independent means! We agreed that the material of the corset (a white artificial satin that Spirella used to call Orchid) provides excellent wear (it's what I have myself), but we lamented the passing of the real satins and the patterned brocades. I showed her a material swathe from Spirella in the 1950's and she pointed out some of her favourites that, I might add, were totally out of character with her tweed and oiled-cotton sensible exterior. I wonder how many frumpy old women (and I'm sure that's what my nieces call me) long to express their innate femininity through their underwear!
February 2009:
What a quiet start to the year! Little correspondence has arrived and my poor husband has had to travel on business several times, an activity that he loathes more and more as he grows older (and grumpier)! We thought that we might escape the unusually heavy snow that has plagued the south-east, but even in our small West Country village, several inches have fallen. Country folk are not noted for their sartorial splendour and, indeed, with the winter mud upon us, wellies, cords and barbours form a unisexual country uniform. Heels and short skirts are a dangerous waste of elegance (and frankly a waste of style on somebody like myself), but nevertheless, the odd female denizen of our small community will create a stir in the Lounge Bar as she enters. A week ago, a lady of serious 'granny age' entered wearing a microskirt over ribbed tights. A jeans jacket covered a barely adequate tank-top and when she sat at the bar, two inches of bare flesh was exposed at her waist. Goodness; when I was young, any granny worth her salt wore heavy corsets, heavy stockings, thick knickers, a vest, a slip, blouse, skirt, jacket, scarf, hat and probably many other garments as well! It probably added two stone to her weight! She would scold us youngsters, who wore barely anything less, that the omission of one of these essential items was to court influenza, arthritis, pneumonia, croup and possibly plague! Of course if one's corset was too tight, you were a moral wanton who would develop varicose veins, if too loose, your back would collapse in middle age, and of course your teeth would fall out in a malicious act of their own just to make old age even more unappealing! In some respects, I envy the granny in the micro-skirt! We came across a fascinating picture recently and have compared it here to an advertisement from Spirella in the 1950's. On the left is Mrs. average American middle-class woman, dressed for an occasion with the artist, cleverly (and amazingly for the age) depicting what she might wear from Spirella's extensive range beneath her clothes. On the right is Miss Sultry, a model who could almost be attempting to recreate the advertisement from 50 years ago. Yet this outfit is intended for wear to a fashionable occasion! Fascinating if you are a fan of Jean-Paul Gaultier or Madonna! My husband was moved to suggest that at our next dinner party, I wear my bra and corsets with a satin dressing gown. I gave him what used to be called an 'oldfashioned look'. Some things are best left unsaid and others things definitely unseen! That reminds me of a forthcoming project. You may have noticed on the Contents page that there are some grey titles in italics with no link. This is to remind my husband that we had planned some research on the topic or, at least, to insert some new pictures or thoughts on the
subject. The AL Woman is a case in point. 'AL' was what Spirella called 'abdominal large'. Their measuring garments ran from S and M to L (small, medium, large). Extra large women were encased in extended portions of the large garment, however, Spirella felt that the pendulous abdomen needed special support, hence AL. It isn't that the corsetiere would say to her client "Madam, I see you are abdominally large!", it was simply the method of identifying the dished front-piece of the measuring garment that would result in a well-fitted corset. Of course these days, the poor fitter would probably have to say "Person, I see you are a deferred abdominally normal person!" Thank you so much to the EU legislators. That must have been a really dull day in Brussels!
March 2009:
Good Gracious! The vernal equinox has passed, and not before time after the hardest, coldest spell for many a year. The snowdrops have been out for weeks and the hedgerows are a riot of daffodils, blooming just in time to be harvested by legions of errant offspring who have forgotten Mothers Day. The clocks will change this weekend and subtly, the heart of our local inn will move from the roaring hearth to the beer garden at the back. I can't wait. In cold, icy conditions, I'm always aware that an incautious step could result in a slip or a reactive jerk that would cause havoc with my back, however firm my foundations. This brings me onto a question that we often receive, "What was the best girdle, corset or brassiere ever made?" This is almost unanswerable, much as "What was the best football team?" or "Who was the greatest Inventor?", questions posed by the media when they feel that their audience is becoming jaded with vilifying rogue traders. (My husband added that he is certainly not jaded on that score!) I said almost since I believe, without being so arrogant as to suggest that I know the answer, that the best brassiere ever made, and still in production, is the Triumph Doreen. I love this picture since the lady depicted is certainly unlikely to be a wearer of such a garment, I should add "today", for Italians and German women from the south wore such garments as teenagers right into the late 1960's. As regards girdles and corsets, I fear that any answer will be similar to my husband's reply on being asked about what car he would like. The answer is always some impossible eclectic combination of various brands. I have always admired the Marks and Spencer satin
elastic girdle and its later derivatives. We have at least dozen of these and some will have been through the washing machine hundreds of times. It is only the fading of the label and the permanent set of the waist bones that reveal that these 40 year old garments were once well-worn. We are lucky enough to have a brand new (in 1967) satin elastic girdle still in the box. If it was put into use tomorrow, it would become a collector's item, and in good wearable condition in 2020; half a century after being made! As regular readers know, I have worn a Spirella 305 for years, and when Spirella sold out to Spencer in the late 1980's (in Britain), I've ordered their nearest equivalent since. Personally, I really like the principle of Camp's fan-lacing, but they never made a model that suited my longer than average back. If I had to design the perfect corset, it would be made of Spirella's orchid material, busk-fastened in the front, and fan-laced at the back. The English climate is never likely to permit me to wear anything so insubstantial as to reveal Camp's engineering to the casual observer. Did Ambrose Wilson (right) make the most practical corset? From time to time, we receive those gems of information that make the compilation of this web site so worth while. Frangard has sent a huge volume of material and another correspondent has written about the halcyon days of corsetry and enclosed pictures (one of which - right) of some extraordinarily complex devices that were manufactured as late as the 1970's. My poor husband exclaimed "I'll have to give up my job to cope with this lot!" He enjoys it of course, but sadly, as has happened to many of our peers, that retirement that we dreamed about and saved for, has, indeed turned into a dream, as the trustees of our nest-egg, and I paraphrase my old school teacher here, "could have done better!" My husband was more forthright! Perhaps my the concept that we aired some years ago may be our salvation. Invest in corset futures!
April 2009: Double-tightening

After an astonishing spell of warm weather, Easter was so-so, but there is hope that Summer may be a scorcher. That is certainly the opinion of our corsetiere friend in the Midlands who wrote one of her informative epistles to us recently. She remains as sharp as a knife even though her writing is a tad spidery. This lady has been with Spencer for more than five decades and gladly corrects our errors of assumption and ignorance. She still fits herself and a few clients each year even though she is over 80! One incorrect assumption that I had made was that a corset is donned in the morning, then laced for the required support, a function that it should maintain all day with the satisfying comfort that a well-fitted pair of shoes affords. Try explaining that to the younger generation. My mistake is at the beginning. As our friend explained:"It's alright for you! But when corsets were more widely worn, and not just but us oldies, the initial donning and lacing was but a pre-cursor. My auntie would put on her corset and lace it quite tightly. Then she'd put on her housecoat and busy herself around the house for an hour. Only then would she repair to the bedroom and find that another inch could be extracted from her stays. She would then dress and start a daily ritual of chores that would floor a young woman of
today. She needed the support of her corsets you see." Apparently double-tightening was used, not just to get the extra inch but to provide the firmest support for back cases. I remember now an Australian lady that I met on a cruise many years back. She was a corsetiere herself and we got to chatting and became good (well shipboard) friends. If you are familiar with Jenyns corsets, you will know that the hip strap has holes that mate up with a sturdy hooks sewn into the corset body. Unlike the Camp, with its infinite adjustability, the Jenyns was adjusted by quanta (my husband's expression here). The lady in question informed me that three holes was for comfort, four for posh and five for a new husband!
The Vanishing Lady

Fate plays tricks on all of us. On my instructions, my husband had prepared a page on the AL Woman (mentioned in March). The lady that helps with our modelling turned up and immediately we could see that she had lost weight. Proudly she demonstrated her new figure, two sizes less than a year ago and, sadly for us but a delight to her, minus the pendulous abdomen that was to star in our article! Instead of a comprehensive photographic session, we repaired to the garden and enjoyed a glass or two of chilled Chardonnay. My husband even offered her a huge chocolate Easter Egg. "Oh how thoughtful!" she gushed. "I'll put on all the weight I've lost." "Yes please" my husband and I replied!
May 2009: Nothing changes

I was amazed to realise that it is a fortnight since my slothful husband updated the web-site. To be fair, he has been very busy at work and I have become involved in a friend's new venture, that is to open a 'ladies shop', if you know what I mean. I am hoping that this venture may prove fruitful. Next weekend, against our usual rule of never venturing onto the roads during a public holiday, we will be visiting our corsetiere friend. This remarkable lady started with Spirella in the early 1950's and still fits for Spencer today; although only a few clients per year now. The days of fitting female members of parliament and diplomats' wives are long gone. She recalls how, in the 1960's, the wife of a senior parliamentarian was distraught by her husband's imminent demise after some scandal or other. Whilst the country held its breath as the shocking revelations unfolded in the press, this lady's primary concern was for herself. "I'll have trouble affording these girdles next year!" she lamented! I wonder if they were claimed for at the tax-payers expense? We have returned from seeing our corsetiere friend. She is quite remarkable for someone approaching their 90's. As is our custom, we enquired how business was going. "Oh, not a patch on the old days. I used to fit half a dozen, even a dozen clients a week in the 60's when we lived in Chiswick." We asked after her present clientele. "I've only got about four ladies left these days" she answered sadly. "Never mind" she brightened "Two of them contacted me last week!" One still still orders the front and back-laced corset that is Spencer's version of the remarkable Spirella 325. We enjoyed an hour chatting to our friend and laughed at some of her recollections. She handed over the last of her samples unceremoniously bundled up in a dustbin liner. This collection (that weighed about 15 kilos I might add) contained bras, girdles and corsets and each one told a story. The slightly worn examples had been returned for repair. The shiny new ones awaited collection by their owners. There was a corset with an extraordinarily large hip-spring, a surgical belt for the mother of a famous celebrity and two brassieres that took my fancy. One was a staggering 50 KK (Spirella never quoted sizes since they were made-to-measure; I compared it to a Triumph Doreen) and one was a 30 AA, yet both were totally feminine and beautifully made. So why were these garments still in the hands of our friend? In most cases, the owners or potential owners were elderly ladies and sadly not all survived to complete the purchase. Our friend was quite practical about it "This is a dying business since the clientele is steadily passing away. Many of my clients are nearly as old as me!" Living in the west country, one of the few downsides is the appalling traffic during any warm weekend in summer. Due to my husband's careful planning, we had managed to visit our friend before the lemming like urge of the Great British to migrate to the coastline. As we drove inland away from the seaside town, we marvelled at mile after mile of cars awaiting their turn to find no parking spaces left! We have recently moved into the 21st century and purchased a satellite navigator that I swear my husband has programmed with all the pubs of Britain. Nevertheless, we did find our favourite pub, we avoided the main roads and enjoyed lunch in the sun. Not only have we embraced modern technology, but so has our friend. She has purchased her first lap-top and is having lessons on how to use the internet! "Well, it's not going to go away is it!" I think this demonstrates the practical approach to life that has stood our friend well for nearly 90 years.
June 2009:
The summer solstice is upon us and, in contrast to the years few years, it does seem like summer. The temperatures have been warm, the incessant mud on the nearby moors have all but dried out yet there seems to be no shortage of water. The weather has tempted English womanhood to reveal more of their bodies than is strictly necessary or even vaguely aesthetically pleasant. But I cannot complain for these displays come from a generation of people to whom I do not belong. A generation to whom a 'celeb' is a role model and the acquisition of material goods an obsession. Not that my generation didn't have its fair share of jackdaws. I have mentioned elsewhere that on the death of an aged aunt many years ago, her nieces discovered nearly two dozen Spencer corsets worth (in today's money) nearly 3,000 or over half the annual old age pension! The old lady in question spent much of her last years on an equally ancient high-backed chair, her corsets precluded any other sort, that rested on a somewhat grubby Persian rug. The chair was consigned to the dump, but the rug fetched a small fortune at auction! If only her relatives had appreciated her eccentric (in their eyes) underwear, the sale of her corsets at auction would have paid for a good family holiday. We found an excellent article on modern foundation garments that we have included under Roger's Rambling's Other Stories. Already, our new piece on the Best Foundations Ever has been challenged and we have discovered a number of women prepared to fight for the Camp camp (sorry). One lone supporter of the Spirellette 105, quite correctly describes it as one of the most powerful panty-girdles ever made, but sadly, its minimal market penetration precludes it from the page.
July 2009:
England is a curious country. For two years the population has moaned about the dire summers. This year, we've had no rain and temperatures over 30o C (that is 86o F for the Imperialists amongst you). Still not satisfied, the population bemoans the heat and discomfort at night. I must admit, the orchid material (Spirella's popular artificial satin) from which my corsets are made is a little heavy for such temperatures, however, experience tells me that we'll soon be back to cardies and tweeds before long! I do have a few old Spencers constructed from light-weight Aertex material that would be cooler, but regard the picture on the right. The fitter shows the lightweight corset to the client who I'm sure will, as the advertisement claims, lose every bulge. The problem is the transparency of the material compared to the bone casings. I have a morbid dread of my corsets being seen through my clothes and I suspect that however cool and effective that Spencer corset might be, its presence will be detected through a thin dress. Also I just hate the material, so I'll suffer through the hot spell.
August 2009:
From time to time, we make additions to the 'strange names' page of our web-site. What on earth was running through the minds of the marketing department when they conjured up such classics as Le Compressif, Sturdi-flex, Free-mor and Haul in. I was about to include the wonderfully named 'Lipo in a box' in my collection of names, however, I took the time to read the web site and understood exactly what the remarkable Connie Elder was marketing. Connie Elder has come up with a fantastic product and I Connie Elder's applaud the fact that more women are taking pride in their figures once again, however, I Lipo-in-a-box. just love the marketing phrase 'excellent jiggle control.' I know exactly what she means! Whilst we are on the subject of catchy phrases, I came across the expression 'Figure Tragedy' from a Spirella advertisement of the 1940's. Oh dear! There are some real figure tragedies walking the streets of England these days. Let us hope that Connie Elder and her peers can exert some influence on the wayward trend of the modern abdomen.
Mid August: The New Project

We must apologise for a lack of recent updates, but a major new project has consumed our time. In addition to this, we
still receive regular letters and emails requiring our response and input to the site. My poor husband has been going through a hectic time in his new role as consultant. Semi-retirement to the West Country is fine, but from time to time he has to visit the centres of what is euphemistically called 'civilisation', and this requires the dreaded 'travel'. Nevertheless, in his free evenings, he has stoically endured groups of women coming to our house to be fitted for garments from the Ivy Leaf Collection prior to a photographic shoot (I believe they call it) somewhere in Southern England. This will form the basis of a calendar. What is quite amazing, is the enthusiasm that these ladies have shown for foundation garments that are to most of them, quite historical. The giggles the ladies enjoy are quite audible to my husband in his study. From time to time he is called to assist or advise. "Are you decent?" he asks and in response to a collective affirmative, he ascends the stairs and proceeds to offer advice, being subsequently banished to his study, somewhat red-faced, whilst another rail of garments are fittted. We hope to bring this project to completion in October. As my husband added, it is always a good marketing ploy to release calendars before the New Year. The company for which he used to work could never produce the in-house diaries before March of the following year! We will not make that mistake since the whole project is designed to raise money for charity. The fitting sessions were most revealing (pun intended) although not for my husband. The group of 12 ladies were amazed at the diversity of the Ivy Leaf Collection. Despite the amateur models' ages spanning five decades (from 30 to 80) none had ever worn a proper foundation other than a brassiere. After some thought, a couple remembered strapless brassieres with evening dresses and another admitted to wearing a 'roll-on' but many, many years ago. The late 70's year old mother of one model The 20 outfits remembered a maternity corset with "plenty of adjustment", but on being selected by the shown such a garment was at a loss as how to adjust it! Another models remembered her mother (born in 1900) being fitted for a corset; "Didn't they all then?"
Some of the models look at some Despite this lack of knowledge or experience, virtually all of the ladies loved the reproduction, satin Victorian corsets. Amazingly, most enjoyed the feeling of being 'held pre-production photographs in the kitchen. in' and loved the effect on their figures. Most wanted to buy a corset of some description, but I doubt if they will in the cold light of day away from the hilarity of the fitting room. It was quite remarkable how a model's face would light up when she found the right garment. What was very surprising to me was that some of the ladies could not be extracted from the fitting room and tried on everything that would fit, and some that wouldn't as well. One lady emerged wearing a Jenyns corset, shortly aferwards she re-appeared in a girdle, then a panty-girdle and long French brassiere. Finally she donned one of my Spirella 325's but wore it back to front. Oddly, this seemed to suit her rather well and she wanted it for the ultimate photographic session!
End of August:
How very unusual! It's the August Bank Holiday and not only does the sun shine, but it's actually hot out there! The work on the calendar progresses. Professional photographers have been engaged, and since the project is for charity, they have given their time for free. All the models have been fitted and the location scouted. It has been hard work but we hope it will be successful. We'll see how the photo shoot goes. If it is as much fun as the fitting sessions, we will be in for a good day! Meanwhile, an echo from the past, in the form of the Ambrose Wilson catalogue arrived by mail this morning. Gone are the pages and pages of intricate corsets, but there is hope yet half way through the catalogue (comment on right).
A gentleman with a cheeky grin called
Ambrose Wilson, unusually for a corsetry concern, used much more realistic models than many other companies. The woman on the right, whilst undeniably a pretty model, has what the fitting trade would call 'a modern body'. That is bigger below the waist in proportional to the upper half than was common three decades ago. In years gone by, the 'average' woman was supposed to be a size 14 (36-28-38). This was more realistic than the Hollywood dream of 36-24-36. These days, a size 12 top and a size 16 bottom is not uncommon. This actually proved something of a challenge when fitting our volunteers for the calendar. Like many corsetieres in the past, we found the all-in-one far harder to fit than the separate top and bottom. But I digress. The point I was trying to make, and we found this whilst fitting our models, is that 'real women', whatever size or shape, bring the garments to life in a way that a professional model could never do. The professional can pose, act and smile, but never quite achieve the impression that this would be the garment she might wear every day.
GOK WAN has designed a range of 'shapewear' and I must say, they look rather effective. I dislike the name 'shapewear' but it seems to be here to stay so I might as well get used to it. Certainly, the marketing department has had a field day in naming its products and the available shades.
My husband was moved to comment "Darling, I really don't think your bangers need boosting!" I agreed.
September: The photo shoot was a great success!
These photographs will be sold for charity and, therefore, carry a watermark since the photographers, the curators of the Ivy Leaf Collection and the models gave up many hours of their time without charge. The models, by the way, are all members of a local charity and span six decades! On the right are the 'pink ladies' as some of the models called themselves. They all favoured the old corset quality tea-rose satin. On the left is a Jenyns, in the middle a Camp and on the right a Charis corselette from the 1950's. All of them enjoyed the elegance of the garments and wore them for the entire length of the photo session including a walk around the garden. It was, fortunately, a warm and sunny day. October 2009: Today sees the launch of the calendar at a county fair. In typical Autumnal style it is pouring, but the weather forecasters predict that it will clear up soon. Better take an umbrella then! The calendar has caused quite a flood of correspondence, not by surface mail you understand, due to the strike, but by email. However, I must congratulate our village post office and postie who are simply carrying on whatever. It's the way of country folk to look after the community. One octogenarian lady who has seen the calendar, told us that she used to wear similar garments when she was a young mother. Although it is now years since she wore a foundation garment, she still carries the ridges where the stocking tops compressed her legs; a legacy of her corseted days! Several commented along the lines of "My granny used to wear something like that!" One of the models, who is obviously far younger than the other ladies, was quite mystified by the various corsets, corselettes and girdles in the collection. In fact, she was unsure as to what was what. However, during the fitting sessions, she was one of the most enthusiastic and tried on a dozen garments just for fun. Indeed, the whole fitting and photographic sessions were remarkable for the camaraderie and witty badinage that flowed throughout the day. My poor husband was quite exhausted after a day of shepherding a dozen ladies hither and thither. At the pub that evening I asked if he was alright. "strogen overload, m'Dear! Nothing that a manly pint of ale can't cure." November 2009:
I must apologise for our lack of updates recently, but the calendar business has been most time consuming, to the extent that we have nearly sold out. I'm off to a ladies gathering this afternoon and hope to sell the few remaining calendars. It has been a very successful project that has raised 1,300 for charity; thank you very much for your support. We actually made a county newspaper and got a mention in the Soroptimists' Magazine. We have apparently just sold out. We considered another print run however the costs would have been prohibitive so we will call it a day and hope that the charity concerned can make best use of the money. The whole project was a eye-opener for all involved and one of the 'models' who owns a lingerie shop has already received orders for foundations garments of a strength not seen in many decades! December 2009: It's that time of year when the approaching winter simply cannot be ignored. My husband shows me what looks like a hurricane approaching the west country and rain lashes the roof of the conservatory. Never mind. We can look forward to Christmas and the New Year, and, if funds allow, a trip to warmer climes in that worst month of all - February. It is that time of year when good humour is required to carry one through the dark days and a small slice of humour was recently sent to us. I have laboured the point in these pages about how advertising in the past was pretty blunt and direct, but this must be one of my favourites. No wonder women went screaming to their Spirella fitters! The psychology is, however, spot on. I recall Pug Henry's wife in Herman Wouk's 'Winds of War' lamenting the fact that her tummy was sticking out like a football "..and I'm wearing my tightest girdle!" she cried. Pug could see no difference from normal, but in the mind of a woman, if your tummy pokes out, even a millimetre, no amount of assurance will convince her that she is anything less than Hippo-like. Well, perhaps not today when the Hippo look is apparently "in", but in days gone by Mrs. Average was convinced that the Dior waist was mandatory, and the corsetieres were waiting in the wings to oblige. 2009: The year is nearly over and what a year it has been. Sometimes we think that no new ideas will come our way, but then, often unexpectedly come new offers and challenges, not the least of which was to make a calendar. We have described the fun that this generated amongst the models, all of whom were amateurs ranging in age from late 20's to early 80's. One or two adverse comments came our way about the content, however, the nature of the complaints suggested that the 'offended' had not ever bothered to look at the calendar. We received far more compliments and, the bottomline really was that we made over 1,800 pounds for charity. We would like to wish all our readers and supporters a
Merry Christmas Time

and
a Happy New Year

January 2008: Living in a new area, my husband and I decided to spend New Year's Eve at a hotel and enjoy ready-made bonhomie rather than invent our own. We've been exhausted recently with the move of house and simply wanted to relax whilst somebody else provided the fun. I must say, at the dinner dance, the guests were well-dressed, but sadly in that 'expensive clothes but no clue about foundations' mode. One robust lady, wearing a tight chiffon blouse and long satin skirt was the worst example. Her panty-line was alarmingly visible as was the rolypoly spare tyre. Her thin brassiere cut into her back, was mis-hooked and worn far too high thereby squeezing more rolls of flesh above and below the offending garment. To cap it all were pads that perched uncomfortably (and unevenly) just off the ends of her shoulders. Didn't her husband mention anything? Didn't she look in the mirror? I'm probably as robustly built as that women, but at least my flesh is controlled properly. If it wasn't, I would expect my husband to mention it. I might not be pleased, but his comments would show that he cared. Perhaps that's the answer, they just don't care.
Being on a table for two allowed us ample opportunity for people watching. Across the room, there appeared a sad sight. A husband and wife who appeared to have nothing to say to each other and certainly did not seem to be enjoying the party. The woman looked very 'po-faced' (if you know that expression) and stared disapprovingly at the younger elements in the room whilst the husband simply looked bored. After several hours of inactivity, a bit after eleven, the lady suddenly became animated and dragged her husband towards the dance floor. Without cracking her expression, she jerked around to the famous 'chicken song'. The spectacle was so hilariously incongruous with this disapproving and prim lady strutting around the dance floor, that she received a round of applause at the end! On returning to her seat, not a hair on her coiffured head had moved and I noticed that nary a bulge spoiled the line of her old-fashioned evening dress. My husband was moved to comment "You know, she must have been quite a stunner in her youth!" I agreed, the lady was indeed very elegant, well-dressed and obviously appreciated the benefit of a firm foundation, but what experience had caused her to adopt such an expression? My husband produced a picture that we came across in Holland recently that seemed to beg for a suitable caption. Suggestions like "Ooh, that's rather tight, have you a smaller size?" spring to mind, however, this is so like the lady of last night that we felt that we should include it here.
Invisible Lacing: I will not even attempt a short history of social attitudes towards corsetry, save to say that wearing corsets used to be the norm and the garments were discussed frequently. As the corset declined, so wearing became rarer and even clandestine, as some matrons, well aware that their peers had moved onto the girdle, still required the support of a laced foundation to maintain their figures. To cater for these discreet wearers, or perhaps for the women who required a 'waist' for the evening came 'invisible lacing'. I had only ever seen this before in the catalogues of Ambrose Wilson, however, last year I purchased a gorgeous Rigby & Peller girdle from the 1970's that had discreet backlacing. Recently, I found an example from Warners, so perhaps these devices for the vain were more common that I had believed!
Note how the box refers to a 'Tie-up top'. No mention of laces here!
The Mystery Girdle
Last year we dwelt at some length upon a Spirella girdle that I could not identify. We have several in our collection and a reader had raised a query at the same time. At last, and purely by chance, I saw for sale an American Spirella brochure from the 1960's, and there was something close to the mystery girdle. Amazingly, it is advertised as a 205, but the cut is quite different from the British version. Our corsetiere friends explained that the British and American styles began to diverge with the advent of the girdle. Differences in fabrics and cut evolve on the two sides of the Atlantic but it seems that the nomenclature stayed the same. So is the problem solved that these are American Spirellas? Not quite since the girdles we possess were made in Britain (the Spirella label is quite distinct). It may be that this was an older British 205 style that Spirella copied for clients who preferred not to change. Spirella were very obliging in this way and as more than one corsetiere remarked with feeling, "Never under-estimate the elderlys' reluctance to change!" I must add of course, that this reluctance to embrace change made a lot of commission for the fitters who kept their clients in corsets and girdles well after such a fashion had ceased to be popular. On the other hand, if you've worn a corset for decades, you cannot suddenly do without it overnight, and in some cases perhaps never. Some women were in tears when Spirella sold out to Spencer, even though Spencer made (and still makes) an excellent front-laced corset. Sadly, it is the price of these corsets today that reduces one to tears. I know of several ladies who cannibalise their old corsets just to keep one pair in service.
February 2008: It never fails to amaze me that correspondence can dry up for weeks and then suddenly a flurry of letters and emails will arrive. It is rather like hunting for collectables on Ebay (or waiting for a bus adds my husband). Roger K provided some humorous anecdotes gleaned from his encyclopaedic collection of articles, a Finnish lady told us of her web-site and provided some amazing examples of Finnish corsetry, and an American Gentleman recounted his experiences of what women wore in the 1960's to 1980's. The latter has been published as correspondence between the gentleman and myself simply to illustrate how an adolescent curiosity with female underwear can be turned into valuable historical data. I always stress to my gentleman correspondents that without their recollections, the history of corsetry would be less well understood. Remember that classic description from Ian McRoberts where he describes his elderly wife "Strapping and lacing herself into the satin tube that was her underwear!" How eloquent; one can almost see the garment, however, no woman would have written that phrase. After all, to most women, our underwear is an everyday fact and neither worth remembering nor recounting; it takes man to do that! Three erudite articles passed our way recently. Firstly, our regular correspondent, Roger K, provided us with an update on girdle sales statistics, followed closely by a similar article on bra sales, and a few days later, I found a paper on brassiere size calculations (pdf format). Brassieres are notoriously difficult to size, and Spirella corsetieres had the most trouble with these garments. The female torso is very three-dimensional (my husband's words; I would have said voluptuous) and rarely symmetrical. Some of our fitters refused to fit upper garments since latterly the quality was not up to previous standards and complaints became the norm. I know of one woman who refused to wear anything other than Spirella but was disappointed with the fit of her brassieres. Eventually, the corsetiere ordered her brassieres with 'soft' side-lacers; rather a poor compromise to adjust the fit. Nevertheless, the old lady continued with these brassieres until Spirella sold out to Spencer. The Spencer brassieres were no better and amazingly, in the 1990's, Spencer lost the templates for its best selling brand, the 190. Spencer has sold hardly any brassieres since. March 2008: The web site has a repository for humorous anecdotes and stories that we glean from our readers and acquaintances. These are normally put into Corsetiere's Stories, however, I must relate this conversation I had with friends who were visiting us in our new location. Incidentally, I hate moving and am thankful that we have fairly well settled down at last. We were having lunch in our 'local' pub. My husband was chatting with my friend's husband about the merit of the local beer or cars or rugby or something when their prattle ceased and we followed their eyes towards a woman that was standing by the fire. She had taken off her cardigan and revealed unusually powerful arms. "Horse rider" said my husband "Look at those arms; you need power to control a horse!" We agreed. Living in the country we meet many of the 'horsey' set and I have to admit that I admire their confidence and deportment. This lead us onto a discussion of failing strength in the arms and nimbleness of the fingers in the elderly. "She'll be OK" volunteered my husband regarding the girl. Although age may have its disadvantages, it certainly increases the store of anecdotes lurking in one's mind and don't we just love to tell them! My friend was first:- "My granny had strong arms until the day she died. She worked on the land during the war, you know. She used to put on a heavy pair of corsets every morning, lace them really tight, and not take them off until retiring. During the day she'd fill the boiler with coal, work in the garden, and wring the washing out. They were tough then!" Whether her feats of endurance and strength were due to her corsets or the exercise involved in lacing them was unasked. Personally, I've known as many women who were dexterous with the myriads of hooks-and-eyes, laces, buckles and straps of their underwear, as were finally defeated by the daily chore of wearing such complicated garments. My friend's husband chipped in. "Auntie M. used to stay with us. When she went to her room each night I could hear this terrible ripping sound. My mother explained that it was the velcro on her corset!" Many older women tried velcro fastenings; it was marketed as easier for those with arthritic fingers, however, the sound effects put as many off! My husband had the final say, and recounted meeting a relatively petite woman who had extremely muscular arms. He enquired whether she was an equestrienne to which she retorted "No. I used to be a baggage handler at Kennedy International!" Nancy Millar's Book:
Letter to Ivy Leaf, 2006

Hi Ivy Leaf, It's a wonderful website. I am the author of the Unmentionable History of the West, a book that's to come out later this fall (2006) about underwear and how it affected the history of women in western Canada. ............. It's a serious book and takes underwear seriously. Incidentally, I have a story on Spirella since one of the women I interviewed in Red Deer, AB, was a Spirella agent before she went onto local politics and ended up with a major road named for her in that city. See where corsets can take you? Thanks for your consideration,
Nancy Millar Unmentionable History of the West Nancy Millar P.S. The book is to be published by Red Deer Press. I have written other books on history.
This is the sort of corset my mother wore in the 1930s and 40s ... I tried to figure out how to lace this thing up!
Fashions and Disturbing Social Indicators: My husband and I dislike flying intensely; in fact I nowadays avoid it, but my husband must follow the dictates of his job and, when absolutely necessary, resort to the air. He had to visit the Far East recently and, against his wishes to use Singapore Airlines, was given a seat on British Airways; business class thank Goodness, for the 13 long hours to Kuala Lumpur. He returned several days later in as remarkably agreeable mood as one can have at 5.30 in the morning. "Thoroughly impressed!" he replied to my questions about the trip. "I've not flown BA for years and they were ( word deleted - Ivy) excellent!" "Fine wine, good films and a flat bed - a really flat bed. Horizontal in fact! I actually slept!" Later he praised the stewardesses for their charm and style, and expounded upon the elegant new tailored uniform that BA has had commissioned. Apparently the new tailored design has replaced, the silky, but rather informal previous efforts. Inevitably, we started to draw the parallels, of outer fashion, inner fashion and the times in which we live. After the war, airline stewardesses wore derivatives of uniforms from the armed forces, often complete with shirt and tie. No designer's name was connected with these outfits. In the late 1960's, designers were commissioned, however, the styles were still very smart and tailored. Cavanagh, Evans and then Hardie Amies and Baccarat Wetherall dressed the flight attendants of the days in fitted suits and dresses. Only in summer plumage was a slight informality enjoyed. As the military uniform gave way to the tailored uniform, so did girdles and suspender belts get replaced by lighter garments, until the 1980's when the floppy silks of Klein and Costelloe reflected a society beginning to enjoy unparalleled wealth and freedom. If stewardesses wore any foundations at all during this period, it really would have been unnecessary in the flowing informal fabrics favoured by these designers. The newest, tailored look heralds a return to the days of Amies and Baccarat Wetherall. Foundations have gone the same way, and from the dearth of lower foundations available in the 1980's and 90's, the stores are now full of 'shapers', the new name for the panty-girdle. For historical observers, much as birds and animals go quiet well before an earthquake, so does fashion become more formal and structured before a crisis. Sadly, it seems that crisis is knocking at our doors. Terminal Note: As a footnote, I must add that the article above was written before the opening of Terminal 5 on the 27th March. Oh dear! I hope the 2012 Olympics (if we ever get that far) will be handled better. No doubt everybody tried their best, but it will hardly seduce me to leave terra firma.
April 2008: White Brassieres Whilst on the theme of air travel, I was delighted to receive an instruction manual for British Caledonian airways. I hoped to lay low the myth of rules mandating the wearing of girdles. Indeed, on the pages devoted to female cabin crew, it simply states "Only white underwear may be worn underneath the uniform blouse. A bra must always be worn --- Tights or stockings are to be seamless." So, bras were mandatory, so was colour (the regulation blouses were white). How you achieved elegance and deportment, however, was up to the individual who, like all women, would wear what their peers wore. My husband recounts how during exams at Oxford University in the early 1970's, when women had to wear a white shirt or blouse, coloured bras were prohibited. It was feared that the male concentration might be diverted from Pliny or Aristotle at the sight of some ghastly Marks & Spencer hue looming provocatively through one's neighbour's blouse. Just as British Caledonian's uniform remained unchanging for two decades because it was just so smart and so correct, so did the hideous coloured foundations of the late 1970's die a quick and grateful death since they simply were not. Apparently the American University featured in the charming Maidenform cartoon (right) had no such rules!
What you see - may not be what you get!
The advertisement on the left, and the doctored photograph of the girdle on the right (a frequent auction house ploy) are mocked by the reality in the centre
Whilst perusing the auction sites I came across a classic piece of advertising. All sellers and marketers know that a tall, slim garment looks far better than a short broad one. For this reason, models are chosen to be tall and thin, exactly the sort of women who wouldn't dream of wearing the garment in the first place; well, after the 1960's that is! Regard the image on the packet, and the reality of the girdle that is far broader than it is long. Fortunately, our gorgeous new Spirella is just appealing in reality as the advertising suggests! My only regret is that it is simply too small for me!
(below).
Whatever happened to Strodex? One of the problems associated with constructing a web-site, is that searches for new information keep on turning up one's own work, either directly or indirectly. I recently came across an alarming Strodex surgical corset that we acquired in 1975 with a shaped abdominal panel in tea-rose brocade to contain a pendulous abdomen. On searching for Strodex on the internet, my husband found the title of this piece from Ivy :Leaf's Diary of 2003. It was penned after buying a rather pretty Strodex corselette, the antithesis of the formidable abdominal support. None of our acquaintances nor their mothers or grannies wore Strodex. If they had made-to-measure it was Spirella or Spencer. The only additions to our knowledge are as diverse as the two examples we already possess; a very attractive long brassiere (sometimes called a 'combinaire') and a fearsome back support. Its seems that Strodex, based in Leicestershire where the cotton mills were, produced as diverse a range as the more widely-purchased competition.
May 2008: Time Warps and the Hippo Our new location in rural England has transported us back in time half a decade. One leaves the car park that is laughingly called a motorway, and as the A-roads become B-roads, so a magical transformation occurs and one discovers that the picture postcard village still exists. Sadly, prices seem to be immune from this time warp. Fashions similarly have moved on and, although the elderly denizens of such villages are well past retirement age, jeans seem to be standard dress, even for Lady S., who owns the home farm. A farm labourer's cottage, that a hundred years ago was basically fit for demolition, now costs the best part of a million pounds so popular is the time warp. Nevertheless, the village in which we live boasts an excellent inn that serves my husband's favourite choice of beers and a fierce local cider that has become my standard tipple. In winter, the locals own the public bar, but as summer approaches, so the tourists appear and excellent opportunities for people watching abound. The other week, during Sunday roast lunch (at which the inn excels), a singular couple appeared. The man was a huge, shambling creature with a girth of door challenging dimensions, but his wife was a small, dainty woman who at some point had decided that she should remain frozen in time somewhere in the 1950's. Twin-set and pearls, enamelled face, lacquered, tightly-permed hair (or was it a wig?) and lipstick that bore only a passing acknowledgement of the actual extent of her lips. She looked like a china model of a 1950's Englishwoman so limited were her facial movements. She fussed and fretted at her enormous spouse who seemed only vaguely aware of her presence. I suspected that the woman had purchased her final wardrobe (and underpinnings) decades earlier for no woman has a tummy that flat without the serious corsetry of yesterday. We had seen a similar couples years before and I wondered if it was a reaction to her husband's 'going to seed' that had determined the wife to retain herself like some unchanging museum piece? The contrast between the prim and fussy woman and her gross spouse led my husband to compare the man to a hippopotamus, with his wife as the tiny white bird that fusses and pecks at the monstrous river horse of Africa. I thought the analogy rather appropriate! Recollections Although we receive a wealth of stories and recollections from female acquaintances, it is men that often provide the humorous or detailed anecdotes. The correspondence or conversation usually proceeds along the lines of "Odd subject you fellows study!" or "Can't remember really - not interested in that sort of thing!" This is invariably followed by a minutely detailed account of the gentleman's wife's underpinnings. Of course, in those days many men were quite unaware of their wife's foundations other than through the bills. In the morning, the wife would arise and vacate the bedroom surrounded by a protective barrier of wincyette or nylon, and not reappear until all bits and pieces were in their proper place, and decently covered too! Perhaps it's my Dutch upbringing, and not until recently having the benefit of a dressing room, but my husband knows exactly how I look 'before' and 'after'. Sadly, there's rather more of a difference than there used to be, not least the rise and fall of my ample bosom. Why is it that men find breasts attractive? They are heavy, sweaty and expensive to support (breasts I mean, not men). But back to some recollections. One gentleman recounted how angry his wife would get when hooking up her corselette. She would finish the process only to find that somewhere in the middle, one hook and eye had come apart. It's amazing how difficult it is to re-attach the little devil in the middle without starting again. The gentleman remembered that there were 18 hooks involved. I'm certain his wife never knew that! (I have to add, since I've done it frequently, that the most frustrating exercise is to finish the hooks-and-eyes, or buttons on a blouse, to discover one empty hook at the top and one empty eye at the bottom. Start again!! Another wife was driven to a frenzy, again by hooks-and-eyes, but this time on her corset. She was donning a Camp side-lacer and she simply could not get the edges to meet. "I can't have put on that much weight" she wailed as she struggled to force the contraption closed. Amazingly, she did get it half on before her husband quietly pointed out that the middle buckle on the left side had not been released! The extra two inches returned the corset to its normal size. "You might have told me!" was all the thanks he got. June 2008: Corsets and the Moral High Ground We have written at length about the 'feel' of corsets, implying the physical sensation, however, there is a mental counterpart equally important. Our corsetiere friend from the south coast still has a client who claims that wearing corsets makes her feel good. This is nothing to do with the physical support, but more the feeling of being properly attired. She claims to 'feel like a real women', and this is by no means one of our friend's elderly clients. A new acquaintance from our village told me of her aunt who belonged to the Salvation Army. Normally she wore a girdle, but when she wore her uniform, she wore a corset. She candidly explained this to my friend during one of her holiday visits. The uniform would have fitted perfectly well without the corset, but, so the aunt maintained, it made her feel 'better', more
morally upstanding (probably quite literally!) How curious is the human ego and the perception of the moral high-ground. Give two identical people airline tickets; one economy and one business class. The traveller in business class is not just far better cosseted, but actually feels superior to his or her identical peer in economy. The same phenomenon is apparent in large four-wheel-drive vehicles. The person with the higher eye-level feels superior to anybody at a lower level. Car companies make fortunes selling these behemoths on the basis of this perceived status. I think that a member of the Salvation Army would be horrified to be accused of pride, but without a doubt, the lady in question felt that her corsets in some way elevated her above her peers.
Noisy Tennis I have a passion for watching tennis that is completely out of proportion to my limited abilities to play the sport (and that was three decades ago)! I watched an incredibly vocal Russian lady play another Russian at the beginning of the French Open. What a racket (and I mean the noise not the tennis). The appalling grunting that the lady produced was off-putting to myself, let alone the poor opponent. A hundred years ago when women played tennis, they wore long skirts and bustles. The only sound heard was the pat-pat of the ball and the creaking of the players stays, the poor garments being quite unused to the heat and activity of such an un-ladylike event! Some weeks later Good gracious; she's at it again in Wimbledon but seems to have been knocked out of the tournament. My husband was busy in the study editing some new text that we have recently received and came through to ask what the noise was! That reminds me, that in our attempt to glean knowledge of world-wide corsetry, we have never come across any Russian products. Perhaps they were not allowed after the era of the Tsars.
The Russians appreciated corsetry and silence before the revolution (Princess Ella)
July 2008: Spencer and Bulges
We were lucky enough to acquire Spencer Catalogue from 1934. This images are stunning and of a quality that reminds us of Barcley, the up-market, breakaway renegade from Spencer. The catalogue contains many advertisements and 'banishing the bulge' was the clarion call to all women. Of course, I am not so naive as to believe that all women were elegant in 1934, however, regard three images from 1934, 1971 ( right) and 2008 ( below). The gross abdomen of 2008 may not be a recent phenomenon, but, as I have mentioned ad nauseam, the blatant display is. As my husband once suggested "An instant cure for voyeurism!" Certainly there are advertisements today that show shapely women, but often the feeble spandex fails to conceal the bulges. This is obviously not the case with the ladies on the right. It was whilst watching tennis at Wimbledon recently that our attention was drawn to the number of superbly fit female players sporting a distinct 'spare tyre'. I'm not advocating that these modern Amazons resort to playing in their 'stays', but I simply want to know why the bulges have returned?
Demise of the Corsetieres There are precious few of these dedicated ladies left. Many who entered the trade after the war to supplement their husbands' poor wages, began to leave in the 1970's as proper lower foundations (corsets and girdles) gave way to the panty-girdle that, frankly, does not require too much training to fit. A few soldiered on and it has been our privilege to meet some of them, however, even the remaining stalwarts are quitting the business. Their clientele is dying and the cost of these madeto-measure garments exorbitant. Our friend from Exeter has just retired after five decades of service. Simply put, a corset, even a standard 305 (sorry; the Spencer equivalent), costs well over 100. The state pension is about 100 per week which is a third of what the government calls the poverty level. If our friend went to see a client or vice versa, the petrol costs at an astonishing 6 per UK gallon (that is over $10 per US gallon according to my husband), are simply prohibitive. Sadly, many of the humorous cartoons of the sea-side genre, depicting stout women struggling to get into their stays with some caption like "I can't make ends meet!" has now come to pass.
Humour One of the reasons that my husband and I have been together for over 30 years without ever arguing, is an ability to laugh at ourselves, life in general and to find humour in innocent situations. We have chuckled in the past at the very descriptive
term "noisy nylon" used to describe the material beloved by Spirella wearers in the 1970's. It was, indeed, noisy but so easy to wash and dry that it became extremely popular. Many an itinerant corsetiere heard the susurration of noisy nylon drying on the washing lines in the wind, rather than the wind itself. A Spirella brassiere was recently advertised at auction as "Russelly nylon". Oh dear, I suspect they meant the word to spell rustley, but perhaps the seller was overcome with the image of Jane Russell, the quintessential brassiere model.
August 2008: Thanks to all our Readers Ivy Leaf and her long-suffering husband wish to thank everybody who has visited the web-site, and especially those who have contributed recollections, articles and have made contact with us. It is so gratifying that the labour of love that we started in 2002 has been visited over one million times. In itself, that is praise indeed! If you have anything to contribute, particularly along the lines of 'who wore what, when', please don't hesitate to contact us. ivyleaf@corsetiere.net A Trip to Holland and a Wedding
If nothing else reveals the age of myself and my husband, it must be the prodigious number of great-nieces and great-nephews that our families have produced. Fortunately they are all well-brought up and call me Auntie, rather than 'The Great Aunt', that corseted virago described so well in Arthur Ransome's childrens' stories. I might wear corsets but I am NOT a virago (I hope). To some close members of the family I am known as the 'corset auntie', partly because of my old-fashioned underwear and partly because they know of my general interest in corsetry. It was at a wedding in Utrecht recently that my sister-in-law introduced me to a rather smart, elderly lady with the enigmatic words that we had much in common. It was the lady that broke the ice with "I understand you still wear corsets; so do I!" Trust the Dutch to speak their minds. Two English ladies could, and probably would, talk around the matter for hours, days even and then never quite get to the point. It transpired that the lady had worn a Camp corset for years, just as her mother had done. Her problem was, as it is for all corset-wearers, diminishing supply. She had purchased corsets from Coja for years, but the Basko Camps corsets latterly were sturdy, but hardly feminine. She candidly agreed that she was vain (what lady is not), and nothing held her stomach in check like a Camp, but she lamented the passing of the glorious materials once available. We talked on this theme for a while, at least two glasses of red wine's worth, until my husband appeared and dragged the conversation back into English. "Look at the bridesmaids" he exclaimed. "Surely they could have made their dresses fit?" The lady and I regarded the frumpish, overweight bridesmaids bulging through the shiny material of their poorly cut dresses, every line of their insubstantial underwear embossed for all to see. As if on a signal, the lady and I smoothed our skirts over our hips in an automatic reaction. We nearly collapsed with laughter and left my poor husband muttering "Women!"
A Charis corsetiere from 1936 performs this quintessentially female gesture.
We purchased recently a copy of the trade journal 'Corsets and Brassieres'. What a delightful throw-back to a vanished era, or is it? Reading the journal and seeing past the many advertisements (something my husband found quite difficult I might add), it is simply a trade journal where products are displayed and advice is proffered on how to turn those products into profit. Wasn't it ever thus? We recently met a young saleswoman in a car showroom who indiscreetly proclaimed that she could sell cars or corsets with equal facility! Since she drove a rather nice car but was badly, and blatantly in need of proper foundations, I suspect that an appreciation of your product gives even the best saleswoman the edge.
The Corsets and Brassiere trade journal of June 1952
September 2008: Sport and Support
We touched on the matter of noisy female tennis players some months back and how some of the top players might actually benefit from a bit of 'shaping'. The recent Olympics (and didn't Holland do well for a small country) revealed that if you wear a skin-tight swimming suit you can go faster than your opponents and look pretty lithe into the bargain. It reminded me of an advertisement by Playtex in 1960's where a swimming champion endorsed the brand not least because you could wear the girdle whilst swimming! In fact, if you consider some swimsuits of the 1960's, especially those made by Spirella, the structure is basically a coloured corselette complete with bones and a back zip! As for cycling shorts, just don't get my husband started on that one! "Good Heavens! My mother used to wear things like that. At least she had the decency to keep them under her clothes!"
The interior bra structure of a Spirella swimming costume from
the 1960's
The Mystery Girdle At last, at last! After a year, and encouraged by more than one reader, we have found the number of the Spirella girdle that we could not identify. We wrote about these girdles in Ivy's Diary of April and June 2007, and January this year. It was the purchase of a 1938/9 copy of the American Spirella fitters' manual that identified it as a 212/222* girdle. This designation did not appear in 1935 when the girdle was called generically 210/220 and was differently styled. That these girdles regularly appear at auction and were being made well into the 1970's, shows that the 212/222 was a successful design! This discovery prompted my husband to complete a list of Spirella numbers, a task that he has been putting off for a long time now. *The 212 was for medium (28" - 34") and the 222 for stout figures (32" - 44+"). The girdle on the right is therefore a 212. Although the measurements of the 212 and 222 overlap, the 212 was available higher above the waist. We have made many updates this month, largely based on the details gleaned from the Spirella manual and a recent trip to Yorkshire. We hope you enjoy them. Autumn The autumnal equinox is but a day away and don't we know it! There's a coldness in the air that hints at the change of season. The leaves are beginning to turn and the fireplace in the local pub is clean and ready accept another seven months of constant use. In many households, the summer clothes will be washed, dried and stored until next May, and the winter woolies (free from moths one hopes) will once again fill our drawers. As a friend of my mother, who emigrated to New Hampshire, used to remark, "It's time to get out the winter weight corsets." Indeed, all the bespoke corset houses in America offered lightweight corsets for the summer heat, foundations virtually unknown on this side of the Atlantic. Even now it seems incongruous to me that a device of laces, buckles and bones should be made from some gossamer thin (albeit strong) material. In the west country of England, my white orchid (material) corsets are comfortable the whole year around. 'Comfort in corsets?' asks a generation completely unused to such devices. I came across some comments in recent auctions; "Cant believe my 87 year-old mother could have even thought of wearing this torture garment." The garment was a maternity corset. "How could a woman wear such a thing?" She didn't! The caption was directed at a male CAMP support! It reminds me of the teenage girl who refused to wear a girdle that she described as "A chastity belt designed for the subjugation of the female." To demonstrate her independence, she spent hours in a bath shrinking her jeans onto her body. After this ludicrous exercise, she was so restricted that her mother had to help her descend the stairs. It is normally grannies and aged aunties that used to require such help. "When gran visited I often helped her on the stairs. Beneath the old lady sensible clothes I could feel the bones of the steel and rubber straight-jacket that she wore every day! No wonder she had trouble on the stairs ." A classic reversal of cause and effect here!
Camp Corsets and How to Lace Them A corsetiere acquaintance of mine once remarked "Never unlace a Camp. You will never, ever put it back together again!" Exaggeration? I think not judging by the accounts of tears and frustration that the remarkable, but fiendishly complex lacing of the Camp requires. Obviously, Camp's trained lacers and fitters could master the task, but it took my husband over an hour with one of my old Camp corsets (that I rarely wore) to attempt to master the lacing pattern. For a start, two laces are involved and a powerful mechanical advantage - pulley system to us non-engineers! My husband produced a diagram that may be expanded by clicking on the picture. It is a brave effort, but I fear tears of frustration will be shed attempting to understand it! Camp did produce some non-fan-lacing corsets, however, some Camps that appear at auction were originally fan-lacers with the straps removed and re-laced as conventional corsets. One can only surmise that some infuriated matron lost patience with the yards of lacing. The only way to re-lace a Camp, is to copy an existing one!
Having extolled the virtues of the Camp corset on many occasions (it's by far the easiest corset to adjust) I was asked why I rarely wore one. The simple answer, and this is echoed by several acquaintances, is that they were too short. I bought the longest available at the time but I am rather long in the back and it simply didn't fit well. We even tried to turn an old Spirella 315 (the back-lacer) into a fan-laced corset, but a combination of my husband's lacing technique and my own indifferent sewing was a disaster! October 2008: Ramblings It has been another poor summer in Britain. May and June were brilliant, but that seems like an awfully long time ago. The evenings have more than the chill of winter about them and the first frost has heralded the return of the Brussels Sprout and the looming threat of
Christmas parties. The clocks change next weekend and evening walks will become a memory until next April. It was on one of these walks recently that we encountered a not uncommon spectacle, a stout, elderly walker standing on one leg supported by her companion while her other leg waved in the air above her boot that was stuck fast in a muddy bog. My husband gallantly (and not without some effort) retrieved the boot and restored the matron to her usual bipedal state. We all walked on together to our usual hostelry for some liquid refreshment. Even in October, a blazing fire roared in the grate and the matron removed the muddy boot and offered her damp stocking clad foot for drying. We regarded the couple. The younger companion was dressed in the 'trainers-synthetics-kagool' genre whilst the elder lady (her aunt as it transpired) later commented that modern rambling clothes were simply "not her style". She was more conservatively attired in tweeds, sweater, head scarf and body warmer, all in 'country' shades and my husband ventured to remark that Mount Everest was nearly climbed in little more in the late 1930's! We lunched with the women and began to admire the 'no-nonsense' spirit of the older woman. Political correctness was an expression alien to her and we realised that we had encountered one of those rural throw-backs to a bygone era. She asked if we were local and whether we would like to join the rambling club. I declined. I like walking, but in the muddy conditions of winter, a slight slip could really put out my back. She commiserated with me and used an expression that I had heard a few years previously, "I know how you feel. You've got to wear your armour!" She thumped her torso with vigour. Her booming voice was audible across the pub and her niece discreetly pantomimed a volume control being turned down. Her aunt's voice dropped several decibels to a stage whisper. Unlike the frank Dutch, English women are unlikely to discuss their underpinnings in public but I ventured that finding the appropriate - er - armour was proving difficult in our new West Country location. Again she commiserated and described how she had purchased her last corsets several years ago in the hope that care and attention could make them last out her own life. We all made flattering noises vaguely suggesting how long that might well be! We exchanged phone numbers and I promised to give her the address of my own corsetiere in return for which we look to have made a life-long friend! She even paid for our lunch!
Barcley We managed to acquire a rather charming Barcley catalogue from America of 1957. This will be featured soon on the appropriate pages, however, there are a few interesting features. Firstly, many of the garments are identical to those made by Smart-Form that even advertises the same factory. One presumes that Barcley had acquired Smart-Form. An interesting corselette is called the DW5C by Smart-Form and the Barcolette by Barcley. Definitely a case of different target audiences!
The catalogue contains a garment called a 'sports belt'. Perhaps this is what those noisy tennis players I talked about in June really need! It's quite amazing to those bought up after the 1960's that women used to wear panty-girdles, girdles and even specially designed corsets for sport. The Spencer advertisement from the late 1950's (American of course; the British were a decade later in discarding their girdles) shows a young lady ready for anything that life might throw at her including a vigorous game of tennis.
November 2008: My husband and I have been together now for over 30 years and I know and accept his foibles and his occasional rants. This paragraph is taken from my diary of February 2007:We listened in amazement as this quite unexceptional (and young) couple talked proudly of their first home, nothing special in the southern suburbs, that they had casually bought for half a million pounds (one million $US). This seemed to be quite normal. "The world's gone mad" fulminated my thrifty husband. "Yes Dear." "D'ye realise that England's afloat on a binge-spending, binge-drinking loan?" "Yes Dear." "They're printing money,.... Mark you, we'll see double-digit inflation in England before the decade's out; mark my words." I'm just waiting for him to say "I told you so!" in that irritatingly smug way that he has. At least his prediction of exchange rates was wrong! We recently acquired a bra and corset set from a lady who was clearing the effects of her recently deceased mother. Her mother had reached the fine old age of 101 and, according to her daughter, bought the set from Spirella in the early 1980's as a 75th birthday present for herself. I assumed that we would be acquiring the standard tea-rose brocade beloved of the elderly, but not a bit of it! Black orchid and lace, and in excellent condition was the choice of this elderly woman. "Good for you" I thought! It's always appealing to realise that in most elderly folk, there's still a youngster trying to get out.
For those of you that have visited the French pages on our web-site, you will know that the colour blue features in their corsetry unlike most other countries. Isn't that so French!? A lovely example of one of these corsets came to auction recently with the caption "..with many whales inside!" I do suspect that they meant whale-bones, however, having seen some of the gallic matrons that used to patronise Henrietta's corset emporium in Calais, perhaps 'whales' is not so far from the truth after all!
Some time ago, a correspondent sent me this note that appears under 'Corsetieres' Anecdotes':- At a diplomatic party in Argentina, a British diplomat was heard to remark on the elegance of the women. His wife was less enthusiastic. "All the elastic in Buenos Aires is here in this room!" she replied caustically. A fan of our site wrote last week that she had visited friends in Buenos Aires recently and remarked that these days both elastic and silicon were mandatory for celebrity status. She added, however, that she had returned with a good supply of Argentinian 'elastic'. "They make good girdles" she noted frankly, then added somewhat cattily "They need to!" December 2008: Married to your Corsets I wrote some time ago under our page on 'The Older Woman' how vanity could lead to dependence upon corsets. It is hard for the modern generation to understand that our grannies actually needed their corsets. This was not just some fashion, or fanciful whim.
When the baby boy, who would become Kapitan-Leutnant Walter Schwieger (the U-boat ace that torpedoed the Lusitania), was born, his mother looked at the infant and famously said How nice. Now take it away. Within a day, her once-elegant figure was returned to its pre-pregnancy glory courtesy of the corsets she had worn half a year before. This feat would neither have been easy, nor comfortable, but with her attitude towards the birth and plenty of strong maids to dress her, it was quite achievable. This act would ensure that Frau Schwieger would never actually regain her true figure without aid. She, like all her peers, were as firmly married to their corsets as they were to their husbands. I thought that this act was a relic of the early 20th century, however, an advertisement from Spencer dated 1930 reveals that the practice was common, not just after, but before delivery. Good Gracious, what effects, both mental and physical did this have on the poor offspring? From Spencer's Maternity Corsets booklet dated 1930:"My child was born two weeks ago, and so successfully did my belt keep the lines of my figure unimpaired even my closest friends did not know of the expected arrival."
A Spencer maternity corset from 1941. Some of these corsets did not have the benefit of elastic side lacers like the model shown. They had under-belts as well!
Christmas Time 2008: One of the joys of Christmas is getting in contact with old friends and acquaintances, and none more so than two of the last remaining Spencer corsetieres in Britain. Both have been fitting corsets regularly since the 1950's; one starting with Spirella and the other with Spencer. The Spirella lady, who originally was based in London's West End, once fitted the wives of the rich and famous. Actresses and politicians were to be counted on her client base of several hundred women. Both sent us newsy cards last week and in some ways, it is lovely to hear how these octogenarians are still fitting a few woman of similar age. Sadly, neither has been completely immune from the ailments that come with advancing years but their sheer spirit is quite undiminished. They really are an example to us all. I must once again thank my long-suffering husband for compiling this site and turning our ideas into the reality of the internet. Honestly, sometimes I think that he could give Victor Meldrew lessons in grumpiness, but he means well. His dire predictions about the state of the economy have sadly come to pass and due to the greed of others, we may all have to suffer through the next half decade. I think a good dollop of Christmas spirit, both spiritual and literal may ease us painlessly into 2009, but it was tragic to see the empty shelves in the local Woolies, looking like something from the third world. Is that where we're heading? I hope not. We should take a lesson from our two corsetieres and carry on regardless. But to end on a cheery note, our Yorkshire friend has been in constant contact throughout the year and sent us her interpretation of Christmas. She wore this outfit to a fancy dress ball and whether she represented Mrs. Klaus or the Christmas Tree Fairy, I'm not sure that even she knew, but certainly all those at the party didn't seem to care one way or the other. As always she looked magnificent!
Spencer's humorous approach to the festive season!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and as good a New Year as we can make it

The best present we can receive at the beginning of any day is an email or, more rarely these days, a letter from a lady, a gentleman, even last year a teenager, with information about corsetry. My husband and I started this site five years ago to preserve memories of the Spirella corsetiere and her fellow, or rival corsetieres from other manufacturers before such knowledge died with their clientelle. We treasure these memories, and try to share them on the internet. The help of those that contribute has been invaluable. Correspondence often begins "Dear Ivy". We like that very much, since it is our pseudonym that we use based on the Ivy Leaf emblem that Spirella used to award to its corsetieres for long-service. Who is Ivy Leaf? Ivy is two people, myself, who wears the corsets and supplies the female perspective, and my husband, who appreciates my figure, provides the male point-of-view, and handles the intricacies of the computer and the internet. I impose upon him badly at times. Sometimes we receive letters or documents that need to be edited, scanned and formatted into the world of the computer, and my husband works late into the night doing just this. We are simply an average, late middle-aged couple who desire to preserve the world of the corsetiere. Never be shy to email us. Even the simplest recollection that one's granny wore a corset in 1958, provides an age, a garment and a date. In my husband's words, "It's just another point on a graph. Too many people would consider this valueless until you put it in context with hundreds of other points on the graph, and then you can re-construct history." Each point counts and is gratefully received.
Every year, many hundreds of corsets, girdles and brassieres are checked -
Annual inventory of the Ivy Leaf Collection
It's always an excursion down memory lane as my husband and I check the Ivy Leaf Collection. There's 50 years of Marks & Spencer from flimsy flower-power to rigid satin elastic. Camp panty-girdles of heroic strength and stomach flattening corsets in all materials from coutil to satin. Spirella and Spencer's finest since 1947, Charis corselettes of amazing complexity and some rubber girdles, 30 years old without a sign of wear or deterioration! Some are new, most have been worn. For some we know the history, and for others, only the creases, the suspenders' wear, and the knots in the lacing tell of their previous life. As far as we can, we try to share the history of these amazing garments with you. February 2007: My husband and I were at a function the other night. I know that dress code has a wide interpretation these days, but 'smart casual' is understood by most. Apparently not by an acquaintance, who must be in her early 40's. Low-cut jeans, a Denim jacket of a totally different hue and texture, and, horror of horrors, four inches of bare tummy between the jeans and her tank top. It wasn't even as though her tummy was attractive and flat! My husband got the full view of this lady's alarming abdomen as she approached us at one of the tables. "I tell you, that quivering mass of cellulite quite put me off my pudding!" For once my husband's eloquence was right on target. One of the joys of our annual inventory (above) is finding articles or brochures that we had forgotten. "There's old Mrs. R's Spencer" I cried with delight as I found a study pink satin corset with all the signs of regular wear, but careful attention to repairs. Her daughter, who donated the garment, explained that it was her mother's favourite. She purchased it in the late 1960's and, despite wearing out a couple of plainer corsets each year, the satin one lasted until she passed away in 1994. The lady had worn corsets since her teens in the 1920's. My husband unearthed a Barcley catalogue. This huge volume from 1925 has possibly the best quality photographs of real models wearing real corsets that we have ever seen. For decades, corsets were drawn onto the models, quite skillfully it is true, but these photographs are superb. It gave my husband the idea of making a calendar. He found that the dates for 1923 match those for 2007 and the results are shown below.
We've talked at length about how the stiff, elderly women was a product of her stiff, elderly foundations. A new 'recruit' to our local Old People's Home grew up near Renfrew in Scotland when her father was an nautical architect at the John Brown shipyards. She remembers accompanying her father to the launch of the Queen Mary and how she got a great view of the Queen herself as she launched the massive ship. Queen Mary had an excellent figure, but it was her immobility that fascinated our acquaintance. She reminded us that in those days, it was not just a heroically tight corset that limited one's movements, but all the petticoats, clothes and coats that went over the top. "It was cold in those days" she recounted. Cars were unheated and usually open and the Queen, like most woman of the era, was wrapped up from head to toe, and, frankly, capable of only limited movement. The stairs to the launching platform were cut with a very low step to allow the women present to raise one foot to the next level. My husband tells the amusing anecdote when the Chairman of Cunard approached King George to ask permission to call the new ship 'Queen Victoria'. The Chairman rather eloquently asked the King if he might name the new ship after the greatest Queen of England and the monarch replied that Mary would be delighted! This charming tale is actually untrue. The 'Queen Mary' already existed and the owners had been approached by Cunard to re-name their ship 'Queen Mary II' in order to let the name 'Queen Mary' be used. The owners agreed provided that the name remained their property and that it was out on loan. To this day, the two ships, one anchored off Long Beach California, and the other by Waterloo Bridge in London, are both the 'Queen Mary'.
Queen Mary in the incredibly stiff and heavy clothes of the day. Her famous waist was maintained until her very late years.
On the theme of ships, one of Spirella's more outlandish and true advertising stories was that of the lady who was pulled from the sea after jumping from the burning liner 'Morro Castle'. She praised Spirella's corsets since despite the traumatic event, they washed up a treat, didn't rust and lasted many more years (hopefully not with the same level of abuse.) We actually visited the London 'Queen Mary' last November and my husband couldn't resist dragging me inside. A native Scot whose family comes from the Clyde, he loves ships and proceeded to tell me (again) the history of this famous vessel as he ordered a pint of bitter and half of cider for myself. After the lecture, he returned to a wistful trip down memory lane. "These ships used to ply the Clyde and the inner isles. Hundreds of passengers they'd carry." Then he lamented the end of the coastal cruiser, the state of the nation, the universe and particularly the lack of decent beer on offer. "Lager! That's all they sell these days." The lack of a decent pint on board saw us migrate to the "Coal Hole" on the Strand where a pint of Director's Bitter was on offer, and the opportunity for people watching made up for the lack of nautical architecture. It was 5.30 pm, and London was enjoying a drink before tackling the vagaries of British Rail for the journey to the suburbs. We listened to a young couple, barely in their 30's. He overweight (drinking Lager of course), and she quite pretty but for the mandatory roll of exposed abdomen. We listened in amazement as this quite unexceptional couple talked proudly of their first home, nothing special in the southern suburbs, that they had casually bought for half a million pounds (one million $US). This seemed to be quite normal. "The world's gone mad" fulminated my thrifty husband. "Yes Dear." "D'ye realise that England's afloat on a binge-spending, binge-drinking loan?" "Yes Dear." "They're printing money, it's just like the Weimar Republic in the 1930's. Mark you, we'll see doubledigit inflation in England before the decade's out; mark my words." "Yes Dear." Really, he can be so much like Victor Meldrew it's uncanny; sadly, he's probably right. "Invest in corsets" he said, "They'll increase in value." He looked around to make sure that nobody had heard. He needn't have worried; instant gratification was on the menu tonight, not the subtleties of foundation-ware. At that moment, a rather smartly dressed city lady entered the bar and joined her peers in the far corner. At least chivalry was not quite dead and a man
offered her a seat. She smiled, began to sit, looked uncomfortable and apparently decided to stand. During the brief manoeuvre however, we both noticed that rarity these days, suspender bumps distinctly outlined on her taut skirt. My husband relaxed enough to order another round of drinks and settled into a mellow contemplation. "You know, perhaps the world's not in such bad shape." Honestly, Men! One suspender bump and doom-and-gloom turns to pleasurable acceptance. I wonder how many major political decisions have hung on such trivia? March 2007: By Appointment to Her majesty I am talking, of course, about Rigby & Peller, corsetieres to her Majesty. I will say little of this famous firm on South Molton Street since they still ply their trade from those hallowed premises, however, my knowledge of them was scant. I've visited the establishment once only to haemorrhage money for a panty-girdle that STILL rode up my thighs (the bane of the heavier women). Mind you, this was not a R&P product but of the many lines that they import. I had never actually seen a genuine R&P article until this week, and I was rather impressed. A girdle / brassiere pair came from an old estate and I would guess that they date back to the 1970's. The girdle is half back-laced, a feature that I've never seen before. It has no entry other than unlacing and re-lacing, that always suggests a hint of vanity in the wearer. For sure, whoever was the proud owner of this set would cut a fine figure. The dating is based on the style, the suspenders, but most of all, that vague odour of years in a drawer, carefully protected from the moth, but latterly unused. It has been used, often I would say in its prime, but one can only guess that as the lady grew older, the invitations to the diplomatic balls faded away with her poor husband's demise. Pure conjecture on my part, but isn't it fun to imagine. April 2007: Students, Girdles and Corset Futures We received a very impressive email from a student who financed her studies by selling second-hand girdles on Ebay. So fascinated was she by the prices for some of the more esoteric garments, that the thesis for her social studies is "The role of nostalgia on consumer behavior, with a particular focus on girdles." Indeed, some rare and beautiful girdles fetch very high prices. These are possibly good value since their like will never be seen again, however, latex girdles and corsets fetch astronomical prices. There is a collectors' premium here since genuine, undamaged Playtexes, Alstons, and My Ladys are rare, however, one cannot ignore a strong fetish interest that drives the majority of the price. These latex horrors, as a friend used to call them, are described in the Reducing Corsetry section. With the exception of the Playtex girdles that were widely endorsed by sportswomen and actresses (notably Jane Russell), I have come across few women who admitted to wearing the more robust rubber foundations. My Dutch aunt wore a rubber corset and suffered the sweatiness in summer and chill in winter of this abominable garment (my husband who normally types the text asked if I meant abdominal garment thinking I had made a mistake, but no; these garments were abominable!) Another student, our Californian correspondent, Sarah, now studying to be a nurse, has discarded her corsets as impractical for the rigours of a hospital ward. I'm not surprised that she's moved to a girdle. She may find, as have generations of nurses and airline stewardesses, that active women who spend most of their days on their feet can go through stockings at an alarming rate. For that reason alone did such women persist in wearing stockings when their peers had migrated to tights. British Airways supplied their cabin crew with bulk packets of mild support stockings to counter the alarming attrition rate (of both stockings and veins) well into the 1980's. Back to rubber corsetry, apart from my aunt, the only other women I heard of that wore such a garment was a student at St Hugh's College, Oxford. After three years of intense study and little exercise in her 'blue-stocking' lifestyle, she was convinced (by her mother) that such a garment would help her lose weight and she wore a custom-made Alstons for the entire summer! History does not relate whether this sacrifice was successful. So, do women still believe in the 'reducing' capacity of these garments? Certainly our Latin sisters must, since the bastion of latex corsetry has taken firm root in South America. I mentioned in December 2006, a relatively young Brazilian lady's vanishing tummy. I wonder if she was wearing latex? My husband, the thrifty Scot, wondered whether we should buy some of these corsets and store them as an investment. Corset futures perhaps? Coincidences We've just received two Spirella girdles from an estate, and, I'm ashamed to admit, we couldn't identify the model number of one of them ( right). I checked through old brochures to find it, but I cant. I have several of this style and have seen photographs of them at auction, but never with a model number. It's very much a British Spirella 1960's girdle but it simply doesn't feature in my records. The other girdle from the same estate is clearly a 234 and both appear to be of the same age and condition. At first I thought that it might be an older style that was copied by Spirella at a customers request, however, with so many examples around I doubt it. It may be that the girdle is
Girdle 234
Girdle ???
a derivative of the 206 where two elastic centrally placed gores was an option over the normal one piece (Spirella had many options). My brochures certainly cover the period of the girdle but it is not displayed. Amazingly, whilst I was searching for a reference, a reader sent me some pictures of a girdle she had recently acquired and, well I never, it was exactly the same mystery model. What an amazing coincidence! Can anybody help us here ?
Having mentioned earlier in the month Alstons rubber corsetry, we came across a rare Alstons in excellent condition. The garment had been worn frequently since the rubber has taken up the shape of the wearer, yet several of the very few perforations are incomplete with the little rubber circle still attached. Moreover, the garment is unlined, with cut rubber seams that would have been pressed into the skin. No protective barrier of knickers or slip here, for the power of these 'reducing garments' lay in the magic qualities of latex in direct contact with, and massaging away the excess flesh of the wearer. The girdle has the Alstons hallmark of a full-length zip, for there was no way to wriggle into such a clammy garment. It is quite a small size and my husband idly wondered if this was the very same torture device that the poor St. Hugh's student was encouraged to wear. Unlikely, coincidences, like girdles, can only be stretched so far!
May 2007: After a very quiet spell we received a huge missive from Frangard. It will take my husband a little while to format and edit this contribution but it will be worth the wait. Otherwise, our contacts in various Old Peoples' Homes report no new clients that might provide information for us, and it has taken a whole month to find enough new additions to add to the site. There's information out there, but sadly it diminishes each year. Even our corsetiere friends are debating whether it's worth continuing in the trade. Hopefully summer, and a few trips around our favourite haunts in Holland, England and Scotland will produce some results. After some weeks, my long-suffering husband has completed the formatting of Frangards amazing addition to his Odyssey. It is certainly a detailed account and adds valuable insights to the life and times of arch-corsetiere, Iris Norris. During the account, Frangard notes the problems associated with driving a car whilst tightly corseted. This is so reminiscent of one of our favourite accounts that appeared in a womens magazine in the 1960s. A Colonel Blimp type of character explained that no wonder women were poor drivers if they were as tightly corseted as his wife. Not surprisingly, a heated exchange ensued that was ended by one women who claimed that most men must be wearing their wifes corsets if their average driving standards were anything to go by! Such accounts hark back many decades at least particularly for a husband to know what sort of corsets his wife might wear. Some women are incredibly coy about dressing in front of their husbands and others are not. Its a complex matter of vanity, upbringing and embarrassment. I can fully understand that as the years pass, one would prefer hubby to see the finished product rather than a saggy cellulite potato. On the other hand, after a long marriage, there are few secrets left and none of us retains the body beautiful outside the rarified atmosphere of Hollywood. Which brings us to my granny who lived in Utrecht. The two sides of our family were both well-off and quite classy. As a young girl I was fascinated when Mummys mother stayed since the door to her room was always open and she loved to have the children around her. This included during dressing and undressing and I remember vividly her perforated white rubber corsets. Whereas all her clothes related to ours generically, the corsets were something quite apart. I knew Mummy didnt wear such things. On Daddys side, his mum was totally the opposite and her room was inviolate territory. I presumed she wore corsets; didnt all grannies, but I never saw them. The 'rubber corset granny' as I called her (not to her face) suffered her corsets in stoical silence with the exception of one hot summers day in the Ardennes that is related elsewhere. According to my husband, its still a fine sight to see a lady embark into her stays, even the crossed-leg heave of donning a girdle and matching up the hooks-and-eyes is a laudable performance, but the pulling on of a modern shaper (that doesnt even have the decency to be called what is a panty-girdle); then hed sooner go back to sleep.
Euphemisms Like most people, particularly long-term couples, my husband and I have developed over the years a private language of sayings and nicknames. We are not alone in this eccentricity and I was reminded of this a few years ago in correspondence with a lady about M&S girdles. As a teenager, she occasionally wore one of M&Ss most powerful girdles and referred to it as The Beast! Another simply called her panty-girdle The Zipper. It was my reference (above) to the Rubber Corset Granny that prompted this train of thought and I wondered if others use such names. My husband volunteered that his uncle referred to one of his wifes bridge partners as Varicose Vera. Betty MacDonald in The Egg and I refers to the Corset Lady and eloquently goes on to describe this formidable, robustly corseted women. Slightly different from pet names are the many euphemisms used by those that refuse to utter the word corset or girdle in polite conversation. The modern word shaper is a case in point. Belt and roll-on were often used for girdle, even by the manufacturers to the extent that roll-on became officially accepted into the English language. It's an apt expression as is step-in instead of panty-girdle. Stays strikes an old-fashioned slightly humorous note, that allows the speaker to invert the reference and refer to panty-girdles or girdles as corsets. Women with a bosom of any size will know just how painful driving a car on a bumpy road can be. A friend who regularly drove on farm tracks wore what she called her steel bra for such occasions. The phrase steel knickers has simply been used so often to describe every garment from a shaper to a surgical corset. Steel bras might stretch the imagination, but steel corsets come closer to the truth. Both the mother and the sister of the rude boy (see anecdotes) wore Camp back supports when horse-riding. These powerful garments with the side lacing adjustment were justifiably called, with quite some feeling, steel knickers! They were, however, very effective supports and worn by many whose activities put a strain on their backs from equestriennes to male helicopter pilots, who would refer to their camouflage canvas corsets (worn over the flight suit) as girdles! A few years ago I met a relatively young grandmother (in her early 50s) who, on discovering our mutual 'bad back problem announced that she had to wear her armour on a daily basis. She was sitting stiffly in a deck chair in the garden with her legs encased in industrial strength support stockings as she called them. Her feet rested on a small stool and attaining the vertical was a struggle. I dont think that armour was any exaggeration considering some of the devices that women use to support their backs. Her daughter-in-law predictably called her the Iron Maiden! The expressions used, particularly by the teenager, for their panty-girdles were legion and included finger nippers, passion-killers and chastity-belts. The theme here suggests that the foundations were chosen by mother rather than daughter. Passion killers is, however, more usually associated with the older woman's bloomers or directoire knickers that to some are anything but! More recently, courtesy of Bridget Jones and jumped on by the high street marketing departments come Magic Knickers! In conclusion, I cant abide women who coyly remark that they are wearing granny pants or "one of those panty-things." Perhaps its my Dutch upbringing but I call a corset a corset, and a girdle a girdle. If you have any doubt as to which is which, I have my own views on the topic! June 2007: The mystery girdle and the beautiful corset ! We've been searching our archives to identify the Spirella girdle that we mentioned in April and we simply can find no photographic reference, however, the 1961 Spirella brochure shows a drawing of women in various girdle styles and the mystery girdle is featured in a cartoon ( right), but not in the following pages. How frustrating! Spirella often re-used its artists' work (to save money), so the girdle may be a late 1950's style. An American Spirella girdle of the 1950's from the same box had washing instructions attached referring to models 205, 206, 210, 215, 216 and 220, the latter four designations being unknown to us. American and British designations did differ latterly, so is the mystery girdle one of those four. To confuse matters further, we unearthed one of these girdles from our collection (we have two), and it has a nylon zip that Spirella introduced in May 1958 (and then only on corselettes). Now for a real conundrum, we have a few girdles with the corsetiere's tags and date of manufacture and we found an immaculate 206 dated from 1977. The fabric, the elastic on both gussets and suspenders, the zip and the suspenders' metal-work
The mystery girdle
are identical to our mystery garment. The mystery girdle looks like it was made in the 1970's! Spirella often did copy client's favourite garments, so is this girdle style a late 1950's model copied much later?
On the left, a 1977 vintage 206 girdle constructed from identical materials to the mystery garment on the right.
Addition September 2007: We found another example of the mystery corset, but this one is American, and is labelled Spirella by Spencer. It appears to date from the 1960's. One last word on Spirella's obsession with its numerical naming system. We have a superb example of an American Spirella 202 dating from the late 1950's (left). This garment was also marketed by Spirella as the 'Verve Debonaire'!! Moving from panty-girdles through girdles, we come to one of the most elegant corsets that I've seen in many years. We recently acquired a 'Fan Massagical' Corset (made in Stockport, England) and the quality of construction is outstanding, however, the curious name has prompted us to re-locate the write-up.
A plea from Frangard. Can any of our readers remember these corset shops as advertised in the British Yellow Pages. I know of 'Figure Foundations' of Banstead High Street. There was another one nearby called 'The Very Shop' ( I don't know why). They supplied foundations to the ladies of Banstead unless you went further a field to Shinners of Sutton, the local Camp agent Of course, in those days, the phone directory had dedicated full page adverts for Spirella and Spencer agents. Every one of these shops faced formidable competition from Marks & Spencer.
July 2007: Girdle Injuries A letter from one of those kind folk that write in to the web site mentioned how a lady hurt her back from wearing a girdle with a zip location on the left hip rather than offset front left. The twisting motion eventually caused serious back pain. Similar afflictions, both chronic and acute, have affected many women who in attempting to fasten their back suspender have strained their spines. It is amazing that a garment such as corset or girdle, whose purpose is to support, control and preclude back injuries should be the source of the same. Such injuries are the tip of an unexpected iceberg:Spirella, in the early part of the 1900s when their spiral stay was a novelty, advertised at length about the lethal perils of conventional
stays. They regaled their readers with well-documented cases of women who would have had survivable accidents had it not been for being impaled on their broken stay bones. Iris Norris herself commented that she regularly broke her front busk-plates due to regular bending. Broken nails from tugging on reluctant girdles and zips are too common to mention, however, in this case, traditionally it is the nails that do the damage, particularly to nylons. I know of one women who sprained a finger (more painful than it sounds) attempting to get those little devils, the hooks-and-eyes closed on a girdle (that was presumably too tight Ivy) I have written elsewhere of lacing accidents where breaking laces have precipitated the wearer incontinently to the floor, fortunately without injury although this was lucky. An unusual case was of a lady, converting from decades of girdles to the new-fangled panty-girdle. During manufacture, the six suspenders had been hooked on back to front by mistake with the knobby bit facing inwards. The wearer suffered throughout the day as the elastic of the girdle pressed the knobs into her thighs and sitting was impossibly uncomfortable. The weals caused by this unfortunate escapade lasted for hours. It was on returning the garment to the shop that the mistake was identified. Falling over with your girdle around your ankles is hilarious to the watcher but potentially serious for the older woman. This happened often enough for it to be classed as an occupational hazard for corsetry models during their quick changes. Corsets with full-length fastening do not suffer from this danger. But I save the best for last. Being thwacked across the head by a pair of rolled-up corsets for laughing at your wife who has just fallen over is also painful as it should be!
August 2007: The correspondence that we receive, both by email and letters, can broadly be split into several types:Recollections, either from women that wore traditional foundations, or from women and men who remember what their mothers, aunties or grannies used to wear. More than once, we have heard described how the exposure of an impressionable youth to his grannys mysterious underpinnings has produced a life-long fascination. (We have recently included one under Letters). These recollections can be detailed, general and sometimes, as recorded in Corsetieres Anecdotes, rather amusing. This brings us to the second category, which is predominantly from men who have been influenced as described above. Thirdly, there are the one-offs, often from women whose standard comment is Im glad we dont have to wear these torture devices any more! To refer to a foundation as a torture device is to misunderstand the whole concept of corsetry. Often, these women are of an age (let us say 50-something) that would have made them teenagers in the early 1960s. It was a time of immense change and not a few reluctant girls suffered with foundations that they did not want and were poorly fitted. The experience was often disagreeable. Another example of poor foundation practice was the one-off wearing of a corset in an effort to fit into a smaller size of dress. Again, the experience will be uncomfortable and disagreeable. It was our reference a few months ago to reunions of the womens armed forces that prompted several letters on this theme. Not many women retain the figures of their youth and uniforms are made strictly to measure; they are supposed to be smart after all. More than one woman resorted to borrowing her mothers old corsets (the account refers to 1982) in an attempt to squeeze a 34 waist into a 30 skirt. The inevitable consequence of this forcing a quart into a pint pot is to redistribute the flesh into unwanted rolls and bulges precariously confined beneath straining zips and buttons. I might add, that even the best corsetry will fail here. Elderly actresses who might appear to have retained their youthful shape, might indeed have resorted to corsets, but it is a highly skillful dressmaker that creates the illusion. Remember that the dress should fit the corset, the corset should never be used to fit the wearer to the dress. Tummy Trouble There are many things that are the bane of a womans life (and not necessarily their husbands I add as a response to him looking over my shoulder), but high on the list comes ones tummy. Weve expressed our dislike of the current fad for women to expose their midriff, independent of age or build. Just the other day I saw my husband observing a female jogger. She was rather pretty and shapely but for the gap between her designer top and her lycra bottom where her tummy bulged and quivered as she ran. Was this semi-pregnant spectacle
what she really hoped to achieve, I think not. It is a sad fact that ones tummy never lies as flat as one would want. This is so eloquently expressed in Herman Wouks book Winds of War. Hook me up. Look how my stomach is bulging," and then, "I'm bulging a FOOT. I look six months' pregnant. I'm horrible. And I'm wearing my tightest girdle. Oh, what'll I do?" cries the wife of Pug Henry. Her husband sees no difference from normal but wisely declines to comment. For women of my age, were quite resigned to the fact that ones underwear will at least attempt to put back the sagging abdomen somewhere near where it should be; but flat, never. An acquaintance recounts the story of a girl who lived in Utrecht in the 1960s. She was a classic Dutch beauty; tall, shapely, elegant and with a charming manner to match. She missed perfection, however, by an irreducible wad of fat that lay over her stomach. She became obsessed by this perceived deformity and nothing that her mother or friends could say would convince her otherwise. The suggestion that she wear a girdle was the only time that the girls equable nature deserted her and entreaties that all women carried fat were dismissed. She never appeared at the swimming pool and wore dresses that flounced below the waist to disguise her tummy (fortunately this was fashionable at the time). Between school and university, her parents sent her to live with a family in America to improve her English and I didnt see her for half a year. On return, she was the same elegant creature as ever but her tummy had gone and, moreover, she dressed to demonstrate this. Her mother was amazed to find that her daughter had bought a wardrobe of panty-girdles that were popular in America at the time, and not just flimsy elastic step-ins, but firm zippered confections. With the contrariness of youth her daughter explained All American girls wear these; I didnt want to feel out of it! Both peer pressure and girdle pressure can be extremely effective forces. Women's Corsetry: 1860 - 1898 It's one thing to assemble random recollections and memories onto a web site, and quite another to write under the beady eye of a bachelor degree examiner:Congratulations to Rachel Head for her excellent work:http://www.leeds.ac.uk/history/studentlife/e-journal/Head_Rachael.pdf September 2007: More tummies ! Only a week ago, we encountered that hideous apparition, the unconfined tummy, exposed and quivering, for this was no young girl but a woman, mature in all ways, bar dress sense. The odd thing was that her low-cut jeans were so tight that they exacerbated the roll of tummy fat, dimpled redly by the welt of her belt buckle. It reminded me of a quote from a girl who grew to adulthood in the 1960's:- "In the 1960's, firm control garments were still thought essential for best wear. I have been really uncomfortable in boned girdle, boned long line bra as a teenager; and they could be hot too. At that time you were not expected to look relaxed in best wear. Mind you, they were not more uncomfortable or restricting than tight Levis today." How sad. If the lady in question had worn a girdle and smart slacks, how elegant she could have appeared. With her skin-tight jeans, even walking must have been uncomfortable, but perhaps I'm just old fashioned. My husband added that there's no perhaps about it. We're old-fashioned - and proud of it! Recently my niece was commenting about two older ladies that share an apartment in Amsterdam where she's a student. Elderly women often used to live together and I must point out straight away that in the vast majority of cases, the relationship was purely platonic. Several of my mother-in-laws bridge friends fell into this category. Usually the loneliness of widowhood, the occupancy of too large or an unaffordable family home prompted two old friends to share the costs and enjoy some companionship in their fading years. Again, it was not unusual for elderly women to advertise for companions. An older respondent would of course make for easier company, but sometimes a younger, semi-nurse style character would move in and adopt the older women. Weve mentioned companionship and finances but there was another critical element. Remember the old womens lament on the death of her husband Now Ive got nobody to do up my back suspenders any more! Indeed, some of my mother-in-laws friends were just too stiff to tighten their own corsets effectively, but they could quite easily pull the laces (particularly on a back-laced corset) for their friend. At the beginning of Corsetiere's Tales, we have gathered together an index of all the stories and letters that we have received under one banner. Back onto the subject of tummies, I happened to come across an article in that font of all wisdom and knowledge 'Good Housekeeping'. The lady mentioned above would do well to read it! It's nice to know that there are more proper foundations coming back onto the market. Some women need to be made aware them. No doubt the initial reactions will be "My mother used to wear those!". So what; your mother probably looked pretty good because of it. George uncovered a cartoon on this theme.
Stewardesses again That hoary old topic about airline stewardesses and girdles came up again recently. I still maintain that no airline ever implemented a mandatory policy of what underwear a stewardess should wear, however, guidelines were, and still are, an important part of a stewardesss life. Im sure the requirements were that the uniform was worn smartly with no unseemly lumps or bulges. If we consider the late 1950s early 1960s, tights were not common and any women needed suspenders (garters US) to support her stockings. This could either be by a girdle, panty-girdle or suspender belt. The panty-girdle is probably the least likely to show through a fitted skirt and so the stewardess did exactly what her peers would do, and that is to wear some form of girdle. No mandatory rule was necessary. For sure, some correspondents have mistaken this normal mode of dress, appropriate to the era, for a requirement, and even one fashion guru was heard to say that stewardesses needed to wear girdles to prevent their stomachs from swelling as the pressure dropped. Good gracious, the seating on most airlines is terrible at best, the mind boggles at the thought of hundreds of swollen un-corseted torsos trapped in their seats; mind you, the last time I suffered the indignity of traveling by air, the term bloated un-corseted torsos was perhaps not inappropriate to many of my traveling companions, but pressure had nothing to do with it. Its common for airline passengers to kick off their shoes at the start of the flight only to find that their feet have swollen by the end and the shoes dont fit. This is simply fluid migration and nothing to do with pressure, however, it is recounted that the fear of pressure caused one old biddy, unused to flying, enquiring of her travel agency whether the pressurisation would cause her arms and head to swell up after take-off since the rest of her body was confined by surgical stockings, corset and long-line bra! Our stewardess friend came up with an interesting episode that she heard about on a flight to Vienna in the early 1980s. Apparently one of the cabin crew noticed that an elderly woman seemed to be rather uncomfortable and was wriggling around in her seat. Offers to help seemed only to generate confusion. At last it seemed that the lady had settled down to some agitated activity under her rug. Discretely observing the lady in case a doctor needed to be summoned, the stewardess realised that she had undone the bottom buttons on her blouse and was trying to unlace her corsets! This Houdini-like activity persisted for five minutes after which the old lady relaxed with some degree of contentment. Before landing the stewardess asked the lady if she was feeling better. Oh Yes she was assured Im afraid I suffer from wind and I had to loosen off a bit! Our Dutch stewardess friend, who has been in the business for 30 years now has never worn a girdle, nor does she need to, having an enviable figure for a woman in her late-50s. She added an interesting point last time we discussed this matter, and remarked that more stewardesses probably wear a shaper (girdle) today than at any time in the last two decades! (This comment is echoed below by an British ex-stewardess.) October 2007: An Interesting Rumour As regular readers of this column will know, my husband and I are great fans of the 'Traditional British Pub'. We like lunches there, and occasionally the early evening, although we avoid the more fashionable later evening crowd of yuppies. In one of our favourite haunts there is a charming barmaid who is buxom to the point of distracting hubby from his ale. A devotee of the Triumph Doreen (as I am) she cuts quite a figure when standing behind the bar. A bit like a newsreader on TV, one never knows what they look like beneath the desk behind which they sit. In case of the barmaid, her occasional forays into the clientele reveal a sadly unfettered behind; she looks far better behind the bar. However, she told us of a female TV celebrity (whose name I can't possibly mention) who occasionally joins in the evening crowd. This stunning lady apparently doesn't just wear the 'shapers' that many of her peers do these days, but before each TV appearance squeezes her torso into a liposuction girdle. I don't know if you've seen these devices that are hugely compressive to aid liposuction patients' recovery, but I wonder how many other stars resort to this technique? Apparently, Marlene Dietrich resorted to a somewhat similar deception. I have copied some text from the 'Older Women' web page:"...and wearing a tight, all-over girdle under her elaborate costumes and gowns. The ironclad garment restricted her movement..." On a similar vein (pun intended) the sister of one of our neighbours, who used to fly for a British airline, commented that during the dull hours of the long-haul flights to the Far East she got so cold that she would wear two pairs of support tights. This kept her legs warm and, she hoped, would stave off the hereditary varicose veins of her mother (they failed on that score Im afraid Ivy). She felt the doubled material also helped her shape although the baggy uniform of the time hardly warranted the effort. She lamented that the modern shapers available today were not around then (What I call the shapeless period between 1985 2005). I mean those shapers are simply hydraulically powerful she enthused. Whod have thought wed all go back to such things, but if I was in the airline now with the fitted skirts of the new uniform, Id be into one like a shot. Not two? I asked. Why not she replied, although going to the loo might be a
problem!
November 2007: Doubling up It never rains but it pours. Just after I wrote the last paragraph, our erudite contributor, Roger K, sent us an article from the Independent about Gwyneth Paltrow 'doubling up' on her 'magic knickers' (panty-girdles) . This was not an infrequent practice in the past. I have related where women wore two pairs of stockings; some brands of support stocking even advertised that they could be worn under a more fashionable pair. In our discourse on the elderly woman, I've mentioned a lady that wore a corselette over her corset, partly to support this second pair of stockings but also to disguise the engineering of her surgical support (It didn't). There was the American servicewoman who was found to be wearing no less than four panty-girdles after passing out on parade. Doubling up is nothing new. Strange Uses for your Corset! A lady's husband rushed in from work. "Get your corsets off" he shouted and raced upstairs. The lady followed, somewhat surprised by her husband's sudden ardour, to find him getting into his football gear. "I need the corset laces for my football boots; they broke in last game!" (from Corsetieres' Anecdotes.) I have recounted some years ago how my mechanically minded husband repaired the broken exhaust of our car using stays from a corset. Since then we have noted some other unusual uses to which our foundations can be put. Perhaps some of you will remember a comedy film called "Petticoat Navy" where women take over a submarine. The male engineer is amazed when a girdle is used to substitute for a spring on a recalcitrant piece of machinery! The elasticity of girdles certainly lend itself to alternative uses. Suspenders used as catapults by naughty boys have even made it to the cartoons, Tom (of Tom and Jerry) uses the mistress's corsets as a pair of wings to glide down onto Jerry, and Freddie Frinton used Thora Hird's latex girdle to rub out a cross-word error (with predictably disastrous results)! Corsets are often cannibalised by their owners to provide at least one working pair when all other sources have failed. The stays have found uses as diverse as plant sticks and kebab holders. My husband even used rubber strips from a old Alstons (well beyond repair) to protect a sensitive bolt from the teeth of his pliers. It is perhaps as a weapon where corsets can be remarkably effective. More than one romantic authoress has cooled the amorous advances of some love-lorn swain by a crack over the head with a pair of rolled-up corsets. I can speak from experience that it's an effective deterrent! Sears Advertising My husband came across a classic piece of corsetry advertising the other day. He puffed his way up from our basement brandishing a 1930 edition of the Sears catalogue. "Why be stout?" he cried. I decided not to take immediate offense, sometimes his train of thought is tortuous at best, however, he detected the thunder clouds gathering over my head and went on to explain. "Y.B. Stout; it's a play on words by Sears to introduce their 1930's corsets to the larger woman." He showed me the pages and, amazingly, this was Sears sensitive approach to the fuller figured woman! We've placed the pictures in the Stout Woman page as well the area on oddly named brands. "I.M. Stout" I said sadly. "U.R. Stout" my husband agreed, "But you've got a splendid figure because you wear proper foundations." Sometimes my husband can be quite appealing. December 2007: A dear old lady of our acquaintance passed away last month. She was 99 years old and fiercely independent until a brief final illness. Her niece, who stayed with her during her last failing weeks, simply noted that she needed help with her elastic stockings. She managed her own corsets to the end. We received an amazing addition (chapters 3 and 4) to the life and times of Frangard. This account has simply been edited for spelling and occasional style. Everything else is the work of this gentleman who knew the legendary corsetire, Iris Norris as a friend.
Spanx and Spencer In a strange way, it is truly heartening to see a modern foundation manufacturer, Spanx, resorting to the old 'before and after' images so loved by Spirella, Spencer and many
other makes. The image on the right is pure throwback to Spirella advertisements of the 1950's - 60's where compression of the waist is marginal at best, but the elevation of the bosom is nothing short of anti-gravitational (my husband's choice of words). Good work Spanx! You just need something to flatten that spare tyre and then I'll believe that foundations really have made a comeback.
The mystery girdle returned again (Apr 2007 and June 2007) and is clearly labelled Spirella by Spencer and is American from New Haven. I wonder if Spirella in Britain simply used this style as well. No models numbers could be detected on the well-used garment. How frustrating!
Still on the subject of Spencer, we were sent these pictures of a truly high-waisted Spencer girdle. These gorgeous confections from the 1960's were very powerful, very elegant and very expensive.
I have one in my collection where lace overlaid nylon forms the front panel. Constructed from a similar material, on our Spencer page, is an example of a buckled corset. In all aspects a surgical corset, the garment has all the elegance and style of a Dior gown. Modern orthopaedic supports, as they are called, have more in common with a mail bag! And so the year draws to a close. For my husband and I it has been a year of big decisions and big changes including those most disruptive of events, a change of job and a house move. We apologise if our updates have been less than frequent recently but our lives have been turned upside-down and we are waiting for the dust to settle (literally)! We look forward to the New Year and wonder where the resurgence in controlling underwear will take us. Theses have been written on the relationship of political climate to female fashions that we have never fully understood, and I forget if tight foundations presage boom or bust; perhaps 2008 will supply the answer. Predictions aside, we spent a very Merry Christmas with old friends and look forward to making new friends in 2008. Peace and Goodwill to you all
Ivy Leaf's Diary - 2006

The New Year got off to a fascinating start as emails from Britain, France and America arrived with various observations, recollections and anecdotes from the world of corsetry. This new volume of data will have to be translated (in the French case) and put into appropriate chapters on the site, however, I would love to share a few choice phrases from our French correspondent. The French language can be very rich and beautiful, nevertheless, the literal translation of A-cup to A-bonnet is faintly amusing. However, the expression gupire sans bretelles baleine is such an elegant way to describe a boned, strapless corselette that all is forgiven. We have published the charming tale My gupire is killing me amongst others under a new section titled 'letters.'
January 2006: Black corsets, and why do they tear so often?

There is definitely something about black underwear. Some women will not wear it. It is often, and incorrectly, associated with loose women. Certainly to wear a black (or dark-coloured) brassiere under a white blouse is to make a visual, and frequently ambiguous statement. Ive recounted elsewhere the tale of the Irish lady who purchased a black corselette and suffered dreadful pangs of guilt afterwards. But to most women, black can be considered special, just a touch exotic perhaps, but nothing more. Its an odd thing, but of the corsets in our possession that have suffered splits in the material, three are black Spirellas. I know that Spirella suffered from a poor batch of black orchid material in the mid-1980s that lead to them discontinuing the colour altogether. However, I believe that there may be more to the story. Although some women wear black underwear as a matter of course (read the story of the camper who used to hang her black 325 corset on the washing line), most women reserve the colour for either special or formal occasions. This, I believe, is where the problem lies. Corsets that are not broken in properly will suffer excess strain on the material. My corsetiere has always recommended spending the first week gently tightening the laces more each day until the required tension is achieved. Anything less will drastically reduce the life expectancy. (My husband added that its like running in a car, and I countered that shoes take a similar wearing in period.) A dress corset tends not to have experienced the breaking in, and may be laced not just to normal tightness, but a degree further in the quest to fit into a new dress. (See Cautionary Tales of Vanity and Tight-Lacing). The result is usually a rip, and particularly at the stitching where the material joins the bone casings. So well were Spirellas made, however, that the failure point is usually contained over a few inches, and that the corset ripping catastrophically asunder is rare. The rips, in my experience, always occur at that point of maximum tension, the crease, where the action of sitting puts an incredibly expansive (and expensive) strain on the garment. One of the corsets is my own, and I ripped it sitting down. A salutary lesson in vanity; it was not easy to repair. Lacing too Tightly My corsetiere tells of one woman who laced tighter than she recommended (as opposed to genuine tight-lacing). Every fitting was a battle of wills between the client, who felt that as the purchaser she could have anything she wanted, and the corsetiere who was protective of the reputation of her company and their products. Her brassieres had no elastic sections and were tight, even on the third row of hooks-and-eyes. Three months later the garment would be ruined, the eyes progressively pulled out, and the material stretched to extremes as the wearer proceeded to the next row of eyes. Even before this, the brassiere would be returned for repairs to hooks that had torn out under the strain. Her corsets fared little better, although small elastic gussets were positioned on top of the thighs to allow the wearer to sit. The client returned the garment periodically as firstly, eyelets
would pull free; then the laces would snap, and finally the seams would start to split. This is expensive to repair, and after four of five months another corset would be rejected. The corsetiere begged the woman to wear her underwear less tightly, but the client rejected this and, to her credit, never blamed the workmanship of the corset company. To the corsetieres eye, the wearer, apart from the discomfort she must feel, looked tightly fastened in, an image that the corsetiere did not want to project, but the client was vain enough to put up with the discomfort and the expense. She looked stunning, but when she moved you could tell how tightly she was laced. What was worse, other women tended to comment on it, but not within her hearing.
A tragic waste of good garments (above). Eyelets pulled-out, and the busk almost ripped from its casing. The laces were knotted at places where they had broken. On the right, the classic rip at the crease of the garment.
Lacing too Loosely Although we frequently expound on the consequences of over-tight foundations (above, tight-lacing), the elderly often get trapped into the reverse process. Weight-loss is a frequent occurrence as one grows old and passes beyond the weight-gaining years. So often the elderly then end up in a vicious circle, where declining wealth and weight, render a lady in need of new foundations, but without the wherewithal to afford them. It must be understood that several decades ago, an older woman's foundations were not simply corset, brassiere and stockings, but a combination of all three, with the associated tensions and forces connected, and hopefully complementary. Many corsetry houses expanded on this in their corsetieres guide-books. The strong downward forces exerted by a pair of support stockings ends up distributed along the corset, that may or may not be anchored at the waist. Without a waist-line anchorage (and most women lose their youthful hip-spring), the brassiere has to be attached to the corset and the forces thus pass to the shoulder straps of the brassiere. That is why some shoulder straps seem almost over-engineered; it is simply that the entire tension of the foundation system, other than that removed by friction of the garments against the skin, is riding on them. Should the system get out of balance, the older woman will end up fighting her foundations. Spirella ( right) in its training package refers to 'anchorage', that is keeping all the garments working together. The lament of this poor women illustrates the point. An elderly women was heard to mention that she felt under a lot of tension recently. Her friend enquired whether it was the stress of her grandchildren that were visiting. No, no. the old lady replied, Its not that sort of tension. Its my new stockings. They pull my corset down ever so much, and that pulls my bra, and that stretches the straps. If it wasnt for the stays in my corset, Id fold up completely!
February 2006: Football Tummy My husband came up with this curious expression some years ago. He claims that he thought of the expression even before he read the narrative in Herman Wouks Winds of War where the heros wife cries Im bulging a FOOT. I look six months pregnant. Im horrible and Im wearing my tightest girdle! Apparently, at University, he had been introduced to an elderly spinster at a garden party. He remembers being fascinated partly by her
distinct moustache, lipstick that barely acknowledged the outline of her lips and a stomach that bulged in quite an alarming fashion beneath the waist-band of her skirt. Naively, he believed that had she been married, she might have worn something a bit more substantial beneath her frock. Such a sight was relatively common 30 years ago. (Im not talking about the hideous modern habit of exposing ones midriff to the world. Marginally acceptable on a slim teenager, it is utterly grotesque when practiced by an overweight, middle-aged woman but I digress.) The football tummy is caused by wearing an un-boned lower foundation (often a roll-on), and then wearing the belt of ones skirt or dress far too tightly. It is a classic mistake to use ones clothes to control the flesh. That is the job of the foundation garment. How often have we seen straining buttons on a blouse? The trouble with women is that our bodies are far softer than mens and consequently a tight belt can really nip in the waist. The consequence is the awful bulging of the incompressible flesh, hence football tummy. My husband recently met a high-flying female executive. He claims that her designer outfit and shoes alone would have cost over a month of his salary, but what really irked him was that she was so badly dressed. Honestly, she looked like she had a football stuffed down her pants. Apparently her shirt gaped between the straining buttons, and her jacket shoulders bore no relation to her own. He muttered darkly about silk purses and sows ears. Talk about football tummy, it looked like the whole team was in there! We have made a small series of (depressingly accurate) sketches to illustrate the point.
Ghost of Spirella Compiling this web site is like visiting antique shops. You can spend ages looking around and finding very little, and then, suddenly, that gem, that rare piece is found like a tiny beacon in a sea of mediocrity. These gems, in our case, are vintage foundation garments, letters, emails and the recollections of those few women that remember the corsetieres trade. It was thus so delightful to receive, not just a letter, but some pictures from a Californian teenager, Sarah. She had made a copy of a Spirella corset for regular wear. I was amazed, delighted and excited to find somebody of the younger generation with not just an understanding but also an appreciation of corsetry. Sarah herself coined the term Ghost of Spirella , and that is the title we have given to her letter. Doesn't this charming photograph from the cover of a 1960's Jenyns catalogue, simply speak volumes about a bygone era? Where was the photo taken I wonder? The Melbourne Cup? There are still a few dedicated Australian women keeping their Jenyns going, for sadly, this long-lasting enterprise folded up just at the end of the last century.
March 2006: After a famine of new information, I received several emails and a letter (many elderly folk have not yet, and never will adopt the internet.) The emails concerned the legendary Iris Norris, a London post-War corsetiere who possessed a remarkably small waist. I had seen the enclosed photograph many times before without realising that this lady was actually the famous Mrs. Norris. The attenuation achieved is not as extreme as Ethel Granger or the modern Cathy Jung, but quite remarkable none-the-less. The letter drew my attention to a newspaper report from Atlanta in the 1960's. Apparently, a young woman passed out at a military parade. On examination by the medics, she was found to be wearing no less than four pantygirdles. According to the duty doctor, flesh of her buttocks was virtually compressed solid under the layers of elastic. I mentioned this to some friends who seemed to think that wearing two panty-girdles was not uncommon. This was either done for extra strength, or simply because the wearer wanted a high waist and a long leg, and could not find a suitable garment. (For a while, the high-waisted panty-girdle was a rarity in Britain and almost unknown in Holland.) Corset wearers never, of course, wear two corsets since it would be fairly pointless. I mean if one rigid corset can't do the job, two won't either, although one might quibble that the under-belt is like a second corset. I did know of a lady who wore a corselette over her Camp corset simply because she felt it hid the intricate tracery of the lacing. It didn't! If you wear a Camp, don't bend over in a tight skirt unless you want the world to know your
secret!
April 2006: I came across a charming booklet from 1947, entitled, The Good Corsetiere in which the chapters are titled:Figure Analysis:The Teen Ager The Active Twenties The Young Matron The Sagging Fifties The Back-Lace Seventies The Little Woman The Maternity Figure I suppose when you are in the trade, theres no point of beating around the bush, although there are chapters dedicated on how to speak to your client and to put them at ease. I refer to some disastrous encounters on the Corset Shop page! Mind you, people were more blunt in those politically incorrect days, witness the sentiments of the following adverts:Are you inclined to be stout? Are any of your friends obese? A Panic in Fat is the helpful title of one of Spirellas brochures in the late 1930s. "A Super Corset for Fleshy Women", and lastly Spencer's accurate summary, Every Womans Problem The last title is simply good marketing. Persuade a woman that she has a problem, and no amount of money will be too much to fix it. more ... My casual reference to the excessively girdled girl at a military parade resulted in a fusillade of correspondence, mainly, although not all, from men. There appears to be a fascination with what lies beneath the uniform, whether military, civilian or airline. It is a rather strange obsession, since the answer is quite simply, that women will wear what their peers wear, whether they are in uniform or not! Certainly, a uniform demands (or should) a degree of smartness, however, a women in uniform has a job to perform, and in no way will she encumber herself unnecessarily. I can back this up admittedly with a small sample, however, I believe it to be representative. My husband, many years ago, worked briefly in an office that housed a WRNS second officer. This beauty (he recollects like something out of the Cruel Sea) would often bend over to attend to a map cabinet and my husband recounts that she probably wore nothing more exceptional than a pantie-girdle (if even that) and bra. His girlfriend at the time confirmed this assertion. His girlfriend freely admitted that she wore a pantie-girdle since she was quite chubby, but many of her friends, including a number of WRNS did not. It depended on their peers, parents and pride. Another uniform, of a sort, is that formalized wear that horse-riders adopt. Horse-riding develops an excellent posture in the rider, and remarkably strong arms and legs. In this case, I have known several riders to wear a corset, usually for support of the back after injury. Only in one case did the lady wear a corset purely to provide the erect posture she had as a girl, that sadly she was unable to attain in later life. Somewhat typically, she would sneer at the slouch and sloth of the younger generation whilst conveniently ignoring her debt to Samuel H. Camps ingenious engineering. (My husband met a New York lady some years ago. Her arms were so strongly muscled that he asked of she was an equestrienne. She replied that she was, in fact, a baggage handler at Kennedy International airport. Read into that what you wish!) Which brings us to that evergreen question What do airline cabin crews wear beneath? I will disappoint the male population by asserting that they wore exactly what the WRNS would wear; simply what was smart, convenient, and standard for that era. Ive mentioned elsewhere that my friend, who has served as a stewardess on a European airline for thirty years) has never worn anything more than her knickers. She has no need, her figure is quite
stunning even in her mid-50s. The only support she wears is on her legs, three decades-worth of tramping the aisles having caused the odd vein to rebel. Thirty years is quite outstanding for a stewardess. Normally the routine, obnoxious passengers and marriage to one of the air crew intervene, but in this case, happily married outside the industry, she makes the perfect advertisement for her company. She tolerates no nonsense, but genuinely enjoys her passengers, and on every flight she claims that if she hasn't raised a laugh amongst her charges, then she's failed at her job. I do like to fly when shes on the crew. May 2006: What's in a name? Another month has passed by, rather quietly on the corsetry front, however, I'm hoping that will change in May when we accept the invitation of Figesta to visit their factory in Germany. I'm looking forward to that and I hope the outcome will feature in these pages. But what's in a name? We've started adding the names of corsetry that we find amusing to our page on 'other brands'. Abdo-lift, Fitzwel and le Compressif, bring names that bought a smile to many a lip whilst failing to make the commercial grade. Another is the 'Manly' girdle. This device was designed for men, the appellation 'Manly' designed presumably to persuade the buyer that wearing a girdle wasn't effeminate in any way. Their products were around for several years and latterly they produced the strangely-named 'Lady Manly'. In the way the mothers were supposed to encourage their daughters into Spirella, so the makers of 'Manly' hoped that husbands would persuade their wives. Unlikely! Tales abound of men that have been persuaded to wear a girdle by their wives, however, these are largely apocryphal. Ghost of Spirella: Part 2 We received an email from our Californian teenage correspondent, Sarah. She has been inspired to create another corset based on the Spirella style and even showed us how it was planned using one of the Spirella photographs as a base. The different colours represent spiral and flat boning about which we had an interesting exchange. There's nothing worse in a corset, than bones that dig in, and fitters spent much time on the training course learning how to avoid this failing. Sarah has obviously found this out from experience. She was also asking us about detachable suspenders, so we added a section under stockings and suspenders that explain how Spirella used to solve this problem. We look forward to seeing the results of her latest project. She also was kind enough to ask some older women about their underpinnings and I've included their remarks under the letters section. Such information, casual though it seems, is a valuable contribution to our researches. Well done, Sarah. You're an example to the younger generation! Suddenly, after such a quiet period, all our correspondents seem to have written at once! Roger K. has provided another three charming accounts of corsetry from a bygone era in Roger's Ramblings. We attended a ball yesterday. The date should come as no surprise to our readers. I am Dutch and my husband is Scots, so February, May and November are always hosts to large the functions celebrating Robert Burns, Queen Beatrix and St. Andrew. Yesterday it was the turn of the Dutch Queen. I couldn't help but observe my husband dancing with a stunningly attractive, and incredibly well-endowed young American lady. Afterwards he said that he could not understand how her bosom remained contained in her black satin sheath (a bit like Rita Hayworth in Gilda). Indeed, it was remarkable, since the lady was born well after 'merry widows' and 'proper' foundations were the norm. I suppose it was simply a very well constructed dress. The downside of the evening was a very silly mistake on my part. I wore a lovely gown made from a cheap matieral, and sadly, the blue colour has run into my (very expensive) underwear.
June 2006: Often we receive letters, however, this latest one included a classic family photograph of a charming 1950's lady, the once proud possessor of a Barcley girdle that we had just purchased at auction. There's nothing quite like these charming accounts to recapture the spirit of post-war England. Inevitably, it makes my husband and I regress into memories of childhood when women regularly wore corsets and girdles, you could always park outside the shop that you wanted and, by comparison with the streets of today, the place looks so peaceful and empty. Of course, this is rose-tinting at its most indulgent, however, it makes for a pleasant evening. Once the photo albums and wine comes out, we're completely lost in the past!
July 2006: Hot on the heels of the Barcley episode (above), came a letter from our correspondent Frangard. He informed us that Ethel Granger, Guinness record holder of the smallest waist of modern times (at 13 inches), was a former Barcley corsetiere. In no way did Barcley encourage tightlacing, however, they employed Mrs. Granger before they knew who she was and were contractually obliged to sell her corsets at cost price! This is a strategy that many women have employed over the years! Additionally, Frangard wrote an erudite response to our January entry about black corsets as well as an amazing history of that famous corsetry firm A. Gardner & Son, who, in contrast to Barcleys, actively encouraged tightlacing. This charming and informed history was proof read by non other than Iris Norris, the corsetiere. Amongst many interesting stories recounted in the text is how Mrs. Norris, by then a 50-year-old Grandmother, commuted three hours a day to work a 10-hour shift, whilst immaculately dressed and her waist corseted to 20 inches! If nothing else, such a feat dates the account! I mentioned this story to one of my elderly acquaintances in the Old Folks' Home and it seemed to come as no surprise to her. Having abandoned her corsets years ago for what is slowly becoming almost standard female attire these days, the shaper (or pantie-girdle not to mince words), she recounted how she loathed the age of the girdle. Her corsets she liked for their support and fit. Her current shaper was comfy if completely inadequate, but girdles, she expounded, poked and dug if they had enough bones, and rolled over if they didn't. She may have a point since shapers may be in the ascendant and corsets are still sold, albeit in very reduced numbers, but girdles have almost vanished from the scene!
August 2006: We often receive little anecdotes and memories from our readers. We try to place these in corsetieres anecdotes (although this has developed into general recollections about corsets), or letters if the article is longer than a paragraph. During the last two weeks, we received accounts with the same theme, that is, a woman using a corset to help her fit into a garment. Of course, in an ideal world, the corset would be worn regularly and the garments cut to fit the corset. In that way is elegance and comfort achieved. However, not everybody has the wherewithal to achieve this, and, in the cases described, the garments are uniforms that cannot really be altered. In this case, the corset is used simply to squeeze the waist and hips into the under-sized skirt. Dont forget that the act of putting on a corset adds to your waist measurement until it is laced in. This is bound to be uncomfortable since corset needs to reduce its own bulk to the original size of the wearer before any genuine reduction begins. Nevertheless, however, uncomfortable it might be, as a temporary measure, nothing else will do! Sadly, it leads to what a corsetiere friend used to call the over-stuffed sausage look! September 2006: At last we are back on line! We apologise to regular readers that we had to remove our site from the internet due to an unsolicited intrusion. My husband compares it to a drunk entering a decent Inn at lunchtime. Unpleasant,
irritating, but in the long run, quite inconsequential if ignored. We were so lucky to receive the biography of Iris Norris. The author has sent a heart-felt plea to all those who remember Iris and hopes that they will be able to contribute their own recollections. The biography has already drawn kind comments from friends of Iris.
The Sand in the Hour-Glass My husband, like many of his age, remembers the classic 36-24-36 measurements as somehow being indicative of the perfect female form. In fact, this was very much a Hollywood fantasy. Never have standard dress sizes and measurements conformed to this, somewhat top heavy formula. A size 14 UK has been, since the war at least, 3628-38. Its well known that pre-war sizes were slightly smaller. In the USA, the dress size was, in a sense, devalued, as the size 14 woman who had gained enough weight to require a size 16 found that the manufacturers had anticipated her increase and renumbered their dress sizes so that she could still wear a size 14!. To this day, a US size 14 is a UK size 16. Pre-war, both were closer to a size 12. Reality these days is even further from this accepted norm as women move away from fitted dresses, simply because their shapes are inappropriate. Today an outfit, doesn't! Even Spirella acknowledged, as the 234-series girdle replaced the old 205 in the 1970s, that women were carrying more weight on their hips. How often do my British friends buy a size16 skirt and a size 14 blouse. This indicates that 34-30-42 is probably not far away from the third millennium norm!
End September 2006: I've lamented before how correspondence dries up, and then, whoosh, the floodgates open and all sorts of new information comes rolling in. First was a charming email from one of the top Ebay corset vendors, Gilo49. I won't reveal how these top trader secure their wares, but Gilo49 found a goldmine. For the first time on the web, and with her permission, we see a dedicated collector and vendor surrounded by a field of corsets from one of the longest-lived of all corset manufacturers, CAMP. These corsets will soon be seen on Ebay, and, they will be well photographed and accurately described, something which many vendors on Ebay should take as an example!
Another Ebay example was a Spencer corsetiere's kit to which a kind reader alerted me. What a superb example of its kind, however, the fascinating part for me was that it was a Canadian kit, and, revealed that, in Canada, in 1959, Spirella and Spencer had already merged, something that would not happen in Britain until the late 1980's. However much you think you know, you are always humbled by new information. As my husband often says "If a day passes and you don't smile or learn something new, then you've wasted the day!" Joanne (right) is surrounded by something new to her, and I do believe she's smiling! Not a wasted day for Gilo49!! Good luck with the auctions. Joanne raised a very interesting question regarding some of these corsets. We love to learn from the emails and correspondence that we receive. Sometimes, however, it is frustrating to know that, for example, Spanish, Italian and Scandinavian women were devotees of the girdle and corset for decades, yet it is frustratingly difficult to find any hard facts or examples of what must have been a flourishing industry. Thus it was with enormous pleasure that we received a number of files from Sweden showing and describing the girdles available to the Swedish woman in the 1950s. As Spirella maintained, in some rare literature about their Malm operation,
Swedish women wanted and wore a higher waisted girdle than their British and American counterparts. These advertisements certainly confirm this. I love the advert ( left ). I wear glasses and resent the ancient doggerel "Men don't make passes at girls that wear glasses!" Another Swedish advertisement ( right) bought forth some hilarity in the household that we've described elsewhere. Suffice it say that the slogan "Hll-in" inspired my husband's childish wit, and the morning's dressing is now punctuated by "Hauling in Darling?"
October 2006 Constructive criticism from a friend suggested that too many indexes and pages referred to the Spirella Corsetiere. The criticism was well founded and having put off a major re-vamp of those pages for over a year, my husband was persuaded to re-arrange them. I hope that most of the hyperlinks still work! It was delightful to hear from our young friend Sarah in California about her latest home-made corset. Complete with front satin facing and suspenders, this is a real advance on her earlier models. She has more corsets planned for the future. Her accounts are full of the trials and errors involved in constructing such a complex garment. It's sad that so much of the knowledge of somebody like Iris Norris has passed away. One of the delights of running this site is that we still learn more about the history of Spirella, the company that originally inspired us to put electronic pen to paper. We now know that Spencer took over Spirella in Canada in 1958, three decades before it would happen in Britain. In 1988, the Swedish Spirella trademark, machines and patterns were purchased by Berit Johansson, owner of BiJas Produktion AB of Eskilstuna. They still produce an orthopaedic corset called a Spirella, however, this is a historical reference and not a true descendant of the Spirella corset.
November 2006 One of our corsetiere friends recently introduced us to a charming elderly lady who had joined the WRNS (Womens Royal Naval Service) in the early 1950's and only left after 22 years when she got married somewhat late by the standards of the 1970's. Like many of her peers, she liked the uniform but preferred bespoke rather than the standard issue. The Navy issue corsets (which were no more than pink suspender belts) were particularly detested. Being independently wealthy, she her girdles came from Spencer and her uniforms were made by Moseley & Pounsford's of Portsmouth. Apparently, she and her friends lived in terror of a suspender 'letting go' on parade and six suspenders on the girdles was almost mandatory. "We all wore girdles then" she recounted and added that if the girl could afford it, their girdles would be cut tight on the hips and less so on the waist. Apparently it makes the uniform fall better which makes sense since uniforms are designed for men and adapted for women. "Having breasts of any size was a problem. You only ever wore a loose bra whilst marching once" she recalled. Indeed, for 22 years, this attractive woman's corsetry was the antithesis of the civilian ideal in that it was designed to reduce all curves and present a masculine image!
December 2006 With the close of the year come the parties with St. Andrew's Night in late November providing an energetic start to the process. Most Scottish dancing is hand-to-hand, however, the excessively vigorous 'Orcadian Strip the Willow' made me glad of the support of my stays. I think I can can positively declare that in a crowd of 90 women, I was the only one old-fashioned enough to be 'properly' attired (by 1960's standards my husband added). Nevertheless, I did notice a normally Rubenesque a young (30-something) Brazilian lady of our acquaintance
having apparently discarded her tummy for the evening. I mentioned to my husband that whatever she was wearing it certainly was flattering. "More like flattening" he retorted. The Latin ladies certainly have access to probably the most powerful shapers (how I hate that word however descriptive it might be), girdles available outside of the bespoke corset houses. But now our thoughts turn to Christmas and the beginning of another year. We have been so fortunate this year to receive excellent material from our young Californian correspondent, Sarah, Canadian Joanne (Gilo49 above) and the helpful staff of Figesta in Germany. Thomas, Simon and Mike have contributed their own experiences of young men growing up in the vanished days of the 1960's. Such recollections often provide a better insight of corsetry than women ever provide. "Let's not romance about corsetry" said Ambrose Wilson's chief buyer Mary Armstrong. Most women don't, but men do. A special thanks must go to Frangard who submitted a huge volume of text about the legendary Iris Norris and eloquently took us back to the days when real women wore real corsets (an expression that my husband asked me to insert - see what I mean about men!) Peace and Goodwill to you all
Ivy Leaf's Archives - 2005

Jan 2005: Where are the Corsetieres today? The vast majority of corsetieres, whether working for the made-to-measure business, or serving behind the counters of the specialists and department stores, tended to be mature women. This was preferred by the customer, and after the 1960s, it simply represented a lack of younger interest in the trade. In 1960, there were many thousands of professional corsetieres in Britain, each with hundreds of clients. Millions of women wore lower foundations. Although some young women tried to enter the trade at 21 (this was the minimum age required by Spirella), most houses felt that a slightly older woman would be appropriate. Spirella tried to encourage younger corsetieres to introduce the youngsters of the 1960s to proper foundations, but this attempt was not successful. The few younger women that entered the trade were mainly daughters of corsetieres to whom the concept of corsetry was second nature. Alas, these households were rare. The average age of a corsetiere in 1960 was over 50 with rare extremes of 21 and 80. By 1970, a huge social change had occurred, and although the counters of the department stores still groaned under the mass of corsets at sale time, the industry was in terminal decline. Virtually no new recruits were coming in, and corsetieres were leaving the business. Shinners of Sutton is a typical example. In 1971, it had a sale of corsets that covered several tables. They were finishing their long association with Camp and all these corsets were on sale. My husband vividly remembers his Mother trying to buy that classic of all Camps (the 143 model), and the only assistants around were two young women in their early 20s. They had armfuls of these corsets and were nattering away to each other, completely oblivious to quite a number of middle-aged women keen to snap up these bargains, little realising that these might have to furnish their corset requirements for the rest of their lives! Matters came to a head when a middle-aged women walked out of the changing cubicle in a half-fastened corset and shouted at the assistants, Are you going to help me or not?. Sulking, the assistants dropped their corsets on the counter and sauntered over to the customer. The whole point is that in 1970, the young assistants were neither interested in corsets nor pursing a career as a corsetiere. Looking at our age distribution from the 1960s, we can see that the vast majority of the corsetieres of that period are now in their 90s. My own corsetiere from South England is 85, and still going strong I might add. Certainly, there will be some women in their mid-60s, the last who were trained, rather than simply served as corsetieres, however, their memories are probably brief since they would have left the business well before the older corsetieres. Times were changing rapidly. Young women wanted televisions and perhaps a car. A corsetiere then, and now, earns little more than the basic minimum wage in Britain.
January again: Lunchtime Encounters My husband and I do enjoy going out for that quintessentially British pub lunch; simple tasty food, a pint of bitter for him and a gin and tonic for me. It gives us a chance to indulge in that fascinating pastime of people watching. We were lunching at a very traditional pub near Effingham in Surrey. This old establishment is a haunt of the elderly and it seems that on pension day (Thursdays), they come out in their masses. On this occasion, half a dozen women (in their 60s) entered the lounge bar and sadly gave me every reason to criticise the poor shape of todays middle-aged and elderly population (see my rants about the lost generation). One of the women, however, arrested my attention (and certainly my husbands). Ive encountered many large busted women, but this lady was bigger than anything Id ever seen before. Dressed in slacks and a very floppy woolen-knit jumper, her prodigious bust projected alarmingly from half way down her front. I felt very sorry for her. I well know the weight of even a D-cup breast, but this poor women had transcended the alphabet. The embarrassment of her bosom, the inevitable back bad and neck caused by the weight of her breasts must have dogged her for many decades. I consulted one of my corsetiere friends and asked about the problems of fitting such a figure. Very difficult she replied.
The breasts need to be supported, but at that size, you cant possibly hang them from the shoulders. In principle she would need support from underneath, something firmly anchored like a corset so the weight can be transferred to the lower spine. Its a problem. If you hoist the breasts to where they should be, theyll look gigantic and literally the lady would not be able to see her food at the table for example. If you try to minimise them, its simply too uncomfortable. Shes probably found a compromise over the years, and I wouldnt be surprised if she wore a corselette. The second encounter involved a problem of adequate support but in a much younger woman. Obesity is a much publicised problem these days, and we encountered a classic example in a women who could only have been in her late 20s. The womans stretchy outfit concealed nothing of the rolls of fat that hung from her ample frame. My husband whispered Ive seen her before. Not actually her, but shes the spitting image of one of our Spirella archive pictures. Later he located the photograph and indeed, the pendulous abdomen was there for all to see. Like many very obese women, her breasts were carried by far too small a brassiere. This totally inadequate garment cut into her shoulders and the thin strap at the back had ridden above the fat under the arms to produce an indentation like a tourniquet. Like many obese women, her face could have been quite pretty, but she had become defensive in her condition and she looked sour and surly. That abdomen needs support, said my husband. Are you going to tell her, I replied, and husband quailed visibly. Of course he was quite right. Proper support, a little figure forming, and appropriate clothes would make this women quite attractive, however, like her generation, the idea of a corset would be totally alien something that they wore in Victorian times. Sadly, the girl seemed doomed by her own adiposity for want of a little old-fashioned knowledge. February 2005: We recently received, in our attempts to become more familiar with European corsetry some lovely French and German corsets. These will have to be catalogued, photographed and then inserted appropriately into the web site. As always, any information on matters of corsetry are most gratefully received. The Syrian girdle that we described a few weeks ago, despite being only eight years old, has revealed alarming deterioration of the elastic. Never mind, I'm sure they are still available, and I have to admit it was rather cheap.
Spirella 1937
March 2005: A discussion on the merits of French corsetry.
April 2005 We were updating the site recently, and I had written about Camp corsets being popular in view of the quantity still available at auction. My husband, who was tasked with inserting the comments raised an interesting point. "Do you think
that they are common because they were popular, or unpopular?" He elaborated. "The most worn corsets and girdles will never appear at auction since they become too worn to be of any value. They end up in the bin. It's the corsets that women are persuaded to buy, that they try a few times and then reject because they are too uncomfortable or badly fitted, that survive". Eventually, we came to the conclusion that, indeed, a truly popular garment will ultimately become rare, however, there are many Camp's at auction for several reasons:1) They are immensely strong and last well; 2) They are still made, and even in the 1980's still carried the old 1930's patents causing confusion amongst inexperienced sellers; 3) For many elderly women who had worn Camp's all their life (Camp covered every age from, maternity to matronhood), the Camp corset might be a purchase just before passing away; 4) Camp's became unfashionable and littered the higher shelves of the old traditional corset shops for years, and are only now coming to the auctions as these houses close. So, my comment stands, however, so does my husband's. In 27 years, we've always managed to work out our differences. May 2005 More Camp, Boards, Ramrods and Rambling My notes last month on Camp corsets elicited a response from several ladies whose mothers and grannies had worn these devices. This is always gratifying. Sometimes we can write on what we think are interesting topics and receive no response. The Camp corset, however, friend or foe, was certainly popular and still enjoys a limited clientele today. My favourite response on this subject follows:If you want your stomach to be as flat as a board, youll have to wear a board. These were the uncompromising words that my mother used to drum into me. Not that she forced herself or her daughters into corsets or anything like that, she was merely stating a fact-of-life. Normally, she would wear her trusty old girdle, however, the boning was barely equal to the task of restraining an abdomen stretched far beyond its elastic limit by three pregnancies and innumerable chocolates. The old girdle, however, was apparently comfortable, and did its job of supporting mothers tummy and holding up her stockings. She always bulged though. She did, however, put her own good advice into practice for special occasions, meaning weddings and formal dinners. In fact, if she dressed up to go out with father, out came her sturdy Camp. The front of this formidable device was rigid with flat steels (the 944 has six bones at the front. IL), and the pulley system of lacing allowed the wearer to exert a ferocious tension. I was always fascinated how mothers alarming abdomen yielded to the pressure of the device. Indeed, the front of the corset was as stiff as a board and mothers tummy, temporarily and uncomfortably, was as flat as a board as well. Utrecht Letter, 1987
The Camp triple lacer, one of the most powerful, yet easily adjustable corsets ever made. From Cherry-Tomatoe
Most unusually, I have met a number of corsetieres who are quite scathing about Camp corsets. Theyre too short in the back, I had to rescue the old dear from her Camp, Theyre bulky, being the most common lines of attack. I suspect that this is little more than professional bickering, since the Camp was actually very popular and significantly eroded Spirella and Spencer sales. The Australian equivalent, Jenyns was equally popular and answered the first criticism, since Camps, off-the-shelf, are often a bit too short. I suspect this was towards the end of their popularity, when shops were pushing unsold stock with little regard for the customers dimensions other than waist and hip. Perhaps the criticism was valid after all.
The biggest present of all this month, was Roger K's request that we include a section on his various articles. This erudite and prolific writer has provided so much material that the simple page has grown into quite construction. Read Roger K's words in Roger's Ramblings.
End of May It really is most sad to watch the decline of an acquaintance. Inevitably, our work with, and visits to our elderly friends, exposes us to just this sadness, although, as I shall mention, it has the odd moment of light relief. My husband and I have visited a lady who has been resident in one of the South Coast's residential homes for several years. In her late 80's, she has worn corsets since the war, and apart from lamenting the decline in the quality of what she quaintly refers to as 'her stays', she has revealed little more about her lifetime habit. To such a woman, corsets were commonplace and raised no interest. On our last visit, this frail old woman was obviously in considerable distress and sat uneasily in the typically overheated lounge of the home. Her ramblings about the weather were interjected by quite un-ladylike wrigglings as she attempted to achieve comfort on the sofa. Eventually she asked me to accompany her to her room leaving my husband alone and bemused. We returned after 10 minutes, the lady comfortable at last. What had happened was that she had her corsets on back to front. "That's impossible' my husband retorted. "Nobody makes that mistake." "Unless they're selling on Ebay" I replied. Indeed, some Ebay vendors are quite inventive when it comes to displaying a corset incorrectly. No. The reason was amusing but sad. The lady had worn front-laced corsets, probably since her husband had passed away, or since her funds precluded the employment of a personal maid. Before that, she wore backlaced corsets. Typically of a failing mind, she had reverted spontaneously to the way she used to dress over 30 years previously, and had donned her corset, and then turned it round before tightening the laces, which she'd largely failed to do. No wonder it was uncomfortable! The staff from the home confirmed that Mrs. P was indeed reverting to the past and added interestingly, that this seemed more and more common as the elderly lost patience and hope for the current state of the world. Meanwhile, my husband was digging through our archives and came across a copy of Mrs. M's Spencer corsetiere certificate (below). Mrs. M is one of the few remaining Spencer, (or ex-Spirella) corsetieres in practice in Britain today. Quite amazingly, Mrs. M had graduated from the Spencer corsetiere's school on 25th April 1955, just over 50 years ago. We phoned her to offer our congratulations and she was so pleased. We were the only people who had remembered her achievement, not even Remploy (the company that currently owns Spencer) knew of her long service record. She told us of her mentor in 1955, an 81 year-old lady who had joined Spencer when they started in Britain. Sadly, Mrs. M is likely to see the end of this era. She has only a few dozen clients, all of whom require surgical supports. Mrs. M herself, is her only 'fashion foundation' client.
Inspired by Mrs. M, we also spoke to the corsetiere from Sussex who has regularly supplied me with garments. She joined Spirella in 1958, and stayed on despite the take-over by Spencer. Today she has but a dozen clients. This is a major change from the hundreds she used to visit in her west London days before her husband passed away. Politicians and celebrities, she fitted them all. She still has a few 'fashion' clients and three who wear the front and back-laced corsets that derive from the Spirella 325.
June 2005 Our holidays over, we have accumulated a number of catalogues, corsets, girdles and, perhaps most precious of all, memories. It will take a while for my longsuffering husband to format the scans and photographs, however, we have enclosed a few pictures below to whet the appetite.
We have here (left to right), a Spencer, a Victorian Spirella scene, another Spirella from 1958 and Holland in 2005. On the right, a long Spencer, a very long Spencer from 1947 and an ultra-long (28") corset from 1971! On another vein, we often receive kind, but skeptical, emails about the dressing habits of several decades ago. They often go along the lines of Surely nobody actually wore a corset with 20 buckles, or, surely no women ever wore two pairs of stockings. I can honestly say that they did, although I have no statistics to suggest how commonplace this might have been. Recollections from corsetieres, their clients and my elderly acquaintances often elicit memories of such practices, although so many elderly folk tend to remember memories rather than the actual fact, which can cause confusion. Recently, however, we came across two definitive pieces of evidence. We received a box of the grotesquely named Duribilknit surgical stockings. There on the cover were the words Designed for use with or without fashionable stockings. A few weeks later, driving to the ferry at Harwich on returning from our trip to Scotland, we broke the journey at a convenient pub near Newmarket. It was a rare hot day in May, and we sat outside. Slowly, but elegantly, an elderly lady emerged from the pub to sit at a table nearby. It was quite apparent that she was actually wearing two pairs of stockings, since the underlying pair (of seamed support stockings) had snagged the overlying pair causing them to crease behind her calves. Im sure she was unaware of this, and quite obviously stiff in the confines of some corset, the creases would have been in a blind-spot. I suspect that the support stockings were anchored to her corset, however, the overlying pair were probably tights and thus inadequately secured to prevent some wrinkles. She gingerly lowered herself onto a wooden bench as her daughter (niece?) carried out a tray of drinks. Good Heavens said husband You can almost hear her stays creaking. Indeed, weve rarely witnessed anything like this lady for many a year. Whether her corset had 20 buckles, of course, is a matter for conjecture! The journey from Scotland via Harwich to Hoek van Holland on the ferry took 14 hours, 10 of them on the road. It made me consider the evolution of car design. When I was a girl, cars were quite upright and somebody like the old lady mentioned above, could enter an old Rover with ease. In the 1980s and 90s, cars became much lower, and Jaguars (pronounced JAG-U-AR, not JAG-WAR incidentally) in particular were dreadful to enter and exit. These days, even the tiny Toyota that my husband rented, allows one to sit upright, although in most other respects it is quite unremarkable. Why cant we have a car like a Rover with leather and wood? I asked my husband. He thought for a moment Because it would cost a brand new Spencer corset for each trip to Scotland quoted my numerate man. On that strange statistic Ill close this page. July 2005: I expounded recently about the remarkably strong Spirelette 105 panty-girdle. Often, the comments in these pages generate a response, however, the demise of our site for several days left a bit of a void. This was neatly filled during conversation with the secretary of our local solicitor (lawyer). I was waiting for an appointment and I got talking to the secretary who I imagine was in her 50's. We compared ailments (as women do) and she sympathised with my poor back which has been a nuisance recently. I brought up the topic of Spirella and their excellent corsets, and to my surprise she agreed. Apparently, her mother and grandmother had been regular Spirella wearers. She remembered as a teenager being fitted by the local corsetiere. She found it a 'very old-fashioned experience', nevertheless her mother bought her three panty-girdles and three brassieres. I asked her to describe them, and her memories of a strong, zippered garment suggested the Spirelette. I didn't want to lead her, however, when I mentioned the satin panels and four suspenders, not six, she agreed that this was the bane of her teenage years. She appeared to have had a love-hate relationship with her girdles. They were very effective,
however, she remembers that they were not very comfortable. She said it was like wearing a pair of 'steel knickers'. As soon as she left home, her 105's were consigned to the back of the drawer and, as she admitted, Marks and Spencer's have been her choice ever since. One exception was on her wedding day in the early 70's when an unused 105 was pressed into service at the behest of her mother. She got rid of it before the evening reception, "I didn't want to offend my mother, but I certainly didn't want my husband to think I wore such things!" On a related matter, my husband was driving us to friends for dinner. They live along a very bumpy road (too few houses for the council to take ownership) and the movement of my bosom was distinctly uncomfortable. It would have been quite sore but for what my husband calls my 'iron bra'. I wear this especially strong bra when we visit these friends! As I mentioned, the secretary referred to her Spirelettes as steel knickers (almost certainly because they had been fitted too tightly). The references to iron and steel are, in fact, quite common. Betty Macdonald, in her novel The Egg and I recounts "The Corset Lady had piercing black eyes and a large bust and stomach apparently encased in steel, for when I brushed against her it was like bumping into our oil drum." Margaret Dumont was unmercifully called Old Ironsides by the Marx Brothers, in reference to her corsets. One of my elderly acquaintances at the home in Sussex refers to the armour that she has to wear. (The old dear actually wears a fairly conventional Spencer posture corset with four rigid spinal steels. Hardly armour by the standards of the 1950s, it is, by modern standards, quite an unusual garment. Im sure she picked up the term from her daughter or grand-daughters.) Steels is a term loosely used in corsetry. The bones in the corset used to be whalebone or baleen hence the name. With the demise of the poor whales, steel was often used. However, these steel bones could rust from washing and snap (see the birth of Spirella). The term steel was more often associated with the heavier bones at the back of the corset, the other bones being called exactly that; bones or more archaically, stays. Ironically, many of the rigid back steels were latterly made from aluminium and its alloys. During the Second World War, rubber and steel were in short supply. Women donated their corset bones for the war effort, and to this day, gaps in railings around houses testify to the extent that ordinary steel was pressed into service. Spiral and flat steel bones are still the mainstay of the diminishing corsetry business (pun intended). This brings me to a tale that was recounted by my husband. He has no idea of its veracity, however, it was related by one of his school colleagues. The sister of this colleague was a Girl Guide and apparently doing quite well, collecting badges, going on camps and generally enjoying the healthy activities of days gone by. One skill that she could not master was compass work, and the Guide Mistress had reduced her to tears with her inability to master the subject. Oddly, in the garden at home under the tuition of the brother, there was no problem. It was the brother that hit upon the solution. The steels in the Head Guides corsets were attracting the poor girls compass!
August 2005: Strange uses for corsets. A letter from a lecturers wife was so amusing that it went straight into Corsetieres Tales, however, it prompted me to recount the most inventive use to which I have ever seen a corset stay put. My husband and I were driving along the south coast road of the Moray Firth when there was a loud bang from beneath the car, followed by a horrible rattling and grinding noise. We stopped rapidly. My husband donned his overalls (which he needed to carry in that sadly unreliable Ford Granada) and crawled underneath. The exhaust has snapped off came a mumbled explanation. Apparently the rear end of the exhaust pipe was now dragging along the road. He fumbled in the tool box and produced two jubilee clips that would fit around the two ends of the broken exhaust pipe. I need a piece of steel he said. What about a small branch I offered hopefully. His eyes raised and he gave me that withering look that meant branch = wood = exhaust at a million degrees = fire = petrol = boom = silly woman. Oh I said, would a corset bone do? He paused Yes, probably. We had a few corsets in the boot (trunk) that we had inherited from an old lady, and one of them had two heavy back steels for which I have numerous spares. It was the work of a minute to procure the bone, and another five minutes to secure the exhaust pipe. The result held together so well that we ran the car like that for weeks before buying a new exhaust pipe!
September 2005: We are frequently approached by interested readers asking for an explanation about the markings in corsets. Usually this is accompanied by a query as to its age. It is common to believe that corsets at auction are older than they really are. This
occurs for several reasons. The seller may be under the misapprehension that corsets died out with the Victorian era. Several times I have seen corsets advertised as Victorian that were made in the 1980s! Materials, stitching, suspender style and length are all subtle clues as to the date of the garment. Zip fasteners, for example, were not used on clothes until after the 1930s, and not on corsets until after WWII. Another misleading concept is the patent dates that appear on corsets, particularly Camp and American Spirellas. The patent dates largely come from the 1920s, but the garment may come from any time after that, and usually does. Spirella in particular loved its numbering system, and every model had its identifier often stamped on the bone casing inside the garment. M 325 means model 325, the front- and back-laced corset that sold surprisingly well. Its number first appeared in 1939 and remained unique until 1988 when Spirella was sold in Britain to Spencer. I might add that my corsetiere in Britain has three clients that still wear the Spencer front- and back-laced corset (the spiritual successor to the Spirella 325). Readers sometimes appear surprised that their corset has no size marking. This is simply because Spirella, Spencer and the other made-to-measure garments had no specific size; they were tailored to each individual customer.
Corset Shops Much of the content of this site comes from research, collecting items, reading old magazines and corsetieres' manuals, however, nothing beats first-hand knowledge. We have been lucky this year. We had a long chat with the proprietress of Coja, one of the last true corset shops in the Netherlands. This establishment has been operating for over 45 years. More recently, a charming lady from Lancashire, wrote and told us about her times in a corset shop near Blackpool. She even sent us a photograph of the shop. We have included her recollections as a separate page "Rosalind's Recollections", so helpful has she been. She is quite willing to answer questions, and we have included a section on these at the bottom of her page. Yet another lady wrote in the other day with a very intelligent question about the complexity of corsets. Basically, if Victorian corsets simply needed two symmetrical parts connected by laces and a busk fastener, why did so many designs of the 20th century incorporate elaborate under-belts and the like? Like all good questions, this set us thinking and our reply has been documented in the under-belt section on surgical corsets. Incidentally, this bilateral symmetry of the corset is why, archaically, corsets were called a 'pair of corsets'. Modern English Usage now decrees that corset is singular.) November 2005 Some months pass in a flurry of corsets and correspondence, and then, like last month, there is a dearth of incoming news. The auctions dry up, emails are few and far between, and no letters arrive from our elderly correspondents. October was one of those months, coming, as it did, after an energetic discussion between Rosalind and ourselves. We're presently working on some curiosities, like why is a girdle zip always on the left, and did stiff old ladies walk that way because they were elderly, or because they wore stiff, old corsets. For sure, women's undergarments used to have a profound effect on the way we moved, sat and conducted our daily life. At last, we received a garment that sparked a lively discourse between myself and an acquaintance, who I use as a sounding board for Marks and Spencer girdles. We received one of M&S's firm control girdles that, I believe, just postdates the satin elastic variety. The side panels are heavy-duty elastic, the rear satin elastic and the front, a charming confection of firm lace and satin. The girdle was well used in its day, but is still as bullet-proof as ever. It has all the hallmarks of its sort: the label indicating the 'waist-line' and the six 'so-lo' suspenders. My contact who wore these girdles in the late 1960's (when she was in her 40's), always maintained that she bought and wore these girdles two sizes below her natural measurement. That is with her relaxed waist of 30", she would purchase girdles of size 26". As far as she was concerned, a flat tummy was everything (and these girdles are masters of the flat tummy). Comfort, other than the necessity to wear the garment for, say, six hours at a time, was of no concern whatsoever. Just after we wrote the comments above, I received an interesting email from a lady who claimed that 'in extremis' she would force her natural 34" waist into a 26" panty-girdle. Apparently, the biggest challenge was mustering the strength to mate the hooks and eyes beneath the zip fastener, but she claimed it secured her a new husband. With such over-tightening
of a garment, she admitted that walking normally was difficult, her gait already constrained by her tight skirt and high heels. She admitted that the apocryphal tales of being 'trapped in one's girdle' were perfectly possible. Normally it's easier to get out of a garment than to put it on, but with such tightness, problems can arise. Later in November 2005: Theres nothing like a simple question to plunge the researcher into a morass of falsehoods, myths, perceptions, rumours and anecdotes. Somewhere in this labyrinth lies the truth, shining brightly by virtue of its simplicity. Thus it was that our research into corset fastenings, and why do some corsets lace on the right and fasten on the left, saw my husband and I, floundering amongst our collection of corsets and girdles, some zippered, busked, hooked (up to 33 hooks), buckled (16 was the record), laced (as many as four times), and with all combinations of the above (lacing, 10 straps, hooks and eyes and a busk!) The ones that fitted I tried, those that didnt, we discussed. So; what were our conclusions? If the laces or fastenings are offset either to the left or right, there is no real difference. When I say offset, I mean by a few inches. Once the zip on a fashionable girdle, for example, is completely round on the left hip, it is easier to fasten for a right-handed person, although it's also very easy to put ones back out. Id love to know if women with bad backs were more predominantly left-handed, but thats yet another avenue of research. In our page on Marks and Spencer girdles, the picture shows how the zipper is always offset to the wearer's left, but sometimes it is vertical, sometimes it leans to the centre and sometimes away. It doesn't actually make much difference. Hooks-and-eyes are a nuisance, be they on brassieres, girdles or corsets. Zips are virtually always backed up by a few hooks-and-eyes in case the poor zipper fails. Its interesting to note that on some of our Marks and Spencer girdles, the lowermost hook-and-eye has pulled out. These garments were subjected to quite some force, especially when the wearer sat down. By far the easiest fastening is a busk. Its strong, it acts as a bone, and its fairly inconspicuous. Why, oh why did it go out of fashion on corsets? If you adjust the lacings on a corset each time you wear it, thats another chore. In fiction, the ardent swain might be persuaded to lace in his love, but in reality, only the terminally romantic will fail to delegate this task to the maid or the wearer after a few attempts. I am well used to wearing my trusty Spirella's (latterly Spencer's), but trying on a Camp reminded me how ridiculously simple that lacing method is. One goes from bulging abdomen to youthful flatness with a firm pull of the straps (Lady Mary adjusted the straps of her surgical corset with a vigour My husband found this picture in an Ambrose Wilson that reminded Sir Godber of a race meeting writes Tom Sharpe in his hilarious novel, catalogue of 1962. Fan-laced Porterhouse Blue.) Would that my other lost youthful attributes were as easy to recreate! and busk-fronted, this would
be my dream corset!
28th November 2005: St. Andrew's Night Wherever you are in the world, the Scots will always take the opportunity to celebrate their patron saint's day, and my husband is no exception. It's the one of the few times in the year he really dresses up in full Highland regalia with kilt, sporran and all the works! It might be that he even takes longer than myself to dress. Just in case anybody asks "What does he wear beneath his kilt?", the answer is rather mundane; simply M&S underpants. The reason for this entry was a letter from a gentleman prompted by our new page on the Feel of Corsetry. This gentleman mentioned that decades ago, at barn dances and the like, the exchange of partners and the close dancing meant that all sorts of foundations were felt by the wandering male hand. At the recent St. Andrew's Ball, I asked my husband, who danced the Scottish reels (with a triumph of enthusiasm over skill I might add) for three hours, did he 'feel' anything interesting? Sadly, the answer was negative (apart from myself), but with an average age on the dance floor of 35 - 40 or so, I doubt if there was a woman up there who would even understand what a foundation was. As he remarked on the way back to our hotel room, "That's another erosion of life's innocent little pleasures, I fear!" December 2005: We regularly correspond with a translator who specialises in translating the slightly esoteric language of the corsetiere from German into English. We were very lucky to receive in the mail, the full catalogue from FIGESTA, on which, apparently,
the translator had been engaged. No easy task this! That Buestenhalter means brassiere, is the subject of quite some amusement (both male and female). The practical Dutch, however, whose equivalent, bustehouder, is simply referred to as a BH, pronounced Bay-Hah. (Apparently the Germans use this contraction as well). I suppose calling a brassiere a bra is similar. I also learned that Velcro is called Klettverschlu in German. Similarly, klitteband is well known to the Dutch who have no idea as to what Velcro is! So much for globalisation, but I digress. The FIGESTA catalogue is superb for a number of reasons. 1) It shows that traditional corsetry is alive and well in Hanover, and that 2) the traditional corset model still exists. There is hope after all.
Footnote: When we contact the corsetieres that still work for Spencer, we always ask, Hows business? fully aware that one day, the whole enterprise will fold up. Our south coast friend, Mrs. I, in her Christmas card to us mentioned that Spencer had recently stopped making brassieres. In fact, this was neither a surprise, nor will it have much effect on overall sales. More than a decade ago, Spencer lost its brassiere templates. This was not trivial. Brassiere construction is fiendishly complex and the fitting even more so. That Spencers experienced corsetieres were declining at this point, the loss of the templates was the death-knell for the made-to-measure brassiere. I tried several and the fit was poor. Ive worn Triumph Doreens ever since. Mrs. I. reckoned that the writing was on the wall for the future of bespoke corsetry. So I have a choice, do I purchase enough 305s to last me a lifetime, or should I sample some of Figestas wares? Pre-Christmas: The year draws to a close, and we have been busy maintaining the Ivy Leaf site. As I mentioned above, we have times of prolific output, and times when the world seems to have forgotten that the corsetiere ever existed. We have recently split the archives of Ivy Leaf's diary into years. One day we will probably move the diary contents to more appropriate places on the site, but that lies in the future. As always, the pages that are updated are indicated on the contents page, however, continual minor editing, weeding of errors and small additions happen all the time. These are too numerous to mention. For the moment we will pause to enjoy the festive period, and I await with eager anticipation, my husband's latest attempt to cook the monster turkey that fills most of our freezer. We have great plans for 2006 and look forward to hearing from all of you. (Our attempt to pause failed! Check the contents for some recent additions; + back-dated diary notes 1.) We owe a huge debt of thanks to all the friends, acquaintances and elderly correspondents who have kept us supplied with material. We simply hope by recording their memories here, that they will be preserved. We welcome constructive criticism, and always look forward to hearing from those readers who contact us with corrections, or point us towards interesting articles on Ebay. The Ebay vendors (Cherry-Tomatoe (CT) Trishypoo (TP) Lyn Locke (LL) Gilo49 (G49)) consistently turn up the most amazing articles. I wish we could buy them all! A big thank you to Ros, Simon, George, the Figesta company and the translator, Roger K, the charming staff of Coja, my solicitor's secretary, Mrs. T and Mrs. I, the active Spencer corsetieres.
Peace and Goodwill to all

from Ivy Leaf and her long-suffering husband!

The beginning of the year always feels anticlimactic after the hectic bustle of the festive period. I did, however, bump into an old 'aunt' (a friend of my mother's) who was interested in our efforts to record the history of Spirella and Spencer. This lady, who is now into her 90's, was a teenager in the flapper era and never regularly wore the corsets that her mother imposed upon her. She wore a girdle until the early 1970's which was absolutely typical of her generation, and remembers precisely when she abandoned her girdle for a panty-girdle. Like so many changes in people's lives, they can be dated by association with songs of the period, or particular events. The lady in question had been to a wedding in London where she met some American acquaintances. The year was 1972. Recently widowed, she visited these friends in the summer and, as an inveterate shopper, purchased a quantity of American panty-girdles of a style and quality that she couldn't find in Britain. Her girdles were replaced by pantygirdles in the autumn of 1972. I asked if she had tried Spirella's Coppelia brand, which were definitely well-made and very firm, however, she laughed and said that they would have cost about three times as much as her American girdles, and, like many ladies, felt reluctant to be visited by a corsetiere. From a simple conversion with a charming, elderly lady, we understand the problem faced by the famous made-tomeasure corsetry houses. Their products were expensive, and whilst their main product was the corset, the cost could be justified by the perfect fit and finished article. With a more elastic garment, fit is still vital, but persuading a potential customer becomes harder. Certainly, the girdles from Marks and Spencer were so well made and powerful (in those days), that the Spirella corsetiere needed a convincing sales technique. This lady had been a devotee of the Marks and Spencer girdle, however, her visit to America changed all that, and her move to the panty-girdle represents, in her case, the demise of the 'generic' corset. She did not remember the brand name, but regretted not buying more than she did the time. Her reluctance to visit the corsetiere, to me, was strange, but I believe it's really a matter of upbringing. If your mother visited the local corsetiere, there's a good chance that you would be introduced as a teenager as well. "Oh, I never needed to visit one of those ladies" my 'aunt' replied when I probed a bit further into her reluctance. She would be drawn no further, but I suspect she felt that a visit to a corsetiere suggested some imperfection of the figure, which, of course, was not her problem at all!
February 2004: I received one of those lovely stories that are just so funny that they have to be true. The lady who recounted the tale was in her 70's and, as she admitted, somewhat thinner than she had been 12 years ago when the incident took place. It was the early 1990's, and her husband had just taken delivery of a large company car, A Rover Sterling. I'm sure my husband could tell you the number of cylinders and all that sort of thing, however, from a lady's perspective, it had gorgeous leather seats, and, a novelty at the time, electric seats with pre-set positions that could be selected by the press of a button. Her husband had explained all the functions of the car, and she got into the driver's seat and began to fiddle with the controls to get herself comfortable. She pressed one of the pre-set buttons and the seat slid far away from the wheel; no good at all. She pressed another and it slid forward, and forward, and forward trapping her against the wheel. In her panic she couldn't find the electric controls and it was several minutes before she could release herself. Apparently her bust was quite painfully compressed by the steering wheel, and to this day, she does not know whether her husband had adjusted the pre-set as a joke. (My husband adds that perhaps it was a 'booby-trap'; honestly!!). I have another tale about corsets and cars.
March 2004: We were delighted to receive permission from a Danish lady, Marianne, to publish her recollections. Marianne worked in her Aunt's corset shop and speaks frankly about her attitude towards foundation garments. There's no romancing these firm supports of a bygone era, that is a male pre-occupation. I argue with my husband on this one, but in reality I know of only a few women who have worn genuinely tight and constricting underwear into the latter decades of the 20th century. One was a friend of my Mother's who, being comfortably off, spent her
money on dressing well (by the standards of her generation). She ignored her corsetiere's advice (for she was a Spirella client) and had her brassieres made with no elastic at all. Her corsets had the minimum of triangular elastic inserts commensurate with sitting and walking, but no more. She explained that her foundations gave her an absolutely unchanging figure on which her clothes hung at their best. It wasn't that she enjoyed wearing these firm foundations, but that she wore them to look good, which in turn made her feel good. Of course, here comes the exception. I know of one lady in her early 50's who still wears a front and back-laced Spencer, (the old Spirella 325 model). She admits quite frankly that the tightness makes her "feel like a woman".
April 2004: The British Pub: How it has changed over the years. When I was a teenager, I would never have dreamt of entering such a place unless escorted by my parents. Nowadays, everybody visits the establishments and this has lead to all sorts of behaviour, however, one institution in which my husband and I regularly indulge, is the 'pub lunch'. We have our favourites and enjoy nothing more after a walk in the country, than a cheap simple meal washed down by a glass of wine and sometimes more than a pint of beer. We were indulging in the harmless past-time of 'people watching' recently over a rather excellent steak and kidney pie when a van pulled up (my husband explains that it's called a people carrier but it looked like a van to me) and disgorged a family into the car park. They seemed to be a reasonably typical, lower-middle class group: Mum and Dad in their 30's, fraught and tired after the drive and controlling the children: Two children of indeterminate pre-teenage years, similarly fraught and tired: Grandparents, quite sprightly 60 year-olds, and lastly, from the seventh seat of the car, and not without difficulty, came the Great Grandmother. (I hasten to add that this is all supposition on our part, however, assigning roles makes people watching all the more interesting). The contrast between the old lady and the remaining three generations of the family was quite startling. The children, the parents and the grandparents were uniformly clad in denim, of hues that failed completely to match. Any woman or girl below middle age revealed the mandatory bared midriff, and, I might add, the mother had quite a spare tyre on show. The old lady, on the other hand, might have come from another planet. Twin-set and blouse tightly covered her stout frame, a testimony to frugality and an unchanging fashion ideal refusing to give way to what must have been quite a weight increase to fill her clothes so fully. She collapsed, rather than sat down into a chair, her legs springing apart and her bosom rising up alarmingly. Corsets ? whispered my husband. I nodded in understanding. The whole scene was actually rather sad. Nobody seemed to be very happy, and the constant sniping and bickering between the first three generations grew tiresome. Certainly, the elderly matron had heard it all so many times before that she had quite switched off. Not that she was infirm or ill in any way, it was as if she had given up the battle in despair at the younger generation. Only when half a pint of Guinness was delivered to her side did her eyes light up briefly and she adjusted her barrel-like torso all the better to accommodate the Irish brew. My husband and I discussed the scene on our return home, firstly agreeing that the bared midriff was one of the less desirable phenomena of this present beleaguered century. We talked about the old lady. Almost certainly, born about 1925 I would guess, she would have encountered her first corsets during the war, or if they were hard to come by then, just afterwards. I couldnt imagine her unsympathetic offspring helping her with back-lacing, so that probably meant front-lacing. Her hands appeared strong and un-afflicted by arthritis, so lacing rather than buckles would seem plausible. I imagine her corsets were purchased some years ago, when she was slightly thinner and had more money to spare. They would be regularly washed and repaired. Probably the poor old dear was wondering where she would ever find a new pair that she could afford. It reminded me of a lady approaching her 100th birthday that my mother used to visit. My mother asked if she was looking forward to receiving her personal telegramme from the Queen (a quaint British tradition). She said Oh yes. But what Im really looking forward to are my new corsets. She had persuaded her family that the one thing she really wanted was a new set of stays to see her into her second century!
May 2004:
We attended a huge ball in Singapore recently where I noticed my husband regarding the statuesque form of an acquaintance of ours. This tall, and normally elegant, lady had donned a peach-coloured Thai silk dress for the evening, and according to my husband, had violated most of his personal ideals about how a welldressed lady should appear. (I should add that my husband's ideals are about three decades out-of-date, however, so are mine, so we tend to agree with Spencer's ideal 1960's woman on the right). Brassiere and knicker lines, with attendant bulges were apparent. The locally-made silk dress had no weight and therefore failed to drape correctly. It hung like a stiff curtain from her nethermost bulge. As the dancing progressed into the steamy tropical night, patches of perspiration appeared under her arms and progressed to link below her bust and across the back of her unlined dress. Oh dear! Not that we were any cooler. My husband was attired in full highland rig with a winter-weight kilt, and as for myself, well, the heroine in the novel "African Queen" remarked early on in the story that corsets and the tropics don't mix. We laughed as my husband conjured up the image of the staid Katherine Hepburn fending off the seedy Humphrey Bogart with a crack of her rolled-up stays across his head; apparently an effective technique for dissuading ardent lovers in Victorian times. But now it's time for our annual holiday as my husband's international travels cease for a period of four weeks. We have been away from our base for quite a while (which explains our lack of attention to the site), and my sister who checks the apartment and mail regularly was amazed by what she called a "cubic metre of corsets" awaiting our attention! We'll pay a visit to the archives of the Letchworth museum where the memorabilia from the Spirella corset company resides.
17th May 2004: The cubic metre of corsets awaiting our attention exceeded our expectations. The amazing 1950's Marks and Spencer girdle is described elsewhere, however, it seems that at some point in the 1960's, a batch of pink corset grade satin made its way to the major manufacturers worldwide. From France to Charis, Spencer and Camp in America, come superbly finished foundations in this Rolls Royce of materials with, as far as I can judge, virtually no shade or weight differential. Tomorrow, we leave Holland for England on the HSS (High Speed Super Ferry). We plan to visit the Letchworth Museum (see below). My husband gets quite excited about this trip and talks about gas turbines and an incredible 45 knot top speed. He mentions that this is faster than Gibbs amazing ship, the 'Blue Riband' holder, "United States" which crossed the Atlantic in the 1950's. No doubt the clientele were better dressed as well in those days since, for all its speed and convenience, the HSS is little more than a very fast, floating motorway cafe.
23rd May 2004:
It is always a pleasure to meet the friendly and helpful staff of the Letchworth Museum. Letchworth was the British centre of Spirella corsets for eight decades and generations of women grew up, married and introduced their daughters into this huge corsetry concern. Corsetieres were the 'field agents', however, back at HQ in Letchworth, a staff of thousands cut and sewed, managed the accounts and supplied corsets to support the Empire. There is a huge social history attached to the interaction of Spirella and the people of Letchworth. Our interest, however, is focused on the corsetry and we were able to gather some fascinating information. Did you know that 30 million corsets were sold each year in Britain in 1916, or that Marilyn Monroe did NOT wear Spirella corsets in the film, "The Prince and the Showgirl"? In that film, however, Dame Sybil Thorndyke and most of the other actresses did! Spirella's corset collection was sent to America for her attention, however, she declined to wear one. The lady on the left models a Spirella 305 in 1951. This style was the mainstay (pun intended) of Spirella's business. The 305 was the basic front-lacing corset that has it's roots as far back as 1916, however, the 300-series terminology (Spirella loved its numbering system) started in the late 1930's. It was made under the Spirella label until the late 1980's and still exists as the Spencer 'posture corset' today; five decades later!
2nd June 2004: So our holidays back in our home countries of Holland and Scotland come to an end. We were blessed with amazingly fine weather, however, today the continuous downpour of the European Summer is upon us. It is surely time to pack our bags and return to the Asian tropics where we spend much of the year. My husband has CD's with 100's of new images scanned from the archives of Spirella and our own collection of manuals and magazines. The 'cubic metre' of corsets has been sorted and photographed. Over the next few months, we'll spend the long tropical evenings inserting more images and text into the web site, and hopefully show you more of the Amazing World of the Corsetiere.
July 2004:
Men! Sometimes I feel that if I was a steam engine, or a motor car, my husband would pay me more attention. I was feeling quite down for some odd reason the other day. I even felt rather frumpy as we prepared to attend dinner at a friend's house. Dragging my husband from his computer (to which he appears to be married), we drove the short distance to his boss's house. Why, oh why, did my husband buy a small sports car. Does he not realise that proper foundations on an older women and sports car are unhappy companions? Unusually, I didn't enjoy the evening and we left early. My husband commented on his boss's wife's appearance. "Do you think she was wearing her daughter's clothes? Everything was at least two sizes too small; you could virtually read the maker's label on her knickers" he commented artlessly. "It's better than being a fat blob" I answered to which he retorted "Women! You must be joking. You were the only women there with a shape." What is it about us girls that even an offhand comment can transform our entire mood. Since it was early and my husband (to his regret) had stayed on soda water, we dropped the car roof and drove home the long way round and rather fast. My hair was in my teeth at the end of the drive. As my husband helped me from the semi-recumbent posture dictated by modern aerodynamics there was a loud creak. "Was that the car springs or your stays?" I laughed. Men!
The picture on the right from 1958 is a classic Spirella 'before and after' (click on the picture). My husband added "Nice Saab".
The recently recorded episode entered in Ivy Leaf's Diary from July 2004 has been relegated to Corsetiere's Anecdotes.
August 2004: Whatever happened to Strodex? This brand tried to rival Spirella and Spencer in Britain, but I had forgotten about it until recently. Their specialty was made-to-measure, and judging from the complex surgical corset, and the fashionable corselette in our collection, they covered the entire spectrum of corsetry, however, rarely do we encounter articles these days. Another specialist corsetry firm that failed to 'make the grade', was Fan of Stockport, England. Their belts were unexceptional except for their terminology. 'Reducyr', Corporect, Fyshline, and 'Fan seCURES you' elicited a groan from my husband who thought he had heard it all! We were lucky to receive a large quantity of data from a researcher into corsetry. This work is meticulously detailed and it reveals how jealously even the basic principles of corsetry construction were guarded. Perhaps this explains the demise of Strodex and Fan, whereas Spirella and Spencer prospered. We intend to publish this data given the time. My husband added "Watch this server space", which is about as corny as the Fan advertising!
Later in August: A mutual friend, somewhat under-endowed, told me that she was going to have her breasts enhanced surgically. "DON'T DO IT" we chorused. I come from the "what you're born with, you live with" school of thought, however,
my friend had been persuaded otherwise, and was quite short with me. "It's OK for you". (I am rather well endowed). In a last ditch attempt to dissuade our friend, I said "You'll be crawling on your knees for bras!" The comment left her mystified. After a less than pleasant experience, our friend re-emerged from her ordeal, with, it has to be admitted, rather fine breasts, of which she was inordinately proud. She later admitted that she now understood my remark. In Britain, at least, the larger cup sizes are always at the bottom of the rack, hence "you'll be crawling on the floor". It's just one of those penalties that the big bosomed lady has to accept!
September 2004: During our last holiday in Britain (May 2004), we visited an elderly family friend who had recently moved into a retirement home. As always, the nurses and staff are charming and friendly, and make a big effort to inject some sparkle into their charges remaining years, however, its a depressing reminder of what may become our own fate. This visit, however, was enlightened by a lady, who had heard about our corsetry researches, and she started to regale us with some excellent stories that we have added to the site. Not a corsetiere, herself, she was fitted as a teenager in the pre-War years when she always wore a corset. She worked in the Land Army during the war, waiting for her boyfriend to return from the army in North Africa. During this period, she abandoned her corsets as being rather impractical when wearing the trousers demanded by her job. Married after the war, she reverted to a corset briefly and sporadically, favouring a conventional girdle which she obtained from Spencer for many years, until the price became to steep for the limited resources of a British pensioner. The nurses told us Dont listen to old Mrs. H, shes always bleathering. She just likes to talk to somebody, but we didnt agree. Her stories and memories were like gold dust, and are a rare glimpse of life in the past. She has written regularly to us in her somewhat spidery hand with further tales of her life. She has proudly adopted the position of researcher for our project and must have interviewed half the residents from the home. Surprisingly, some of the best recollections come from the old gentlemen. The elderly are not revered in our modern society the way they used to be. In many respects, that is a shame, for we have much to learn.
Corset Test Pilots?! Spirella was instrumental in designing the G-suit worn by jet pilots after the war. The complex lacing of this suit required specialised advice not available outside the corset industry. However, I digress, this is not what the thrust of my husbands recent query was about. Did Spirella or any of the major corset houses have women who tried on and wore prototype garments? I have never heard of this, but it must have happened. Were there actually, corset test pilots? Usually when we acquire a corset or girdle for our collection, either myself, or a good friend will try it on, if its anywhere near our sizes, just to see what it feels like, is it easy to adjust, do the seams chafe, are the suspenders well positioned and a hundred other small details that can turn a comfortable ally into a torture device. Ive been caught out a few times in my role as corset test pilot when my husband has been pleased with my appearance, and suggested that I give the new corset a good field trial by going down to the local pub for lunch. A corset always requires breaking in and the chances that an unworn, and un-fitted garment will be instantly easy to wear is very unlikely. Indeed, on one occasion, my husband was obviously quite amused at my attempts to wriggle into a position of even vague comfort. The Spen-all that I was wearing was just a shade too long. Thats not a problem in a flexible garment, but this wasnt, and the front boning was digging into my thighs at one end, and, at the other end, had hoisted my bust to such an extent that I could barely see my meal. I suggested, quite loudly, that next time, he try on the new corsets!
Men and Corsets: We always love to receive cartoons. There are many out there and we have a dozen or more located around our web
pages. There is the schoolboy humour of the seaside postcards, where the cowering husband and the disproportionately large wife feature strongly, and corsetry is an obvious source of merriment for the cartoonist and his audience. Spirellas house magazines contained many cartoons, which all tell their stories of the fashions and morality of those days. We received an excellent cartoon from GOOD HUMOUR magazine. The husband and wife are in their bedroom. The husband, obviously about to go on a military (or police) parade, is holding his wifes corsets. She says Parade or no parade, you can't have it! I love this cartoon because it has none of the covert smuttiness of the man wearing womens underwear. It is genuine, straight-forward humour. Typically of many cartoonists, is the lack of knowledge of what a corset actually looks like. One can always tell if a cartoonist has seen a woman in her corsets or simply imagines what he thinks a corset looks like. In Jan Sanders' famous corset shop cartoon, the detail on the corsets is typically minute, the exaggeration of multiple lacings added simply to emphasise a point.
October 2004: We have been very lucky recently to meet and correspond with some elderly ladies and gentlemen who have provided some charming stories of times gone by. Our interest, of course, is focused towards the corsetry of that period, but, in the way that the elderly do, they wander from the point. So interesting are their stories, however, that we just sit there and listen, and soon the afternoon has passed. If you consider an average women in the days when corset-wearing was commonplace, you are dealing with a 20year old in 1914, or a 50 year-old in 1945, and perhaps a 70year-old in 1960. Later than that, corset-wearing becomes very rare. Of course, certain women continued, as they do today, to wear corsets but they are so small as hardly to be called a sample. The ladies above are now all going to be well over 100 years old and so recollections will have to come from their children. Even if we consider girdle-wearers, in Britain, most 40-60 year-old women consigned their girdles to the dustbin in 1970. The youngest survivor of this period is going to be well over 70. In fact, it is the latter group of the elderly that are providing us with information, partly about themselves, partly about their mothers and grandmothers. Often it is husbands reminiscing about their wives. Habits that might have been annoying on a day-to-day basis become, with the passage of time, and the dimming of memories, simply charming eccentricities. From this dwindling supply of mental memorabilia come the tales of how to keep rubber corsets warm in winter, the uselessness of a Playtex girdle as an eraser, and cautionary tales about the dangers of tight-lacing. There are many more tales out there, and we are always grateful to receive them. Obviously, we have to be discerning about which tales are real, which are imaginary or confused, and which are fantastical wish fulfilment. Typically, the elderly fail to remember actual episodes in their life, they remember a memory that changes, and often exaggerates, as times passes. However, with discrete questioning, and assessment of peripheral detail, (often the biggest give away for a false story) the true stories can be identified.
further into October:
This tale might not initially appear associated with corsetry, but the outcome certainly is, and it happened just recently to myself. I was working in our garden, cutting dead leaves off a bush, when I felt a sharp sting on my arm underneath my blouse. More stings rapidly followed, as I realised that I had dislodged a nest of red ants that were crawling all over me. I rushed, as fast as my frame and underpinnings allowed, into the house where I started to divest my blouse on the way to the bathroom. Perhaps I did shriek, certainly my husband was quick to appear with a flippant "second honeymoon my dear?". "Get those ants off me" I shouted, or words to that effect. I was panicking a bit I have to admit. Several dozen ants later, order was restored, and my husband was left to clear up the remains of the dead leaves with, I noticed maliciously, frequent slapping of his arms and legs. A few days later we were sitting on our patio when a sharp pain assailed my left breast. My husband leapt into action with a rolled-up newspaper, "I'll get them" he shouted. I had to explain that on this occasion, ants were not the culprit, simply the under-wiring of my bra, which had broken free from its socket and was poking sharply into my flesh. It reminded both of us of David Niven's account of the tightly corseted actress. The news these days is unremittingly awful, and perhaps any attempt to lighten, or make fun of war is wrong. However, 'humour in the trenches', and the bands of performers, such as Bob Hope and many others who have visited troops in action, have played an important part in morale boosting. Indeed, Spirella and their corsetieres contributed to the British war effort, not least by contributing husbands and sons, but also by by sewing parachutes, contributing corset and girdle bones for the steel collection effort, and reducing the rubber content of their underwear. We recently purchased an early 1950's example of an Ambrose Wilson catalogue. This firm persisted in its traditional corsetry pages well into the 1980's, and sold 'Miss Mary of Sweden' garments until recently. One of the pictures from this catalogue prompted my husband to quote from a 1960's science fiction film of which he is (regrettably) familiar, 'Quatermass and the Pit'. "The Germans had more secret weapons than we ever discovered". Indeed, the V1 and V2 rockets were terrible enough, the V3 disturbing, and as for the formidableV4 (right), well ...!!
Even further in October In my regular contacts with the elderly, I have noticed how badly out of shape so many old women have become. Typically, they are hunched, their (remaining) bosom hidden in the stooped concavity of their chests, with their stomachs protruding like footballs. What happened to the ram-rod straight harridan of yesterday? Was she simply a figment of our imagination ? I asked a friend who knows our interests as well as being imbued with considerable common sense. She thought about my comments and replied Youre looking at a generation that were not used to corsets; they were born too late, but they never benefited from the fitness craze of the last three decades. They are in betweens. We decided to call these shapeless women the 'lost generation' or 'human question marks' on account of their posture. Far from forcing their daughters into uncompromising foundation garments, the opposite was true. Born between about 1920 and 1940, the daughters persuaded their Mothers to burn their bras without offering an acceptable
alternative. The results of this postural disaster crowd the Old Peoples Homes of today. Our Grandmothers knew the benefits of a corset, our daughters appreciate the benefits of exercise, but a woman cannot retain her shape without either. My husband (as always) was fascinated by this discourse, and vanished to the computer in the study, from whence he emerged, hours later, looking bleary-eyed but triumphant. You really are right. Look at this spreadsheet he crowed, waving several pieces of paper under her nose. Of course Im right, you silly man, and I dont need a computer to prove it. Oddly, enough, as in so many of our researches, unexpected results and conclusions come from the simplest challenges of accepted fact. As I stated above, perhaps it wasnt the Mothers that forced daughters into oldfashioned underwear after all, the facts point to exactly the opposite, certainly since the last war. My husband wasnt going to relinquish his spreadsheet quite so easily, and produced a graph. I immediately scoffed at this typically male creation, however, once explained to us, we realised its potential to provide tantalizing glimpses into the sociological history of corsetry through the decades, a subject on which a library could be written. Since we are expanding our site to cover Georges Technical Corsetry researches, we have added my husbands explanation of his graph under this section. It clearly shows hat the ram-rod straight harridan existed, however, she's not been around for a long time and, as usual, our memories are telescoping the passage of time.
November 2004: Tight Corsets What is it about the term tight corsets? In Herman Wouks book Marjorie Morningstar, the heroine is cautioned about those divorcees in their tight corsets. In another book, the main character falls into a loveless marriage ..mistaking her tight corsets for voluptuous promise. My aunt was fond of saying you need tight corsets to catch your man, and tight corsets to hold onto your figure! In contrast, my Mother, in an uncharacteristically catty moment, referred to an acquaintance, who I thought was rather glamorous, as Hah! But she wears tight corsets, as though it were some underhand deception. She regaled me with warnings that tight corsets would give the wearer varicose veins and liver disease. I suspected that the latter was not a direct consequence of the corset, but rather of the social habits that such a wearer would adopt! But today, women that wear corsets, let alone tight ones, are as rare as hens' teeth. Therefore, it was with some delight that I was introduced to a friends grandmother the other day. In contrast to the forgotten generation of human question marks (last month), this lady was erect and well-dressed with a stomach as flat as a board, and no wonder, I later realised as she bent over to sit down, the tell-tale ridge of a back-support showed only too clearly through her blouse before she straightened back up again. I spoke to the elderly woman, and getting around to the subject of poorly backs (from which I also suffer), she freely admitted to wearing a corset, and furthermore had done so since she was a teenager! More than a decade ago she had purchased a dozen Spencers intending that they would see her out, however, her constitution had kept her going well beyond the time that Spencers were easily available, or even affordable. I mentioned that medical insurance would meet the costs, however, in the obstinate way of the elderly she said I refuse to be buckled into some National Health, velcrod abomination! No. Ill die in my Spencers!
December 2004: My husband and I spend so much time in the company of older folk, that it's refreshing to entertain younger guests, particularly as the festive season approaches. Cocooned, a it were, in the time capsule of our research, we sometimes forget that life goes on and the, sometimes inexplicable changes in fashion and the world around us, are dictated by a generation younger than ourselves, and two generations younger than many of our acquaintances. It was a friend's misfortune to have badly twisted her knee, that allowed us to spend half a day with two of her nieces who drove their aunt over to visit us. "Tell the girls about your project" our friend said at length, "M---'s studying art at the Courtauld Institute". To my embarrassment, I discovered that I was known to her nieces as the 'corset lady', and perhaps far more embarrassingly, my husband as the 'corset man'. The girls were indeed most interested and absolutely amazed at the sight and size of our collection. I persuaded the
older girl (20 I would imagine) to try on the corset that graced our site recently. The younger girl would have nothing to do with it, although she was keen to help. I stood back and let the girls work it out for themselves. I might add that my husband was banished from the scene and, at the request of M--- no photographs would be taken. The results were predictably hysterical, since the concept of the under-belt was completely alien to them, and we had to intervene before it became strapped in as a back support! "Now" I said, "Put these on" and I handed her a pair of vintage Elbeo support stockings. "But, it's impossible" she laughed. "You're learning. The stockings are attached before the garment is laced tight." She cast off the corset far quicker than she had donned it and tried on the Marks and Spencer 'roll-on'. Getting the girdle on over her young hips was easy, and this time she possessed enough flexibility (and care) to wriggle the powerful stockings up her legs. Attaching the suspenders, however, turned into another farce, and the girls were reduced to helpless giggling whilst I did up the back and side suspenders for her. "How does it feel. Walk around a bit." M--- paraded around the room and struck a few poses at her sister. "The stockings are pulling the girdle down" she said as she yanked the girdle back into place. I laughed. "So now you know. If you had to wear those stockings, you'd need a far better anchorage. You see, one of the primary functions of the corset or girdle is to anchor the stockings." The girls were amazed at a world they had heard about but never experienced. They were most grateful that they didn't need to wear such garments these days, but the artistic one commented on the superb construction and attention to fine detail.
Thoughts at the end of the Year Our thoughts on tight-lacing have elicited quite a response from our readers. The majority of the comments focus on the waists of Ethel Grainger and Cathie Jung, however, these record-breaking women occupy the extreme end of the tight-lacing spectrum. Our interest lies in conventional tight-lacing, that is to say, the use of the corset or girdle to define the waist slightly more than comfort would dictate. Rarely would women tolerate the tightness for more than a few hours, the desire being to look good for a wedding, or some similar occasion. One of the reasons that some excellent examples of corsets survive today, is that their use was rare. Garments worn daily and washed regularly do not stand the test of time, although Marks and Spencers girdles are exceptionally tough. Perhaps even in the latter case, a tighter girdle was kept for special events, the more comfortable sizes wearing out on a regular basis. I know of many women who, in all honesty had a waist of 32, buying garments sized for 28. Were they trying to fool themselves, the shop assistant or their friends? It is quite possible, for I have seen it done, to get a 34 waist into a 26 panty-girdle, however, the resultant spare-tyre is quite unacceptable. One of the Spencer corsetieres, with whom we regularly correspond, rarely encountered anything that could be described as tight-lacing. She did, however, mention that she had a few clients in the 1960s who wore foundations that she considered far too tight. One lady in particular had her corsets and brassieres far tighter than our friend considered desirable. There was no elastic in the brassiere at all, and only two pieces at the base of the corset to allow ease of movement and sitting. The client would not be persuaded otherwise. The consequence was that brassiere in particular was forever being returned to have the hooks and eyes repaired. The client never blamed the corsetiere. She wanted her foundations tight and her clothes tight, and she was prepared to pay the cost. Our friend agreed that a new corset is certainly stiffer and more unyielding than its long-term design intends. Corsets are like shoes, they need to be broken in, after which they form a most comfortable ally. Which brings us onto our own definition of tight-lacing. A well-fitted corset is a support that can be worn without its presence bringing attention, either to the wearer, or the casual observer. A tight corset will be observed and felt by both parties, which, of course, may well be the intention.
Peace and Goodwill to all
Merry Christmas

5th May 2003: Off we go from Holland to Britain by way of the Channel Tunnel. We have rented a microscopic Toyota that my husband assures me is well regarded in the motoring press. Thats all very well, however, from a mature womens point-of-view, cylinders and alloy wheels are next to nothing compared to a comfortable seat that will either turn out to be a friend or a painful foe during the six-hour drive to Letchworth (north of London). The seats of the car turn out to be excellent, but why does a modern car have no central locking? All this reaching for door locks is a nuisance and despite my husbands admiration of the fuel consumption computer, Id rather have central locking. My husband and I passed the long motorway hours discussing the evolution of the automobile in regard to the evolution of ladies underwear; not, I imagine a frequently discussed topic! That one affected the other is unlikely, however, they progressed in parallel, both responding to a changing culture. After all, the well corseted matron who could sit and drive comfortably in the upright seats of the old Rover 110 would be at a loss in the semihorizontal position required in some of todays vehicles. I remarked that if I ever got into a Lotus, Id never be able to get out again. My husband responded that if I he ever saw me in the drivers seat of a Lotus, hed ask the Police to broadcast a warning and clear the streets ! We spent the night in the charming Swan Hotel at Bedford. My husband and I like to pick out the historical hotels that are totally distinct from the production-line modern edifices. This hotel, which dates back to the Middle Ages, sits right on the river, and provides a relaxing view of the bird life attracted to the waters. Sadly, the clientele of the hotel fail to match its faded elegance and seem to be mainly company employees on management courses whatever they may be. The old streets of Bedford told an all-too-familiar tale. Estate Agents, banks, and the big stores abound. The High Street could almost be anywhere else in Britain. The small corset shop has vanished forever, or has it ?
6th May 2003: We arrived at Letchworth, home of the Spirella Corset Company since 1910. There we met the curator of the Letchworth museum, who had expressed an interest in our web site, and very kindly allowed us to view some of the memorabilia of this famous company. Spirella, for many decades, was the focus of life in Letchworth. Several thousand employees worked at the huge and elegant factory that still stands in the City. Thousands of photographs document the social clubs, the cricket teams, the annual pantomime and the hundred and one little events that turn an amorphous workforce into a team. The town was quite stricken when the factory closed in the late 1980s. Bought by their old rivals Spencer, the manufacturing moved to North Wales, and thus decades of experience was lost. Seven decades of history ended and so did a way of life. The factory was visited regularly by Royalty, politicians, stars of TV and the screen, and by the occasional Olympic athlete. Fit or unfit, stout or slender, the woman of the 1960s was undressed without her foundations. The curator was extremely kind in giving up several hours of his time to show us around the museum and the archives. If you wish to know more about the history of Letchworth (and I should emphasise that the museum concentrates on the social history of Spirella rather than on the details of corsetry), the web site is to be found on:http://www.letchworthgardencity.net 7th May 2003: A two hour drive took us to the south coast where we visited the charming Mrs. I, a Spirella corsetiere since the late 1950s. She still services a clientele of some three dozen ladies and amazingly (but infrequently) still picks up new clients. Her enthusiasm and energy are an example to those several decades younger. We chatted about her times in West London, where famous personalities and politicians were numbered amongst her clientele. We ordered a Spencerette girdle, more for our collection rather than as an item for wearing. The price of these items, Mrs. I. explained, is quite off-putting to potential clients, although existing clients are used
to the high cost. After all, if you want quality, you have to pay for it. Mind you GBP 160 (USD 240) for a girdle is a bit eye-watering. We left the charming Mrs. I and drove along the south coast, back towards the Channel Tunnel. The marginally warmer climate in this area has attracted thousands of retirees over the years, resulting in a proliferation of corset shops, the majority of which no longer exists these days. The old Alstons shop in Bexhill has closed. This shop that was once part of the famous Alstons rubber corset company, never sold these corsets on the street but was the retail outlet for the more traditional corsetry offerings from Camp, Lady Grace, Excelsior and Namsie. The old corset shop in St. Leonards is still alive and well, as is the similarly named small shop in Dymchurch. How long they will last is uncertain; that they remain trading is remarkable.
14th May 2003: We received a lovely surprise in the post: a complete set of Spencer corsetiere's measuring garments. These are quite different from the Spirella system and much rarer. Having spoken to corsetieres from both companies, it seems that the Spirella system was simpler, being a set of variously sized 'upper' and 'lower' foundations with multiple lacing and hook-and-eye adjustments. The fitter would select the size appropriate to the client; fit her in and then take the measurements. The Spencer garment is a 'one-size-fits-all' with complex straps and buckles to accommodate the huge potential for size differences. This large range of adjustments actually makes the garment quite difficult to fit, even before the measurements are taken. My husband is trying to fathom how the device works. Our friendly Spencer corsetiere was lost on the subject, admitting that most fitters, after the training course, abandoned the garment in favour of direct measuring over the client's own foundation garments. We'll persevere and try to show you examples of both (Spirella and Spencer) systems later on the web pages.
21st May 2003: The Spencer girdle that we ordered from Mrs. I arrived in the post. With her influence, the order took about seven days to turn around. The girdle is excellent and quite unlike anything that could be purchased from a store today, however, I have to compare it to the Spirellas and Spencers that I have known right from the 1960's. Besides them, it fares less well. The satin panels are, in fact, a cotton/rayon blend. The suspenders, instead of being metal, are plastic; the elastic, although very strong, is lighter than its predecessors, and the zip, of course, is nylon. Nevertheless, it is a proper girdle, the modern materials will probably outlast those of the 1960's, and it is still heavy, strong and powerful enough to shape that protuberant abdomen. Even the cost, a horrifying 160 pounds sterling, is little more than in proportion to several decades ago. Mind you, a firm panty-girdle costs from 10 pounds to 60 pounds, and the Spencer of 2003 is bullet-proof compared to these feeble offerings. My husband felt the weight of the 2003 Spencer compared to a regular Marks and Spencer OBG from the 1960's and reckoned that the Spencer was slightly heavier. The marked difference was the cut, particularly over the rear, where no down-stretch satin elastic appears on the Spencer; only well cut satin panels.
A Spencerette girdle from 2003 (if you can afford it).
31st May 2003: So our holiday is over and we have returned to the PC where we can start to assimilate some of our new data into the web pages. This will involve a huge amount of scanning and editing of digital photographs. I will have to climb in and out of a number of measuring garments to show how these items were used. My husband already has come up with a thought provoking comment whilst photographing some of our new acquisitions. Having put a Spen-all onto our dummy and having fastened no less than 33 (!) hooks and eyes, he said in exasperation "Why on earth did the simple busk fastening go out of fashion?" Such questions need to be answered. Please be patient, this may take a little while.
September 2003: At last we have taken the time to put our collection of Spirella pins together. This collection began years ago and has grown together with our collection of corsetry memorabilia. Spirella (and probably most of the famous corset houses) issued pins to celebrate the long-term anniversaries of service and, particularly in the USA, dollar profit achieved. The pins date back to the 1920's and turn up on Ebay quite regularly. I was given a Spirella pin by a corsetiere who still works for Spencer. It is one of my favourites and features in the Spirella corsetiere's page.
October 2003: We were updating some of the pictures that appear on our web pages (we really much procure a proper corset stand to display our collection), when I came across a couple of Canadian Spirella corsets from the 1970's. I remember receiving the package from a Canadian lady containing these corsets that had belonged to her Mother-in-law. Usually, and sadly, such garments are consigned to the dustbin, the younger generation having no appreciation of their history, but in this case, the lady had kept them. She had no real explanation for this fortunate decision. She knew how much the corsets had cost and was simply reluctant to throw money away. It was her browsing of the internet that ultimately brought the corsets into our collection. A lady's corsets say much about the wearer. The lady in question passed away in the late 1980's and had obviously suffered from a 'bad back' for some years. The second corset (unlike the one in the photographs) shows all the signs of regular use, yet it has been well looked after. Small repairs, inevitable in a well-worn corset, are present but expertly executed. These were strong, unyielding garments, which only a regular corset wearer could stand. The slight hip-spring of the corset suggests quite an elderly lady in whom the weight loss of age has reduced the differential between waist and hip. One can guess that the lady was probably born at around the turn of the last century, and would probably have experienced her first corsets as a teen-ager. If she had worn corsets all her life, and many women of that generation did, she would be quite unable to live without them in old age. It may be that she returned to corsets in later life as her back began to weaken. In either case, wearing a corset would be familiar to her, perhaps even a way of life. The corsets are made of exquisite materials which would not have been the cheapest in the brochure. I suspect that the lady took pride in her appearance. She may well have been comfortably off; the repairs simply suggesting the older generation's natural tendency to mend, rather than replace. Certainly, corsets are like shoes, if you have a comfortable pair that you can wear all day, you will look after them. The removal of the exterior belt is interesting. The lady would have had excellent posture (there was little choice in such a garment), and I imagine this elderly lady, well-dressed and quite fussy about her appearance, would have been mortified if her corsets had announced their presence either aurally or visually. I suspect she removed the exterior strap since she would be concerned that
it might show through her skirt. In such a strong corset, the strap is largely redundant. Perhaps the corsetiere added the strap as one of the 'optional extras' to increase her commission. The corsetiere, however, missed out on selling the third pair of suspenders, since the corset has but four, front and side-mounted. Again, this is typical of an elderly widow, for whom the task of attaching rear suspenders once the corset is donned, is virtually impossible. I know; I've tried it, and along with several of my elderly friends we can agree: That's what husbands are for!
Late November 2003: A chance to travel in the Far East is always a pleasure, particularly as the mercury dips below 40o F and the days become progressively short and bitter in Europe. I'll not dwell upon the effects of corset bones and under-wiring on airport security devices, but, as my husband remarked with a sly smile, if I pass through the security gate and the alarm sounds, he feels confident that the machine is in good working order. The 14 hour Amsterdam to Singapore flight was remarkably pleasant. Unaccountably we got upgraded, and we spent the flight (on a totally packed 747) enjoying excellent cuisine and wines to match. The charming Singaporean hostesses (of which more later) seemed all to eager to ensure that we should consume our way into a 10 hour torpor. This I achieved whilst my husband, so he related, spent four hours grappling with some of the in-flight games. All men are boys at heart!
The whole point of this entry to the diary was what started as a desultory perusal of the stores along Orchard Road, the main shopping thoroughfare of Singapore. Having observed the minute frames of the average Asian woman, 99% of who appeared to be under 21, we considered that any foray into the lingerie sections of the major department stores would be a disappointment; as, quite frankly, it is in most cities these days. To our amazement, each store had a reasonable range of pantygirdles. In addition, they would have a few examples of a longleg panty-girdle, with an attached waist cincher (similar to some USA Flexees products of the 1990's). Waist cinchers themselves were quite common, but we were quite mystified by a wellboned bustier device, the function of which my husband and I completely failed to understand. The helpful salesgirl (Asia is full them, and they are all young enough to be our grandchildren) was most helpful and explained (and these were the words she used), all about the functions of the girdles and corsets in the department. I was dumbfounded; this-slip-of-agirl was using terminology that I thought had died a decade ago!
The girdle (right), is quite beautifully constructed and reasonably heavy too. There is a cunning seam at the front and rear that generates an artificial 'panty-line'. Presumably the wearer does not want the world to share the knowledge of her formidable underpinnings! On the way back to the hotel, somehow inevitably, my husband's mind began to wander along those channels denied to the female imagination. The lore surrounding the airline stewardess and the girdle has been discussed for about seven decades. My husband, inevitably started surmising that perhaps what lay underneath the sleek form of the 'Singapore Girl', the immaculate airline stewardess, was not as simple as we imagined. I rapidly brought him back to earth. Decades ago, we all wore girdles. Today, we don't; and particularly Singapore Girl! I suspect my
voice rose as I said this. But I do wonder who would buy these garments. Whoever does, and goes for the full upper and lower garment, will be confronted by no less than 12 bones and 24 hooks and eyes, and, I must add, no easy way to heed the calls of nature. There are, of course, any number of tubby Singaporeans (as there are anywhere), but are they trying to compete with their sylph-like sisters? Or are they designed for the 'billy-boys', that used to haunt Bugis Street before Singapore became squeaky clean? Who knows? I would love to have tried on the girdle, but my Anglo-Saxon frame is too large to accommodate oriental sizes. The salesgirl giggled in that polite covered mouth way, typical of Asia. Had she gone "tee hee", I would have burst out laughing as well. She suggested that I try America and, of course, she's probably right. We bought a few items as representative of what was on offer. After all, the collection must keep up with the times. Whilst on the subjects of corsets and hot climates (a cool day in Singapore still gets to 88o F), I was reminded of my Dutch Auntie in the Ardennes. My husband related the passage from the book of the "African Queen", where the sister of the missionary (played in the film by Katherine Hepburn), declined to remove her corsets even in the steamy heat of the African jungle. Personally, I didn't have a problem. Air-conditioning is everywhere these days, except apparently in Europe where we had the hottest summer in years! As a footnote, it is certainly worth recording that the amazing foundations of Singapore were made by several manufacturers, but the most prominent was Triumph. This remarkable company that has prospered for decades and that was selling back-laced corsets in Germany in the 1990's, is still producing proper foundation garments in the latest millennium. Well done Triumph! So, in one unlikely corner of the world, a vestige of the corset and girdle lives on.
Late December 2003: The build up to Christmas has brought its usual crop of letters from friends and acquaintances. The octogenarian corsetiere from Liverpool (she joined Spencer in 1956 and has been with them ever since) wrote us a lovely letter in her strong clear hand. It was filled with those items that concern the elderly; her health, meeting her son and daughter and the loss of her 'foundation' in the post. Corsetieres who work from home are totally reliant on the postal service to send orders to head office and to receive the finished article some weeks later. We felt sorry for our friend. If you've worn 'proper underwear' all your life, the arrival of a new (and expensive) girdle or corset is both an occasion and a necessity since it may be replacing a garment that is past its prime. I hope the postal service recovers her missing girdle. At a Christmas carol service, a well-dressed lady in her 50's dropped her carol sheet in front of my husband. After three attempts to bend down to pick it up, my husband did the gentlemanly thing, and retrieved the sheet for her. "Skirt's too tight" she explained laughingly. "Do you think .." started my husband; "No. She doesn't" I told him, although glimpsing the roll of flesh above her waist-line (which to me anyway spoiled her very elegant outfit) I added "but perhaps she should". So far this Christmas, we've sung carols with a group from my husband's office. There were over 20 nationalities represented from countries as diverse as Nigeria and Venezuela. We've enjoyed a pre-Christmas dinner with a group of Norwegians and Malaysians. On Christmas day we'll brunch with Canadians and British. Later in the day for Christmas dinner, we'll join New Zealanders and some Dutch friends. Quite a cosmopolitan Christmas, and, of course, that's how it should be. Peace and Goodwill to all
Merry Christmas
Ivy
The Corsetiere and her Trade
Spirella
At the end of the nineteenth century in America, at a dinner gathering, the wife of a Mr. Beaman broke a corset stay causing her considerable embarrassment. Mr. Beaman, or 'Pa' Beaman as he became known, decided to invent a better, stronger and more flexible stay. The spiral wound device he engineered has supported foundation garments ever since and in 1904 gave its name to
the Spirella Corset Company
History
Foundations Catalogues
The Corsetiere
Training Sales Technique Measuring and Fitting Headquarters The Spirella Magazine Weddings Spirella Corsetieres of the Past Corsetieres in Real Life Corsetieres' Tales Corsetieres in Films Health The Older Woman
These pages are dedicated to the corsetieres who measured and fitted clients with foundation garments. Spirella was one of many corset companies that flourished during the twentieth century. I am fortunate to know a small part of their history in Britain and I would like to share that history with you because I find it fascinating and I regret its passing. Spirella corsetieres could join the Ivy Leaf Club. Emblems were issued and corsetieres could collect pins for each decade of selling. Spirella was bought by rival Spencer in the late 1980's (in Britain) although the name survives today as does the magnificent head office in Letchworth where a staff of hundreds manufactured made-to-measure corsets for eight decades.
TENAX ET FIDELIS - Persevering and Faithful
History
At the end of the nineteenth century in America, at a dinner gathering, the wife of a Mr. Beaman broke a corset stay causing her considerable embarrassment, and not a little pain, as the broken ends dug into her midriff. She admonished her husband, 'Pa' Beaman, as he was affectionately called, who had become something of a famous inventor. The dialogue must have gone something like "How come the horseless carriage is with us, but my stays either rust or break. DO something; you're supposed to be an inventor"! 'Pa' Beaman rose to the challenge and invented the flexible stay in 1904. The potential of this invention was recognised by William Wallace Kincaid and a Mr. Pardee, who launched a corset company in America the same year named after the spiral wound device that 'Pa' Beaman had engineered. Thus was the Spirella Corset Company formed in 1904.
M.M. 'Pa" Beeman 1910
W.W. Kincaid
J.H. Pardee
These days, the idea of a broken corset stay may appear fairly risible, however, in the early days of the last century, the construction of one's stays was literally, a life-or-death matter! ( Spirella Magazine 1916)
No risk of imminent mortality for this flexible young lady, and, more importantly, her equally flexible stays! Flexibility played a major role in Spirella's advertising.
In 1906, a sister company in Canada had been formed and three years later, Mr.Kincaid sailed to Britain, recognising a potential market for the company. On 27th May 1910, the Spirella Corset Company of Great Britain was formed and, according to the sales pitch of the time, "English womanhood was born again"!
The head of Canadian Spirella, Mr J.H. Moore, was brought over as the first MD. A management team and a group of practical salesmen and engineers were recruited. The factory at Letchworth (north of London) was under construction when Spirella (GB)'s first corsetiere, Mrs. F. Wright, made Britain's first Spirella corset in 1910 in a small construction shed on the site of the factory (see below). Times were far harder in those days than we can even comprehend in the 21st century, and 20 years of hard work ( left - 1910; right - 1930) have taken their toll on Mrs. Wright. Remember that the ethic of 'duty' was fundamental and intertwined with strong religious convictions. The house magazine of the day was highly moralistic in its exhortations to its staff. It was the only way to found an empire; indeed, it was the only way to survive at all. We have become soft and often judge incorrectly these days from our comfortable, over-extended perspective in the 21st Century. The two photographs of American corsetieres is a snap-shot of life a century ago. Unlike the false smiles of today, people only smiled where there was humour, and corsets are no laughing matter. Regard the corsetted waists of many of the ladies and the vaguely medical garb sported by some of them in the photographs from Meadville (below). Many would actually be nurses, since corsets were often prescribed for ailments of the back and abdomen, either real or imagined.
1910
1930
In Britain, Letchworth Garden City where Spirella set up its head office, was an alcohol free zone. Alcoholism was a plague in the major cities (as it has become once more today), and the Letchworth residents were empowered to vote on whether the 'demon drink' would be allowed there.
A building was constructed in the style of a public house (pub) complete with amenities such as darts and skittles, but alcohol was not served. The pub was called the Skittles Inn, and the extension at the back, the Kincaid Hall after Spirella's founder. Letchworth allowed alcohol into the city only after 1958 (and now regrets it.)
A Spirella corset from the 1910's. Note the closely spaced front suspenders. I have never understood this feature, but suspect that with the thick stockings of the day, suspender detachment was common and therefore, safety in numbers was required.
Although times were especially hard during the years of the First World War, Spirella survived, and in the 1920's, in addition to the factories at Niagara Falls, Oakland and Letchworth, expanded its manufacturing base to Malm in Sweden ( 17th Nov 1920), Copenhagen in Denmark, and Berlin in Germany. (The German factory was actually in Dsseldorf).
By 1924, there were factories at Meadville and Cambridge Springs, PA but the Copenhagen offices appear to have vanished. The picture of the Berlin factory is the only one we have ever seen.
Often overlooked is the Harlow, UK factory where Spirella made their brassieres ( bottom right)
In Britain, the huge Letchworth edifice (which stands today as Spirella House) was known as Castle Corset. Its importance to the town's economy is well illustrated by the cartoon. Compare the detailed cartoon with an actual photograph of the building complete with the statue of Sappho. Once again, war interfered with production, and the house magazine became progressively thinner in the early 1940's, not recovering its former size until the 1950's. The war-time magazine is full of praise for the soldier relatives of the Letchworth staff. There were many material shortages during the war due largely to interrupted rubber imports from East Asia and the all-consuming need for steel. Corsets became utilitarian, yet highly important to an expanding industrial female workforce. 'Make do and mend' was the watchword and a huge nation-wide campaign to gather steel was instigated. Thousands of women removed the spiral steel bones from their old corsets and girdles and donated them to the war effort. After the Second World War, Spirella opened showrooms at the most prestigious locations in London, as the Oxford Circus premises illustrate. The success was attributable to the ground force of corsetieres, who sold and cajoled their ways through post-War suburbia.
The 'double-glazing' salesman might be the unwanted caller of the 1990's, and the 'Avon Calling' lady or Tupperware parties a less irritating diversion of the 1970's and 80's, but neither compare to the army of ladies, who, 'cold-calling' would shed their outer clothes and demonstrate, in a candicity almost unimaginable today, their underpinnings, the mainstay of their profession. Once again, we are victims of moralising from a view-point that is four decades in the future from a war-torn world was both extremely poor, yet demanding of the 'country fit for victors' that had been promised.
Spirella House, Oxford Street in the early 1950's. Note the beautiful inlaid mosaic pattern on the floor.
In the post-War period, the Spirella vans carried their wares across the country, whilst back in the laboratories, fundamental elements were tested to destruction.
The Spirella seamstresses from 1962 and 1960. Corset manufacture is highly labour intensive and highly skilled.
Of course the final article was passed under the gimlet gaze of the Senior Spirella inspectors (1962). Failure of a foundation garment, particularly a Spirella simply was not to be countenanced. Such expertise would leave the trade in the 1970's never to return. Within a few years, a huge social change would sweep through the world, the ramifications of which we are still trying to understand.
Spirella ensured a constant supply of jobs, some as exoteric as 'corset lacer', a profession which stumped the panel of "What's My Line". The Ivy Leaf Club, which was founded in September 1932, flourished as the sales techniques of the Americans rewarded effort and success with the trappings of the 1960's post-war wealth. The car, central-heating and, just to celebrate the First Man on the Moon, perhaps a colour TV, even if the pictures from the moon were in black and white! The War Years were over. The misery of rationing was finished. Women could look stylish again, and inspired by such sources as diverse as Dior and Jane Russell (albeit engineered by Howard Hughes), the 40-year-old woman could rely on Spirella for her new-found shape. Her Mother could rest assured in the quality of the corsets that she had worn from adolescence, and, if Spirella had their way, the daughters would follow in these corseted footsteps. Alas: it wasn't to happen that way.
This picture fascinates me. Is the woman particularly small? It does not appear so since her waist-line, in relation to the table-top, is the same as for the woman on the left. If so, that corset could be a huge 22 inches long. Judging by the photograph, the width is little less, perhaps accommodating a waist-line of 38 to 40 inches. It would probably fit our good friend Bunty, but for the fact that Bunty was only seven years old when this photograph was taken!
The demise of Spirella is catalogued within this web site and I'll dwell no longer here on this subject. Let us simply return to a time when the corsetry trade was at its zenith and regard a simple photograph (below) taken in December 1957. It encapsulates a time that remains in the memory of few:-
Oliver Philpott, Managing Director of Spirella from July 1957, was one of the many British forces personnel that were captured during World War II. He escaped from Stalag Luft III, in Germany, with three colleagues via the 'Wooden Horse', an amazing and inventive ruse that has generated at least one book and has been the inspiration of several films. My husband admits that such heroic deeds of WWII were the stuff of post-war British boyhood heroism that dominated his school life. In this picture from December 1957, Mr. Philpott awards an Ivy Leaf long service emblem to a Mrs. Bellingham. The picture is a reminder of the gentleman, and the lady. Historically, we know that the gentleman is a larger-than-life character. (If you have read the book you will understand). Quite obviously, the lady wears her Ivy Leaf emblem like a medal. She is not from the same 'drawer' as her company's MD, yet she is proud, she is discreetly, but well dressed, and her figure, although middle-aged, is a testimony to the excellent qualities of the foundation garments which, no doubt, she had sold in abundance. It is a photograph from a bygone era. It represents commercial success, however, I feel that the handshake is between two representatives from a world we no longer understand.
Spirella Foundations
Catalogues
Spirella sold their foundations through the agency of the corsetiere. Brochures and leaflets were distributed to the corsetieres and thence to the customers until the very early 1980's. Sadly, with the demise of the foundation wearing public, so the glossy catalogues and beautifully posed photographs passed from the corsetiere's briefcase. Spirella described its foundations as corsets, girdles ( 1928), corselettes and bandeaus, until they realised that nobody else referred to bandeaus and the name was changed to brassiere. In 1949, panty-girdles were introduced followed by 'waist-nippers' (popular amongst brides). As the 1970's drew to a close, the term 'corset' was replaced by a number of euphemisms such as 'laced foundation', however, we all knew what they meant and the subterfuge fooled nobody. Each picture will take you back to an elegant era that is barely remembered today.
From the collection of a Spirella woman. Foundations for all occasions.
The Numbering System

Spirella developed its famous numbering system well before the Second World War and stuck with these numbers, albeit with a few modifications, until the end. In their American fitter's catalogue of 1938, the numbering system is well established although it has not yet achieved the complexity that would follow after the war. The catalogue contains page after page where the styles are shown for slender, medium and stout figures. Maternity and abdominal are also covered as well as, unbelievably in the 21st century, a section on corsets for young girls. We have shown just a few of these pages below to illustrate the fundamentals of the numbering system.
The 1-series, were corselettes, all-in-ones or as Spirella called them, 'one-piece', garments.
The 2-series are girdles. In those days, a laced girdle was distinct from a corset. The un-boned back lacing would latterly be called 'soft lacing'. The difference between a girdle and a corset is described elsewhere, however, Spirella believe, as do I, that a corset will, at some point have no stretch in the circumference. That implies that the corset can compress the wearer. A girdle always has some elasticity so that tightening the laces will expand the garment as well as compress the wearer.
Most famously, the 3-series are corsets. Latterly, the back-lacer would become the 315, the front-lacer, and by far the most popular garment made by Spirella, the 305, and the front and back-lacer, the 325. The abdominal corset on the right would become the 335. Broadly speaking in America, the original logic was abc where a could be 1 = one-piece garment, 2 = girdle, 3 = corset and 4 = brassiere. b could be 0 = slender, 1 = medium, 2 = stout and 3 = abdominal. The c was just a model designation. Pre-war, stout women could not order girdles, but girls could order both girdles (un-boned) and corsets both in Britain and America. The 2 and the 3-series nomenclature would stand the test of time, however, confusion arose when America and Europe's numbering system started to diverge just before the war. In the 1960's in Britain, the 1-series was adopted for panty-girdles since the marketing department felt that 1 was perceived as lighter than 2 that was, in its turn, lighter than 3! The corselettes were relegated to number 7. We undertook to note as many designations as possible and they are tabulated below, however, with the divergence of America and Europe, this list cannot be considered compete or even totally accurate! And as for brassieres, well they were all over the place. Some even had names rather than numbers!
Whatever the number, the final product was a well-fitted foundation and a satisfied customer!
Brassieres
With every profitable corset or girdle sale, there must be a matching brassiere. After all the work of clinching an order for a 305 corset in the expensive 'bouquet' material, it was so easy for the practiced corsetiere to add "and of course, Madam will have a matching fashion line brassiere." It added about 25 percent to the deal and aesthetically was the correct thing to do. Happy, confident, and preparing for a night out, the lady on the right presents a picture that embodies the whole concept of Spirella. Fashionable, money well-spent, and a sight that many husbands would be familiar with as they too prepared for the evening, for in the chauvinistic world of 1957, the money well spent was the husbands', and Spirella had to convince him as well as his wife!
Brassiere 415, January 1957
Spirella's brassieres photographed very well in black, particularly with the black lace over a paler nylon backing. The brassieres came in almost as many styles and variations as the girdles and corsets they were designed to complement.
Style 375 from 1961
'Fashion Line' from 1971
The necessity for a made-to-brassiere is amply demonstrated by the three ladies above. The lady on the right is almost tubular above the waist, whereas the lady in the centre tapers strongly into the waist. Neither would find satisfaction from a ready-made long-line brassiere. Note how the pointed cups of 1961 have rounded ten years later. Confusingly and irritatingly, Spirella kept re-naming their favourite models. The 375 becoming the 'Fashion Line'. Judging by the photographs and letters that appeared in the Spirella magazines of this era, style 31 was the most popular brassiere of the 1960's. STYLE 31 gives a high degree of comfort in wear and is designed to appeal to a large number of women. Unique cup design gives well defined separation with maximum breast support. Carries no front boning. New non-rubber Lycra is used for all elastic sections.
These style 31's from 1964 and 1970 were Spirella's most popular brassiere and often complemented the 305 corset.
Although Spirella had its usual tortuous numbering system for brassieres, the company never had to hide its bras euphemistically behind numbers as it did for its corsets. A bra is a bra and is worn by virtually all women. A series of brassieres were developed in the late 1950's under the names Gentle Line and Fashion Line.
Gentle Line brassieres from 1959 show the back and front fastening models. Spirella's made-to-measure and personalised underwear allowed for many variations.
This is an original Gentle Line brassiere ( above ) from the author's collection. Note that although the advertisements show off the garment very well, they fail to capture the exquisite detail and materials used in the construction of this beautiful garment. Indeed, the peach coloured brassiere from the Letchworth Museum shows the best that could come out of the Harlow Factory ( below).
Form, function and fashion could be combined, exactly as the client required. This Spirella brassiere from the 1950's (below) had exquisite satin and lace detailing, yet was also back-laced.
Side-lacing was also available ( right). The lacing on the brassieres was called 'soft lacing', since it was not supported by adjoining bones. The full ensemble of laced brassiere, laced corset (complete with under-belt) is described elsewhere.
Brassiere 365 with 'soft' back-lacing
Banish any romantic notions of the wearer being laced into her brassiere. The lacing was normal adjusted before wear to achieve the desired tension. The lacing was a boon to the elderly lady whose weight fluctuations defeated any other sort of garment.
The back-lacing and side-lacing (above) were options right until the 1990's.
Fashion Line brassieres from 1960, 1962 and 1964 carried the success of the style 31 into the future but ultimately, the lightness of these garments would be their undoing.
As can be seen, each style of brassiere had a basic structure that, like the other Spirella foundations, could be had in various lengths, materials and fastenings. In the 1960's however, Spirella had the answer to the woman with large, small or quite importantly, unequal breasts. The models 364 and 375 rank as some of the most elegant brassieres ever constructed.
Style 364 (1960) and style 375 (1961) yet again show that even subtle variations from the design team warrant another number!
The brassiere for the well-defined waist (middle), and the style 35 on the mature figure (above right 1963), was what Spirella did well and what the ladies in the pictures probably could not buy in the High street. The materials are fine and elegant, the cut superb and one presumes the finished article was extremely comfortable. It is ironic that today, when female interest and purchasing power for brassieres is quite huge, the remains of the Spirella empire, which still fits corsets, has completely lost its edge in the brassiere trade at
which it was so good. It's almost heartbreaking to see how few fabrics are available nowadays compared to the beautiful fabrics that were available in the 1960's and 1970's. Year by year, another fabric was dropped from the corsetiere's swath of materials until even black vanished in the early 1990's. Tea Rose went the way of the rest, to be replaced by a boring flesh tone. If the marketing department knew what they were doing, they hid it well. The pictures below herald the death-knell for the Spirella brassiere. Although a long-line brassiere benefits from proper fitting, and certainly made-to-measure is ideal for the non-average figure, there's little to be gained from a made-to-measure bandeau. However attractive the pictures below might be, the girls could just as well have bought their brassieres at Marks and Spencer's and saved a week's wages. Even some devoted corsetieres admitted that the made-to-measure brassieres, costing up to three times the High street brands, were simply neither as strong nor as comfortable.
Even in the short-length model, the Fashion Line brassieres from 1961 are classics of their sort. However, despite their excellent design, there were other manufacturers who designed as well, and far more cheaply. The lucrative off-the-shelf market would signal their demise of Spirella's brassieres. The Coppelia 60 model on the right (1972) was a 'sensible' brassiere with a deep bandeau to prevent ridging of the flesh (all too commonly seen these days).
Very pretty models, pretty poses and pretty smiles simply did not cut it with the sophisticated young woman of the 1970's.
34
84
Far from mother introducing daughter to the extended family of Spirella, the reverse was true. Mothers followed their daughters into panty-girdles and Marks and Spencer brassieres in their millions, and Spirella would never recover. 32 85
Advertising Styles Spirella's strapless brassiere was very popular, possibly it was a garment that would, indeed, be worn for a special occasion, and thus the cost could be justified. In Spirella's advertising, however, we run through a whole gamut of emotions in these pictures from 1957. "How dare you photograph me in my bra" this stern matron below seems to think. In the middle, the poor lady appears to be meeting guests, whilst realising that her wardrobe is incomplete! Only on the right has the charming hostess the confidence to serve her guests tea in her underwear.
From the same year, this very stylish model has realised that it is perfectly alright to appear in your brassiere, providing that you adopt a sense of the theatrical.
Style 424 (left - 1957), and Gentle Line (above - 1957)
Spirella's brassieres were made for many years at the factory in Harlow rather than the main factory in Letchworth.
Measuring Systems
From Instructions to Corsetieres, Spirella introduced another word into the fitters' lexicon: Bandeau.
I must insert an ironic curiosity here. Because Spirella's foundations were made-to-measure, there was no need to refer to the size of the brassiere cup; it would all be taken care of by the measurements. This is in complete contrast to the revolution in brassiere design and marketing invented in the 1930's. The concept of the 'alphabet bra' in which a woman had an A, B, C or D-cup is a story in itself and not only led to ease of marketing and sizing, but also peer pressure amongst women as the power of the bosom ascended after the Second World War. It was a marketing gold-mine and I wonder if a small part of the traditional corsetry firms' demise was due to the simple lack of a stated cup size. Below we see this revolution as advertised by the very famous Warner's company in 1944, and also by Bali in the same year.
I had always believed that the alphabet brassiere cup size was invented in 1944 by Mrs. Leona Lax of the Warner Company, however, I have received information from "Roger K" that the alphabetical classification of cup sizes was invented some 10 years earlier. Whether it was Warner's that patented the concept I do not know and will look into the matter. My husband added that there are four cup sizes; egg cup, coffee cup, tea cup and the challenge cup !! Honestly; that joke is old even by his standards.
Girdles
Spirella's Girdle Descriptions Coppelia Spirelettes The 205 Girdle Panty-Girdles
Girdles started to replace corsets in the 1930's and in 1966 six million girdles were sold in Britain in nine months. A fair proportion of these were accounted for by Spirella's 6,000 consultants as the corsetieres had become known. (By 1966, the term 'corset' was having image problems in the marketing department). Even in November 1968, a report from Kayser Bondor disclosed that in a survey of over 3,000 women, 70 per cent still wore conventional girdles and the vast majority of women needed and wanted controlling garments. As we will see (weddings), 1968 probably sounded the death-knell of the girdle, as British woman suddenly adopted the panty-girdle that her American sisters had been wearing for nearly a decade. In fact, Spirella introduced the Spirelette 122, their first pantie-girdle, in 1953, but withdrew it in 1955. It was far too early for British woman! Today (2012), the girdle is probably less well known than the corset that still has a small, but dedicated, following. The panty-girdle, or shaper if you must, is the lower foundation of choice, if, of course you chose to wear a foundation. But let us return to the heyday of the girdle.
Spirella girdle 206 - 1956
Spirella girdle 246 - 1958
In the 1960's the 200-series girdles were the foundation of choice for the young woman, the bride and even the aspiring lady politician. The 205 girdle has enough of an interesting development to warrant a separate page.
The 205 girdles (from 1956, 1964, 1965, 1970 and 1978 above) and the 206 girdles (below) were Spirella's longest selling designs. The front panel of the 206 could be ordered in a choice of materials. The odd selection of a cartoon on the left is not without reason, for the styling of the 205 changed in the late 1950's.
The 206's from 1957, 1958, 1965 and 1968 show the exquisite details available on these garments.
The 205 and 206 models ran from the end of the war until the 1970's. They were immensely popular, however, in response to the bigger hipped woman of the 1960's, the 234 and 246 (below) were introduced in the late 1950's; they were the first new style in over a decade.
With the post-war boom, people began to grow (as they still are today) and the 234 girdle was designed in 1961 to accommodate the larger hipped woman. The 234 girdles (1961 - 1964 above illustrate the different cut from the 205/6 series.
The 246 was a lighter girdle for the younger figure, however, fancy materials could be ordered at extra cost and were a favourite choice of brides.
The more flexible girdles 207 and 208 (right) were introduced in 1964, however, the 207 seems to have induced head-aches in the poor models. The 208, light and flexible, at last brings a smile to the model.
Excerpts from the Spirella magazines describe these girdles in far more detail.
Coppelia
The Coppelia 40-series range was introduced in the mid-1960's to counter the cheap (and extremely well made) products from from the stores such as Marks and Spencer. It was very difficult for some women to believe that the extra expense of the made-to-measure girdle was justified in view of the choice of fittings from ready made girdles. The girl in the middle below is a rare example of a poorly constructed Spirella picture; the girdle is worn far too low and very obviously, such a girl doesn't need a girdle like that, although her mother might! Frankly, with girdles like these, long-line brassieres would have been more appropriate.
Coppelias 40, 41, 41, 43, 44 and 45 from 1969 to 1972. The lady in the 45 doesn't look as pleased as she does above in her 41!
Latterly, Coppelias became (in Britain) the first girdles sold by Spirella in stock sizes. The pictures come from Spirella's last catalogues produced early in the 1980's. The Coppelia girdles were, in fact, very well made, however, when they came on the market, the era of the corsetiere as a skilled trade was on the wane. Many corsetieres might as well have sold 'Tupperware', or 'Avon' cosmetics. How many measurements do you need to sell a plastic tub or a perfume? None; and that is my point. Coppelia was never a great success, because it was too easy for an inexperienced corsetiere to foist on a client, and the client would feel that, perhaps Marks & Spencer were cheaper and better. The emphasis had moved from service and quality, to sales, sales, sales!
Coppelias 42 and 42.
Nevertheless, in an attempt to persuade a new generation (Spirella hoped) to embrace the girdle, or vice versa, Spirella provided detailed instructions with each garment concerning laundering (very important) and amazingly, how to put on the garment itself. Mostly, this would appear to be common sense, however, the instructions for the corselette may come as a surprise. The garment should be turned inside-out before donning and effectively unrolled up the wearer. This is actually an effective technique and is still encouraged by many South American manufacturers who still produce all-in-one garments.
These pictures show two Coppelia 43 girdles. On the left is the older one (late 1960's) with the signature details of metal zipper and high quality satin elastic panels at the sides and rear. On the right is the same style of girdle but dating from a decade later. The quality of the satin elastic just is not quite the same and the zipper is now a plastic affair. This insidious decline in perceived, if not actual, quality was a sign of the times.
Spirelette
Spirella coined the term Spirelette in the 1950's and even introduced a pantie-girdle in 1953! This was simply an attempt to woo post-war woman by offering less formidable underwear than that of their mothers yet keeping them within the Spirella fold. It did not work and
models that were introduced in a blaze of publicity were quietly withdrawn but a few years later.
In the 1950's, Spirella coined the term 'Spirelette' for a range of lighter girdles. These were still made-to-measure, and should not be confused with the Spirelette range that was introduced in 1963 and was pushed towards the younger clientele in the 1970's (see panty-girdles). I believe that the name 'Spirelette' was a response to arch-rival Spencer's, Spencerette. The Spencerette, was by no means a light garment, but when the name was introduced, it was certainly lighter than the corset it replaced. The latter Spirelette was never fully made-to-measure, and was simply available in an enormous range of sizes. Note how even a garment aimed at the more youthful figure (216 from 1954 right), had the option of front-lacing. How many housewives in their 30's and 40's wore a laced foundation in the 1950's? We'll never know and the records of Spirella and Spencer that might provide a clue, are probably lost forever. Certainly, not many of these women would shout from the rooftops "I wear a corset like my mother and granny did", although that would probably be the reason why!
Laced girdle 216 from 1954
Why is it that the photograph compiler gives the model a semi-swooning posture? Scarlet O'Hara's corsets had reached the cinemas 15 years before.
Spirelette Girdles (above): the 122 from 1953, 126 from 1957 and 1953, the 127 from 1953 and 1957, and the 128 from 1954. Amazingly Spirella offered a pantie-girdle (the 122) in 1953.
Girdles from the Ivy Leaf Collection
It is often quite revealing to look at real girdles from Spirella (and other makes for that matter), since, to be honest, the majority of girdle wearers in the last 20 years have been older women. The example on the right is an absolute classic Spirella. Note the waist, 30", and the 34" hips have created more of a tube, than some of the shapely girdles above, worn by shapely models. This is the girdle of an elderly woman, whose 26" / 36" lower proportions have changed with age.
Flesh is lost from the derriere and a lack of exercise allows the tummy to protrude. This was no corset designed to flatten the stomach at all costs (left), this was typical Spirella, made-to-measure, and designed to support the abdomen without constricting it in any way (right). No off-the-peg corset or girdle was made with such a scant hip-spring of 4". By catering to the vagaries of the female shape, Spirella became justly famous.
The following pictures of girdles have been collected over a 35 year period and are classics of their era.
Above we have in the top row, 205 (post 1960), 205 (pre-1960 style) and a 206. In the bottom row, a 234, a 246 and an older American 202. On the left in black is another 234. Despite the dramatic difference in materials, the cut of the two 234's is identical. The real girdles, in colour, and with the obvious lustre of satin, nylon and brocade, say so much more about the garments than the black & white pictures, although exquisitely modelled, will ever do. Identification requires access to a Spirella magazine or brochure of the period, however, such was Spirella's fascination, and latterly ever-changing range of model numbers, that not even our collection has a reference to all the models. Spirella's service to its client allowed for the copying of older styles and these keep cropping up at auction. Their provenance is hard to determine.
If you are really lucky, then the garment may still have the manufacturer's tag attached (right) . So much more than a high street purchase, this tag tells of the garment model, the material, the corsetiere and client. Even the date is recorded of this 30 year-old 206 girdle ( left ). It's a collector's dream, for we look at a slice of history. Regard, however, the difference between a 1957 206 girdle and the 1977 one. Both eminently powerful and long-lasting garments, the older girdle has so much more quality. Note the suspenders 'flashes', the adjustable clips and heavy corset quality satin. The metal zip adds a touch of charm, but for once, the newer garment has the edge since the old metal zips were not as reliable as the plastic variety!
Provenance of the best sort! The girdle's suspenders have been incorrectly assembled and this is why it remained as a return with its tags.
Details from a 206 girdle (1957 - left) and one twenty years younger (1977)
Incidentally, as an aid to dating Spirella's girdles, the metal zip was replaced by nylon zips in 1958, but only on corselettes. The nylon zip, however, was well established on Spirella's girdles by the early 1960's. That dates these girdles above.
Panty-Girdles
including Basques, Waspies, Suspender Belts and The surprising Spirelette 105!
In the mid 1960's, Spirella had to admit the existence of tights and endorsed a range of panty-girdles under the Coppelia and Spirelette banner. These were never fully made-to-measure, the factory simply could produce them in a large range of sizes. The corsetiere would still fit the garment; it was part and parcel of the process, however, it was, in many respects, unnecessary. The Coppelia was aimed at the middle-aged 'girdle to panty-girdle' convert, and the Spirelette at her daughter. Although Spirella advertised in women's magazines, the repeat sale or new sale still relied upon word of mouth, recommendations and the perseverance of the travelling consultant. Spirella wanted the new generation to follow the habits of the old. The Spirelettes were aimed strongly at the daughters of existing customers, but to no avail, some of the latest Spirelette designs had a life of only a few years before they were discontinued. More than any of Spirella's products, the Spirelette range reveals a company in turmoil, facing a future to which it would be unable to adapt. After the 25 year history of the 206 girdle and the four decades almost unchanged of the 305 corset, Spirella's foray into the panty-girdle quickly died. It's interesting to note that the few remaining Spirella corsetieres (that work for Spencer these days) still rate the 305 corset as their most popular garment after six decades of only detail changes. Spirella resurrected the name Spirelette in the 1970's. It failed in the 1950's and sadly, fared little better in the 1970's despite the determined look on the models face. Spirelette's desperate attempt to appear modern in 1963. The Spirella magazine (right) ran a column written by a trendy young girl called Wendy. She appeared in a modish crash helmet and riding a scooter; I mean just how modern did you want to go! I've seen most of these panty-girdles and waistnippers, and the striking feature that is totally missed (probably on purpose) is how variable they are in strength. They are mainly light creations for the 1960's woman who might even admire the latest pop star, however, the 102 and 105 were bullet-proof and were more likely to have been worn by the pop star's mother!
The Coppelia 51 panty-girdles on the left (1969) were the strongest in the Spirella range. From 1980, the 754 (755 with higher waist) and 750 (right - 751 with convenience opening) was an attempt to persuade women that even panty-girdles could be made-to-measure.
The Spirelette 82 girdle (1969 left) was an excellent example of the lighter panty-girdle for the more modern woman or, from a sales point-of-view, a long term client's daughter. The Spirelettes 111, 112, 114 and 115 demonstrate a consistency of cut and design. The 115 was actually a conventional girdle for the old-fashioned girl, or far more probably, a girl with an old-fashioned mother. These girdles were available throughout the 1970's.
I love these pictures. The two girls are about the same age, however, the school-girlish, giggly innocence on the left has been replaced by a sophisticated, and perhaps even calculating, young lady on the right who appears to have stepped straight out of a 'James Bond' film. Don't be deceived. That panty-girdle on the left above, modelled by the coy innocent is shown in its reality below. Grannies, mothers and daughters in the late 60's to early 80's could have ordered these panty-girdles. They are unexpectedly powerful garments that could force a shape on the most recalcitrant of torsos and leave the Mother, at least, secure in the knowledge that if her daughter couldn't actually be provided with a chastity belt; she would be wearing a close approximation. Bad luck Mr. Bond! Talking of Mr. Bond, the panty-girdle era and the advent of James Bond were not lost on at least one Swedish manufacturer, Blair.
Spirelette 105 girdle (1965)
Spirelette 134 girdle (1969)
The surprising Spirelette 105

Let us call upon the Spirella house magazine 'Threads' who introduced the Spirelette 105 in 1963:It takes 12 major operations to make the LONG LEG PANTIE GIRDLE New Spirelettes a range of ready-to-wear girdles and bras to replace the earlier Spirelette range are now being made in the Corset assembly department at Letchworth. First styles in the new range were released to corsetieres in the spring and three further styles have recently been added. New Spirelettes are unique for they carry the only long-legged pantie girdle style in the Spirella range. It's a high waisted girdle giving a smooth line from above the waist to mid-thigh, and has adjustable suspenders inside the leg. Pantie styles have enjoyed increasing popularity among the younger set in recent months and in the U.S.A. sales of this kind of garment have rocketed. They are ideal for wear with trews or tight skirts. Feelings were mixed among the Spirella girls we talked to about long-legged pantie girdle styles generally. Some liked the idea of them, especially for wearing with slacks, while others preferred something without a leg. It takes about a dozen major manufacturing operations to make the Spirella long-legged pantie girdle and the work is under the control of the Production Manager. In addition to the long-legged pantie style, five other New Spirelette designs are already released to corsetieres, They are a lightweight all elastic pantie brief, a normal length pantie girdle, an all-elastic pull-on girdle, a lightweight high waisted girdle giving rather more support and control, and a featherweight bra in Terylene and cotton. All the lower styles carry a distinctively shaped centre panel in new, extra-light Terylene and cotton, which has on it an attractive chevron pattern of bright rayon, the whole panel being overlaid with a new and charmingly embroidered marquisette. Except for this centre front panel New Spirelettes are made in a new extra-light elastic They make their appeal to the woman and girl who require a minimum of support and control.
Well done Spirella. They correctly anticipated the move from girdle to panty-girdle at the end of the 1960's in Britain, however, the prose does not quite prepare one for the actual garment as I will explain below:Our first-hand knowledge of the Spirelette 105 came from the residue of a corsetiere's estate. We had purchased a number of Spirelette garments which, I had always believed were light-weight versions of the 'real thing'. That is foundations that a mother might buy for her daughter to lure her onto more conventional corsetry. The Spirelette panty-girdle 104 and the corselette 116, were exactly as I had imagined, however, the longer-legged 105 was a revelation! It is the strongest pantygirdle I have ever encountered (and I've seen a few)! The Spirella advertisement shows a young lovely looking coy in what appears to be a flimsy, although functional panty-girdle (above). I imagine that both mother and daughter would got a shock when the real garment turned up. Of course, not all young girls are slender, and, in reality, perhaps the corsetiere would only recommend such a garment for very strong control. It certainly works. The elastic is not just strong, it's doubled in the key areas, and the satin panels are of a weight completely unknown today.
One could be forgiven for thinking, based on the brochure material, that these garments were mere mere wisps of power-netting. Far from it; they are heavy and substantial foundations, but they work.
Whilst we were updating the page on the 'Feel of Foundations', we decided to check out the girdles with the most bones and seams. Our reader commented that, as a teenager, she wore a girdle just like her mother. The trouble was that her mother was half again as big as herself so that the bones, seams and zipper, that seemed entirely reasonable to mother with a 35 inch waist, were uncomfortably close together for a girl with a 25 inch waist! The Sears standard panty-girdle does well with 11 seams, a zipper, six bones and six suspenders, the rearwards of which lie exactly where you want to sit down. The Spirellette 105, can only boast nine seams, six bones, a zipper and four suspenders but is heavier and feels more substantial. The materials are simply heavier duty items. The Spirella was, however, custom-made and the owner may well have omitted the rear suspenders. The Sears wins again around the leg with five seams per leg; Spirella can muster only four. By comparison, the M&S satin-elastic girdle of the 1960's fields nine seams, a zipper, six suspenders but a whopping nine bones and outweighs either of the panty-girdles. "But, they really didn't stand up by themselves, surely?" How often have we heard that comment. In the nature of scientific enquiry, my husband and I selected the Spirelette 105, an unused M&S satin elastic girdle (8054/956B, for those of you who are girdle spotters) and a 2010, firm control panty-girdle - sorry - shaper also from M&S. The results are clear to see, and those vintage girdles are not touching the wall or supported in any way other than by the very fabric of the garment. The collapsed mess in the foreground is, of course, the modern shaper!
Basques, Waist Nippers* and Suspender Belts
Spirella advertised in all their brochures from the 1950s and 1960s, a small range of basques, suspender belts and waist nippers (*sometimes called 'waspies'). These were aimed directly at the younger woman in general, and the bride in particular. To be honest, these articles hardly required a detailed fitting, however, they were a small bonus source of commission for the corsetiere if, after having got mother a new girdle and granny a new corset, the bride and bridesmaids could also be persuaded to get something made for that special day. Getting all the family involved, whether for a wedding or a funeral, was important to the corsetiere. Like mother like daughter earned the corsetiere a continuing source of income that lasted for decades. Unexpectedly, there was a reversal of fortunes in the 1960s, when suddenly liberated daughters convinced their mothers that a cheap panty-girdle from Marks and Spencer was the equal of their expensive fitted foundations. This mistake, as it turned out (see the human question mark), was one of two weapons that killed the traditional corsetry trade. The other weapon was the rise in popularity of tights.
Suspender belt 1081 (left) and waist nipper 1080 (right) from 1957.
I have seen two waist nippers (model 1080). One from the Spirella archives in I was quite startled two years ago in Holland to observe my nieces wedding album. On Letchworth ( left ). It is very well made, as one would expect from Spirella, in a heavy the second page were photographs of her getting ready for the big event wearing a very black satin. Although not obvious, the side panels are satin elastic that allows a degree of pretty basque (very similar to these Spirella basques from 1967 - left and 1980 - right). flexibility in sizing. Obviously not for the wedding, this might very well have been part This was, however, a one-off for the special event and the strapless gown she wore. of the brides trousseau for wearing with an evening gown. The suspender belt, 1081, and waist nipper, 1080, were renamed Spirelettes 101 and 102 in 1963. Another attempt by Spirella to confuse us all!
Spirelettes 101 and 1080 (1963)
Until recently, I never had the chance to look closely at a white 1080 waistnipper. These were genuinely popular amongst brides; and a little touch, that I thought was home-sewn, the three rosebuds, right of centre and above the two front-suspenders, appear to be standard fitment. These adornments can just be glimpsed on Spirella's catalogue photograph of the 1080 above right.
Spirella's attempt to encourage regular middle-aged clients to introduce their daughters to the brand, were doomed to failure as the 1960's progressed, however, probably one of the most popular garments purchased by the younger generation was the 'waist nipper', and Spirella was at pains to point this out in their house magazine. Of course, a 'waist nipper' is a special occasion only garment, and from that the writing on the wall should have been clearly illuminated, but nobody was looking!
The singer Dinah Kaye ( far left, 1959), the lovely bride ( left, 1960), Miss Liverpool 1959 and yet another Butlin's talent winner all wore Spirella foundations, in this case 'waist nippers' prescribed by their mothers, all of whom were Spirella corsetieres (and presumably who could buy the garments at cost price!) The pianist boasted an extensive 'Spirella wardrobe' of long-line bras and waist nippers.
Corselettes
The corselette has been called by many names: corsolette, all-in-one and latterly body suit. The all-in-one describes the garment well (although in America it suggests a corselette with panty-legs), however, I prefer the name corselette, since it sounds rather feminine.
Spirella made corselettes for much of its history although the traditionalists might prefer the combination of girdle or corset and long-line brassiere. Indeed, in a similar fashion to Spencer's Spen-all, Spirella also made a corselette that was in one piece at the back but came round at the front to form a separate brassiere and girdle or corset section as shown below.
From 1958, and unusually for Spirella straying from their beloved numbers, the Escapade corselette.
The 700 series corselette (1960) was the basis for the 1960 range. The 700 itself was a much stronger garment than its derivatives that would appear in the late 1960's and early 1970's.
The 709 on the right echoes a style that was used by several manufacturers where the back of the garment is in one piece but the front brassiere and corset/girdle are separate.
The corselette was popular with brides and for wearing with evening dresses. The examples below show the lighter garments from the end of the 1960's. The models on the right are essentially identical, however, the name changes from the 707 to the Coppelia 91. The Coppelia range was a departure of Spirella from its strict made-to-measure policy, and the Coppelia range could be purchased direct from the Spirella brochure.
Spirella corselettes 707 from 1966 and 1969. On the right, the identical but 'off the peg' Coppelia from 1968.
The subject of James Bond was mentioned in the pantie-girdle section. The picture below prompted my husband to
remark that, surely this had to be the interview board from SMERSH that selected the Russian female spy to seduce James Bond in the famous film based on Ian Fleming's novel "From Russia with Love".
In fact, this photo comes from the Spirella Company's files of 1964, not from the KGB. In some respects it would have made a really good scene for a James Bond movie !
Corselettes at the Swimming Pool

Spirella latterly experimented with clothes and other accessories including swimsuits. If you can make a powerful corselette, you can design a swimsuit to shape the figure and they did so very successfully. Some of Spirella's swimsuits are far stronger than any foundation made today. They zipped and hooked at the back, and beneath the trendy helanca fabric lay layers of powerful elastic. Boning, hooks and a back or side zip were all part of the suit. Concealed lacing was not a Spirella option, however, it was used by a number of actresses in the 1950's.
Corsets
Spirella started making their corsets in 1904. Over the years the factory built up quite a collection, as demonstrated above in September 1931. The collection was taken to America and shown to Marilyn Monroe prior to the making of the motion picture 'The Price and the Showgirl'. Although most of the cast wore Spirella made corsets recreated for the period, Miss Monroe did not, although the incorrect legend persists. On the other hand, celebrities as diverse as Mae West and Violet Carson (Ena Sharples of Coronation Street) did. One hundred years on from 1904, the Spirella corset can still be purchased as a made-to-measure foundation, albeit re-incarnated as the Spencer 'posture corset' after the take over of Spirella (UK) in 1988. Spirella's best selling garment of all time was the 305 style corset described in
A Century of the 305

It could be constructed in the most fashionable style of the day, yet, with a few additions, it entered the complicated world of the 'surgical corset'; an ambiguous garment that bought relief to many ailments, both real and imaginary.
Surgical Corsets Early Days

Spirellas first corsets were produced in 1904 in America and 1910 in Britain. In those days, they were made by experienced corset seamstresses who operated the heavy-duty sewing machines necessary to tackle the heavy brocades and coutils. The production lines and specialist trades (such as corset lacer) would come later. Despite the labour intensive manufacturing process, Spirellas corset reached the furthest corners of the Empire as the photograph from Rhodesia in 1916 shows! The pictures below featuring women in their corsets are dated 1910, and come from the Spirella archives. Their provenance is uncertain and they may not even be Spirellas own products, however, they are certainly typical of the corsets of that period. What is not typical is the candid, even brazen display of the lady on the right. This appears to come from the stalls of the French postcard vendor rather than the
staid corridors of Letchworth.
In the early Spirella magazines, all corset pictures featuring women were drawings, until the first real photographs appeared in 1930. The sepia pictures below come from a remarkable series of stereo photographs which were much in vogue in the 1930's. A small stereo viewer and half a dozen images were available to corsetieres to show to their clients. What these clients might have thought of the incredibly posed, and rather unnatural situations depicted, has been lost to history.
By 1940, the poses were more natural although frequently, the garment is largely hand-drawn over the human figure. This was more to improve the contrast and the detail of a mediocre photograph rather than any form of modesty. The picture on the right from 1941, is a good, clear photograph of a model wearing the latest Spirella foundation. The elegant, 'art deco' pose and the far away romantic look would become a feature of corsetry advertising for decades.
Spirella, like all the major manufacturers, used pictures from the uncompromisingly realistic to the romantic ideal. It has to be said at this point that the romantic ideal is a figment of the male imagination, however, women would always attempt to conform to this ideal, which is sadly not the case today. Below are some of Spirella's best models demonstrating the 305 corset in 1954. It is just possible that these women might have worn such a corset. Bear in mind that they were born around 1925 and would have been teenagers in the late 1930's. By the 1950's, however, it would only be their Mothers who would, I feel, be in the market for such a garment. The most unlikely combination of garments is shown on the left. If you need a corset, then you need a long-line brassiere to control the inevitable surplus of flesh that will appear at the top of the corset. Nevertheless, it does not detract from the elegance of the poses. Would a 70 year-old Granny really imagine that she could recapture her youth by donning one of Spirella's best corsets? I doubt it!
Examples
Corsets of this period are rare, however, below is shown a genuine Spirella from 1917 complete with label and limited guarantee.
Two things immediately strike me. Firstly, how similar the corset is to a Spirella 305 of the 1980's (seven decades later). The length and the height above the waist are the main difference in cut and fashion. The opned corset shows the internal tape at waist level. Secondly, the major difference is the suspender length. Stockings were far shorter then, barely reaching above the knee, and so the suspender had to extend well below the bottom corset rim. This is a beautiful example of a model 902.
A Century of the
Spirella 3 Series Corset
The Spirella corset dates back to the foundation of the company in 1904 (USA) and 1910 (UK). In 1909 there was a model with the designation 333; however, by the 1920's this was referred to as the '98'. In 1935, the 300 series corset was developed; however, the references to 305, 315, etc. depended on size. The original generic design was designated '310' in the 1938 catalogue.
In 1943, the terminology that 305 was a front-lacer, 315, a back-lacer and 325 front and back-lacer was adopted. It lasted until Spirella was sold in the 1980's. Even then, the
Spencer 'posture corset', which was very similar to the 305, continued. Spencer were always obliging to their customers' wishes, and in 2000, several front and back-laced 'posture corsets' were ordered from Spencer. In fact, these were corsets ordered from long-term Spirella 325 wearers and were virtually identical to the models constructed in the 1940's. It's fair to say that the current 'posture corset' has its roots back in 1909, but is virtually unchanged in style since the 1940's. Materials have changed, the busk was replaced by the zip post-war and the metal zip was replaced by the nylon zip (an invention of 1958) in the late 1960's.
The Spirella Catalogues of 1935 and 1936 shows the basic corset design that was developed in 1909 and continues to this day. Spirella demanded that front 'conditions' required front-lacing (model 305), back problems needed a back-lacing (model 315), and for the poor woman who suffered from both (and who presumably had a very understanding maid or husband), lacing both front and rear (model 325).
Spirella shows the 305 corset in advertising literature from 1939 (left). The formidable 325 and a pair of 305's come from 1943. In contrast to Spencer, Spirella's advertising of this period was almost austere despite the pretty fabric of the 325. The flanking example is a real pre-war 325. This is a well-used (and discretely repaired) example.
These models used regularly by Spirella show the 325 corset from 1959, and the 305 corset in 1961, 1969 and 1973 (below). Note the change from the metal to the nylon zipper. The satin 'flashes' over the suspenders of the 1961 corset are a lovely touch and could be ordered for a small extra charge. The 1970's models are smiling, which reflects the booming time in Britain in contrast to the far more serious models of the war years.
Photographed in the early 1970's, one of Spirella's favourite models shows off the 305 (middle and left). Note the same model in a Gentle Line brassiere and 515 corset. Apparently similar to the 305, the 515 was much lighter and almost falls into the 'grey ' area of the laced girdle.
These illustrations come from Spirella last catalogues of the early 1980's. As always the catalogues are well presented and tastefully arranged. Sadly, the catalogues, the materials and the choice would soon vanish. Nevertheless, there was still a small market for the 315 (left; with concealed back-lacing), a brace of 527's (above - with the twin side-lacers) and, of course, the most famous of all; the 305. The incredibly elegant model (below left), shows off a 315 in 1961. Note that the corset has no rear fly to protect the back of the wearer. This would have been normal in a real corset which this model most certainly did not require! In reality, after WWII, the 315 sold in steadily decreasing numbers. A social change meant that fewer women had maids to lace them up and the "Swinging 60's" were just around the corner. Times would change fast and women would change too. Some women soldiered on with their corsets, litterally crying when Spirella went out of business. Others, who had worn corsets for decades, would see out their time in pantie-girdles.
The 305 was popular because in 1960 there was a demand from women who had been corseted since their teens in the 1910 - 1930 era. Made-to-measure corsetry is important and worth the money, and it was not a hard task for the corsetieres to sell these corsets to a population of over-40-year-olds. Exercise for women rarely extended beyond school days, and, indeed, a laced foundation was a boon to the older woman or the young mother. This ended in the late 1960's, and whilst girls were burning their bras very publicly, a whole generation of women were deserting their corsets much more privately. The girdle had a huge success during this period; however, the rapid pace of change saw the Spirella marketing department in a very re-active struggle against a booming population of girdle-wearers who could buy 'off the peg' garments from the High street stores. The corset would still be sold, but there would never be a growth market. Sadly it became a declining market, and as regular corset wearers representing decades of loyalty passed away, there was nothing other than the dedication of the corsetieres to replace them. Most of the corsetieres needed the money from their hard-earned sales, but in the end, Spirella sold out to Spencer in 1989 (in UK). There was just no room for two independent corset makers. Incidentally, Spencer bought Spirella in Canada in 1959, nearly three decades earlier. It would seem that the writing was on the Canadian wall far sooner than in Britain. The sort of woman (left) who would never have worn a 315 corset, or, indeed, any corset in the 1960's. If lady did wear such a garment a long-line brassiere would have been de rigeur.
The papers ran a few articles on the demise of Spirella with mildly witty headlines Bottom falls out of the market Corset sales are sagging Corset squeezed out by whims of fashion We have made up a page with these articles re-printed. It is called the Demise of the Corset Sadly, some life-long devotees of Spirella wept when they heard the news. For them, life would never be the same again. Fortunately, the 305 corset lives on in the guise of the Spencer 'posture corset' and during the 1960's there were any number of Spirella house articles dedicated to this most popular of all foundation garments. I love the two photographs on the right. The beautiful girl on the left is a model wearing a lighter version of the 305 called a 515. She obviously doesn't need to wear a corset by today's standards and few girls in the 1960's did so, except perhaps for the 'special occasion' or the 'special outfit'. The lady on the right is not a model. She is a Spirella customer who was photographed to show the 'before-and-after' effect of the 305 corset on the fit of her clothes. Again, by today's standards, a woman of this age would not even consider a corset; however, in the 1960's this was not uncommon and, in this lady's case, most effective. Both ladies appear quite charming and for quite different reasons.
A model demonstrates a 515 (a softer cousin of the 305) in 1960 and a Spirella client courageously poses in 1962
Then there was the question of colour that we've touched upon under The Corsetiere. The choices mainly centred around white, black, peach and tea rose. Another selection of Spirella's favourite models from 1958, 1962, 1964 and 1971. These corsets could be ordered (like the bra) in black lace over a lighter coloured backing. They were so expensive, requiring as much material and work to construct as two corsets, that until recently, I'd never seen one of these incredibly elegant garments.
These three models demonstrate the black option; however, the majority of the Spirella advertisements and articles were for white foundations. Even in the 1960's black was considered a bit 'racey'. Peach and tea rose were the choice of older woman or for the 'surgical' garments. In the 1960's, corsets such as these were available in a wide range of materials from heavy cottons and brocades to the lighter and more easily washable rayon satins and nylon. Light-weight 'aertex' style cloth was used on corsets for overseas use. The heavier fabrics and the rather plain but functional coutil were the preserve of the corset worn for genuine corrective support. Although a clever corsetiere could convince a client that anything other than a perfect figure needed 'correction', there were many women who genuinely needed their support. This was the preserve of the surgical corset.
All through the 1960's the Spirella magazine stressed the benefits of the 'laced foundation'. It's almost as if they knew that the corset would soon be on an irreversible decline. Below is the text from three articles which stress that the 300-series corset is for all ages and lifestyles. Similar articles were published throughout the 1960's. Company Director's Wife: (article right) Grandmother: Mrs. F. has been a 305 wearer for many, many years. In fact she wouldn't know what to do if she had to stop wearing her 305 now. She's come to depend on it so much for comfort, appearance and health. It keeps her young and active for her years; enables her to take a keen interest in life, and to take part in the activities of her family and her grandchildren. She's convinced: "I wouldn't be half the woman without my 305". Housewife: Mrs. K. has a house, a husband and three vigorous sub-teen children to look after. Every afternoon she used to suffer from that nagging 'kitchen sink' backache. Housework used to get her down --making beds, cooking, washing up-- all that bending over. Now it doesn't matter, because her 305 has banished all unpleasantness. She even enjoys her housework and still has the energy to enjoy the early evening with her family. Businesswoman: After her baby was born Mrs. F's doctor recommended a more controlling garment to help her regain her good figure. Mrs. F was delighted with her 305 for two reasons: being the owner of a successful fashion business it was essential that she looked neat and trim (her 305 did just that for her); and as a modern working woman she felt the benefit and freedom from fatigue
which her 305 gave her after the strain of childbirth. Note how the word 'corset' is completely omitted in this article. 'Style 305' or 'controlling garment' being used.
November 1963 Style 305 - one of the most successful designs in the Spirella Range
In August 1964, Spirella admitted that the 305 was a 'laced foundation.' Laced Foundations ... the 300 series There is often a tendency to think of corsets as being for the larger figure only, but figure support and control is sometimes as much a problem of the small woman with a 24" waist as for the large woman with a 44" waist. Even the petite woman can have figure problems, for which only a laced foundation can satisfactorily cater. Irrespective of figure size, if a woman has a figure needing correction or positive control she should wear a laced foundation rather than a girdle. One of the basic principles of corset design is that the degree of support and control provided by a foundation decreases as the amount of elastic in the garment increases. Corsets use a very limited amount of elastic in their construction and in the main this is in the form of gores in the skirt to give freedom of leg movement. Girdles, on the other hand, are a combination of cloth and elastic, and so give more gentle support and control than corsets.
Lacings increase the degree of support and control, and localise it to some extent. This is why a front-laced corset is chosen for a woman whose figure needs intensified control at the front, and a back-laced corset for one who needs support at the back of the figure. The lacings, together with pull-loops and holding knots, give this control and support exactly where it is most needed, and are varied according to the individual needs of each figure. Every woman who needs a laced foundation will find in the Spirella range a corset suitable for her. There are no exceptions to this and no limitations of size or figure. Some corsetieres perhaps do not realise just how comprehensive the Spirella made-to-measure corset service is or how much variety there is in it. The basic service consists of four styles - the 305, 315, 325 and 335, These four styles between them cover the whole range of figure types and sizes, and offer considerable variety when the alternative construction features available are taken into account. For example, the 305, 315 and 325 can have a standard or close-fitting skirt, and all four can be made with elastic at the top. The is also the choice of fastening --zip, hook and eye or clasp (busk)-- and of the position of the fastening. The above waist heights are variable and so are the suspender fittings. And of course there is a wide choice of materials, some (such as Tropical) being really light and modern. When all these factors are taken into account the great variety and flexibility of our corset service becomes apparent. Whatever the figure problem may be, there is a Spirella corset to cater for it.
Amazingly, the catalogue picture (right) comes from the Canadian Spencer (!) catalogue of 1959. Spencer and Spirella had already merged in Canada, three decades before Britain.
Real Examples
The Spirella 305
On the right is a beautiful example of a Canadian 305 corset. Really quite basic, this front-laced, zippered corset in black nylon is a charming undergarment. The fact that it has seen little use, and even has a small split along one of the seams reveals that it was probably used for 'special occasions' only. The trouble with rarely worn corsets is that they never get 'worn in' properly and can suffer from seam failure as a consequence.
The British 305 corset (below) is made from that so popular 'orchid' artificial satin material. It was owned by a larger lady and worn quite often but probably not on a daily basis.
The waist creases indicate that the corset was worn tight enough to support a fair-sized abdomen, and yet put a good definition of the waist. The lower creases are simply a consequence of sitting for long periods. This corset is much more recent than many auction sellers imagine. I have seen these corsets advertised as Victorian! The giveaway points are:- nylon zip, four suspenders and the material. This is a corset from the 1980's!
Zip fasteners were metal in the 1970's. Six suspenders were mandatory when an older woman's stockings were far more elastic than today's. Black orchid ceased as a Spirella option in the late 1980's.
The Spirella 325

Too many of these corsets appear at auction to suppose that they were rarities in any way. This particular garment, in a hard-wearing patterned nylon, has seen years of service to a large and fairly stout woman. The corset is designed to support the abdomen by daily tightening of the front-lacing. The back-lacing would be adjusted far more rarely, and then to accommodate some figure fluctuation. These corsets were being made by Spirella until they closed in the late 1980's.
This American 325 (right) is an older (1950's) no-nonsense corset in a hard-wearing coutil. Note the old-fashioned suspender 'knobs' and the concealed back-lacing, also evident on the black corset ( above ). The corset was never worn since the front-lacing appears closed, un-twisted, and with no spare lacing to open it fully. It has been laced this way purely for display. On real corsets, the spare lacing could amount to a yard of embarrassment should it come loose unexpectedly!
The Spirella 315

The Spirella 315 ( below) is an altogether rarer garment. Front-lacing became increasingly popular after WWI, and the number of women who genuinely liked the back-laced corset were very few. My corsetiere friend who has been fitting since 1958 has sold virtually none. Nevertheless, the 325 had a devoted following largely because, as I mentioned, the back-lacing was rarely adjusted and certainly not on a daily basis.
The 300-series corset was the main-stay of Spirella in North America, Britain and Europe. The patterns were the same for many years with regional preferences for materials being the only real distinction.
The Spirella Corsetiere
The corsetiere has been around as long as women have worn corsets, and that dates back over a thousand years. My main interest is in the corsetieres of the 20th century who worked for the hugely successful Spirella and Spencer enterprises. For nearly a century the garments that these ladies fitted and sold barely changed, although a myriad of minute improvements were continuously made. My knowledge of Spirella and Spencer based in Britain comes from personal recollections and artifacts from the few remaining corsetieres themselves; however, there were many other companies that flourished in this trade. Below, I have tried to describe the art and skill of the corsetiere, which applies to all companies and all saleswomen. A detailed description of the Spencer method has kindly been donated by Alison, and I have included a page on the specific details from other companies under the heading 'Corsetieres'. But here, we present the Spirella Corsetiere.
Mrs. E. a Spirella corsetiere from 1958 and Mrs. H from 1959. Spirella foundations were worn by the corsetieres (apparently to very good effect).
In the period that we describe, the corsetiere fought a constant battle against the common perception below. Sadly, in the latter years of the 20th century, she would lose. To the uninitiated, the word Spirella all too often conjures up a vision of unyielding strong satin, rows of hooks and eyes, yards of lacing, and bones, bones, and more bones
Spirella Magazine January 1958.
Contents
Training
Spirella and Bloomsbury Technical School for Women
Sales Technique Measuring and Fitting Headquarters Corsetieres

Corsetieres in Real Life Spirella Corsetieres of the Past Spirella and the Film Industry Corsetieres' Tales
The Spirella Magazine
Training
One of the features of the Spirella corset company was that their products were made-to-measure. Spirella products were never sold in shops. All Spirella's foundation garments were fitted by corsetieres who were trained at the main manufacturing centres in New Haven (USA) and Letchworth (UK). Completion of the training gave the newly fledged corsetiere the coveted certificate, and a host of responsibilities to her new employer.
The training was comprehensive and not just aimed measuring a women's torso. The corsetiere's entire value to Spirella was that she would sell corsets. Certainly, her ability to measure a client successfully and procure a comfortable and well-fitting garment was essential, both for the well-being of the client, and also for repeat orders and recommendations to the client's friends
Flip-chart presentation material for the trainee corsetiere (1938)
Specific figure problems were illustrated. Spirella, and the other corset houses performed sterling work correcting poor posture and relieving that aching back, however, there is no little salesmanship here. Convince a woman that she has a problem, then money is no object to the removal of that problem!
Training was essential, and rigorously carried out. After all, a corset is a very powerful garment, and a badly fitted one can result in all sorts of unpleasant problems. In the 1980's, one of the contributing (although not underlying) factors of Spirella's demise was the lack of experience of some corsetieres and, frankly, a deterioration in the quality of the materials. Not only were fewer women wearing corsets, but fewer women even understood a corset . By the end of the training period, the newly-fledged fitter would know the answer to such testing questions as "Is Madam stout or abdominal?" The corsetiere would also be a travelling saleslady and her demeanour, posture and attitude would affect her sales. Since the corsetiere lived on her commission, it was in her interest to look good and be expert at her trade. To this end, a large slice of her training involved salesmanship, and some of these ladies became expert at this art. I have no doubt that the vast majority of corsetieres saw their job as a social need and a comfort for the ladies who relied on the support of a corset. Remember that in the 1970's there were still women who had started in corsets as teenagers in the 1915 - 1920 period and who were quite unable to live without one. Nevertheless, the more you sell, you more you make and the various awards presented at the annual corsetiere's gatherings put a premium on the best saleswoman. The old saying that a woman needs three corsets, one on the body, one in the drawer and one in the wash could easily be expanded by an expert saleswoman to include corsets in the more expensive materials and different colours for special occasions. The brassiere to match the corset was an obvious seller. If the client had a daughter or friends present, the possibilities to expand the sale increased. Of course if the corsetiere herself looked trim and healthy, whatever her age, then this would be attributed to her foundation garments. Corsetieres were encouraged to wear what they sold, and in the privacy of the client's home to show off these garments. The travelling saleslady was born out of the emancipation of women in the 1920's followed by the Great Depression of the 1930's. As the world struggled to recover from the depression, a woman who could make money by selling corsets might just keep the family solvent. After the Second World War and moving into the prosperity of the 1950's, the saleswoman expanded her empire, and in the 1970's in Britain, every phone directory had pages of listed corsetieres, all with hundreds of clients. Even as the corset gave way to the girdle the corsetiere flourished. The increased liberation of the late 1960's coincided with a declining population of women who had been used to wearing a corset. Although daughters were put into corsets in the late 1950's in their late teens for perhaps a wedding or some special occasion, it wasn't common. A girdle was still well accepted by teenagers; however, the skill required to fit a corset is not so necessary in a more flexible garment. Consequently, in the 1960's, store-purchased girdles were increasingly popular and importantly much cheaper. The move from the girdle to the panty-girdle in the 1970's marked a rapid decline in customers for the specialised products from Spirella. The customers were not replaced by their daughters as in times past, and Spirella was left with a static, aging and sadly declining population of ladies prepared to pay a premium for a well-fitted foundation garment. In the late 1980's Spirella merged with Spencer in Britain. The number of corsetieres declined as their clientele vanished. No longer was the corsetiere's job paying well, and the ladies who remained in the profession did so out of a sense of loyalty, for the profits were minimal. The annual gatherings at Head Office stopped, the choice of materials was reduced and advertising was effectively abandoned. In 2000, I could only find a handful of Spencer corsetieres in Britain, with perhaps a few dozen clients each. Some clients would call only
once a year and often sadly never again, as this aging population of ladies passed away. The youngest clients that any of the remaining corsetieres service is about 50, but most are in their 70's to 90's.
Sales Technique
But let's look back to the hey-days of the 1960's, when the corsetiere, trim, smart, knowledgeable and carrying her suitcase of samples, would ring the bell, saying "Good Morning Madam, I'm from Spirella and was given your name by a mutual acquaintance." The corsetiere would be invited in and the sales samples demonstrated. If necessary, and if more than a single lady was present, the saleslady might show off her own garments.
Corsetieres from 1958, 1965 and 1967 (by which time her Spirella income has allowed her to buy one of the first Morris Minis). The appearance and demeanour of the corsetiere was of prime importance. Note the twin set, pearls and gloves.
Spirella set great store by showing the potential customer what a difference proper corsetry could make. These before and after pictures are a bit exaggerated but they do make the point.
Note the mandatory gloves. White looks extremely elegant, however, it marks so easily (a corsetiere's work was quite manual) that most chose brown or black. Getting through the door was important as any salesperson will tell you.
Once inside the premises of the client, or potential client, the sales routine would begin. The corsetieres were trained as much in sales as in anatomy and fitting. Pity the poor woman in the 'cardie' ( left ), she hardly looks to be a match for the immaculate attired saleswoman . Hard sales, however, were possibly not productive in the long run. Spirella's products are extremely comfortable and long-lasting if well fitted. Repeat custom is almost guaranteed, however, the last thing a fitter wanted was a client ( right) who felt that, perhaps, she had a garment that she did not really need.
The following accounts from the Spirella magazine show how important it was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the product by showing actual examples. Mrs. H, the corsetiere featured at the top of this section had the following to say in 1959. "I became a corsetiere in 1958 but my interest in Spirella goes back 12 years when I wore my first Spirella girdle. Since then, and long before I became a corsetiere, I would recommend
Spirella to friends and acquaintances. When I'm consulting I always show my personal garments, my black 205 girdle and my black long-line bra always being greatly admired. I have sold dozens of black foundations by showing my own, and because black is available in bouquet material, which is one of the most expensive, I find this a good selling point. Many women tell me I don't need Spirella because I'm so slim. I tell them, it's because I wear them that you you think I don't need them."
Of course, if your courage wasn't up to it, perhaps you could persuade your daughter to model for you! From the Spirella magazine of Sept/Oct 1958 comes this account. "At the Spirella carnival week fashion parade at Dartmouth, Corsetiere, Mrs. Jean S. is seen with her daughter-model and a prospective client."
Some corsetieres went that extra step and modelled their underwear in the client's presence, something my friends of today find almost unbelievable. Remember, these women were not professional models, simply normal housewives trying to get commission on their sales. Again in 1965, Mrs. L, a corsetiere from Wandsworth, had this to say (see caption - left). It proves an old adage that one of the best ways to lead or to teach is to set an example for others to follow and show that it works for you.
Unfortunately, attempting to turn your daughters into images of yourself and an older generation was doomed to failure. The picture below from 1963 shows two girls whose attire could have been worn by their grannies. The revolution of youth was but a year away and never again would teenagers wear anything remotely like twin-set and pearls.
Measuring and Fitting

For a client to be fitted, a 'measuring garment' was used that looked somewhat like a bra and corset, but with multiple adjustable laces and bones. The garments, which came in many sizes, would be fastened onto the client and the appropriate measurements taken. A myriad of little details would be noted and client's requests as to number and style of suspenders, thickness of bones, plush lining, material and fastenings would be accommodated, but at a price. The technique was used for over eight decades, and this is demonstrated by following the process below. These pictures come from Spirella training manuals, the earliest of which is dated 1914! Sadly, these manuals were no longer issued after the 1960's although the measuring garments carried on for another two decades; prized possessions of the corsetieres.
Let us learn to measure the client using a sequence of pictures that covers half of the 20th century!
From 1914 comes this charming series of pictures. The poorly fitting corset on the left is replaced by a proper Spirella resulting in the final product on the right.
First of all, the client would be measured in her 'naked strip' (1950)
The modelling garment laced to the desired tension is carefully measured in 1935, 1939, and 1947. In 1957 (below left) the examiner tests one of the aspiring corsetieres.
The young lady from 1930 (these photographs were issued originally as stereo pairs) shows the modelling garment and the finished product. If she doesn't look ecstatically happy in the final garment, at least she looks less nervous than in the first picture. Perhaps those fluffy slippers bother her. On the other side of the Atlantic (right), the client had no such qualms.
The modelling garment front and rear from November 1962 (left) . The garment looks cumbersome and the brassiere part definitely odd, but this was the way that Spirella took their measurements and it seemed to work. I think that any man who considers a corset to be an object of desire should look at these pictures! On the right, we have the measuring tape that facilitated taking the
measurements and could be easily fastened to the garment.
The modelling garment (above) is made of a peach satin material. Normally, the garments were very functional. They had to be washed regularly and were continuously being tightened and released. This one, I suspect, was more rarely used for wealthier clients. Note, however, the typical features: three lacers, many adjustable hooks and eyes, and the front measurement bone, which could be raised as the client sat down to gauge the longest comfortable length of boning in the garment. Much design went into this garment which carried the patent 1,928,101.
After a few weeks, the final product is delivered and, once again, fitted by the corsetiere. (The ruffles at the top of the stockings were used by Spirella's models to delineate the stocking top for the photograph. This is a pose from 1940.
Demonstrating a sample in 1960 and fitting a brassiere in 1962
To the uninitiated, fitting a brassiere might seem a simple and logical extension of fitting the corset, however, it is far more challenging. There are, of course, many more complex curves and variations, that is why the brassiere was invented many centuries after the corset. Spirella's market in made-to-measure brassieres declined before that of the corset and girdle, largely because inexperienced fitters found it so difficult to measure. It was better to lose commission on the brassiere rather than lose the client altogether. Regard below, the instructions for fitting a strapless brassiere in 1957.
Either way, it appears that the model is not particularly happy. Perhaps like a number of corsetry models there was an unspoken "I'll model this garment; but don't confuse underwear with sensuality." Something that men always get wrong.
Measuring and fitting were vital to the whole process. A poorly fitted garment would not just lose a customer, but her friends as well. These cartoons from the Spirella Magazines of 1938 and 1956 reinforce the moralistic element that was part and parcel of the Spirella ethic.
Corsetieres in Real Life

The ideal corsetiere featured strongly in Spirella's advertisements and has been illustrated above; however, there were thousands of more ordinary corsetieres in Britain in the 1960's, many of them women trying to supplement a meager family income, or a hopelessly inadequate state pension. The vast majority of these women were dedicated, loyal and hard-working, but to survive, they had to be saleswomen first and foremost.
Any form of transport was used to get their wares around to the prospective client base, even a mobile shopping basket would suffice (1960). Owning a car in 1960 was an aspiration for many; bicycles and scooters were far more usual. As we shall see, on these pages, the more successful corsetieres were photographed with their cars, just to remind the younger fitters, that due diligence and hard work would one day pay off!
A typical selection of corsetieres from Stoke-on-Trent in 1958 charter a bus to make the annual pilgrimage to Letchworth, whilst an elegant and well-dressed, but
rather fierce looking corsetiere in 1962 practices an expression of disapproval!
Another annual conference in 1958. One could guarantee that these ladies would be wearing 206 or 207 girdles with matching brassieres, and if more than one was supported by the classic 305 corset, I would not be surprised. They look very happy!
At Letchworth, they would gather in the evening. Nary a bulging abdomen to ruin the hang of their rayon dresses (1966).
A group of American corsetieres from 1941 look altogether a tougher breed, however, don't be fooled, whatever the nationality, these ladies were expert saleswomen.
The era hasn't finished yet. Spirella was bought by Spencer in Britain in 1988. Spencer was taken over by Remploy, manufacturers of surgical appliances in the 1990's, and further still by Thamert (UK) in the late 1990's. Yet the corsets are still produced and the corsetieres still exist, albeit in very small numbers. Despite low profit margin, a declining choice of materials and no advertising literature, these dedicated women persevere to serve a clientele that is largely passing away. I've been fortunate to be fitted by Spirella corsetieres right since the hey-days of the 1960's. Even in the late 1980's, I attended a Mrs E. of Carshalton until 1998, when she could no longer afford to travel to her clients and gave up her business in favour of working as a pharmacist. Mrs. E., who must have then been in her early 50's, wore a 305 corset and reckoned that she was her own youngest client. As the number of clients decreases, so the area covered by each corsetiere increases and the basic costs of running a car soon erode the commission on the garments sold. Sadly, the financial aspects of life ultimately overrule loyalty. Mrs. E. passed me on to a Mrs. I. of Worthing, more than 50 miles from my home base. Although Mrs. I. was prepared to travel to me, she was in her late 70's and I felt obliged to visit her. This charming lady had trained with Spirella in 1958 and had been based in West London. She had fitted many celebrities, including a very famous lady politician (who wore a 206 girdle) and several TV personalities. In the 1960's she remembers that there were several hundred Spirella corsetieres in London. Now she is the only remaining agent in the south-east of England. She fitted me for my last 305 in 1999; however, in subsequent conversations she mentioned that she regularly ordered a 325 corset (front- and back-laced) for a local woman in her mid-40's and showed me one of these that had been returned for a minor alteration in 2001. Other than this younger lady, her clientele consisted of a 50-year-old, a few 60-year-olds and then a few dozen ladies in their 70's to 90's. Charming, energetic and an expert at her dying trade, she is a truly excellent example of the Spirella corsetiere.
Spirella Corsetieres of the Past

The Spirella corsetiere has been around as long as the company. Photographs of models in their corsets become regularly available in brochures only in the mid to late 1920's. Anything photographic prior to that was very much the preserve of the naughty 'French' postcards. Various eras of artwork and style are depicted below from the line drawing of 1913, through the anatomically ill-proportioned flappers of 1930, the wartime austerity of 1943, to, for Spirella, a quite modern 1958.
Three Corsetieres To my mind, the picture says so much about the postWar British corsetiere. A younger woman, smartly attired, complete with sample bag and gloves. The new middle class, by no means well off, but, at least, with a small house. The wife's Spirella earnings would be critical to any advancement in their progress through life.
Mrs. F Wright Spirella's first corsetiere in Britain 1918
One of our favourites is the improbably (yet genuinely) named corsetiere, Mrs. Lulu Darling, photographed for the Spirella US house magazine of 1924 ( left ).
Of course, this page wouldn't be complete without a reference to Britain's first Spirella corsetiere, Mrs. F. Wright photographed here in 1910 (Spirella Magazine.)
Corsetieres in Films
Corsets appear frequently in films, but corsetieres ? I'm sure there are more, however, the only appearances to my knowledge are that of Ginger Rogers in "The First Travelling Saleslady" (1956) and Joan Sims in 'Carry on Loving' (1970). In 1969, Joan Sims appeared in the December issue of the Spirella Magazine with a comment indicating the interest of the entertainment industry in Spirella corsets. Indeed, there is a long history of famous wearers such as Mae West, a habitual Spirella client. Marilyn Monroe is famously, but incorrectly, credited as a wearer of Spirella corsets. Miss Monroe wore corsets in several period films ( right), and Spirella was consulted on their construction, but she never wore, nor did she need to wear a corset in real life. Other wearers such as Violet Carson (Ena Sharples - below left, and I might add, with a poise and style unknown to Ena!) and Yootha Joyce were featured in the Spirella Magazine as well. A Spirella corset featured once in "On the Buses."
Marilyn Monroe on the set of "A Price and a Showgirl"
Joan Sims, who was mentioned in the Spirella magazine of 1969, laces a groaning Amelia Bayntun into a pair of Spirella corsets in the film 'Carry on Loving' (1970) "Hold it, hold it - that's right". Considering that many women wear a corset for a bad back, placing one's knee into the lumbar region of the client is probably not a good idea, whatever Scarlett O'Hara might have recommended.
The Result
The bottom line, of course, was the finished article and the impression that it made. The figure of 1960's woman bears testimony to both the power of her foundation garments and the power of the corsetieres' sales technique.
The styles from 1959 (both pictures on the left) and 1962 (right) show how well the dresses sit on the correct foundation, although by today's standards, the girl in the knit dress would certainly attract attention. All these photographs were taken from the Spirella house magazines of the period.
Rubber Reducing Corsetry

Playtex Alstons My Lady The Charneaux Imitators Alison's Views on Reducing Corsets Recollections from Eastbourne
Whilst compiling the fascinating recollections of the famous Spencer corsetiere, Alison Perry, she made a response to a question about rubber corsetry. I have copied the response since it inspired me to add an extra page to this site.
The archetypal 'Charneaux' corset advertisement (courtesy of Bunyip Bluegum - left)
Perforations had two purposes:- 1) to allow the trapped flesh to breathe and 2) to adjust the elasticity of the garment. One actually suspects that a desire to produce a pretty pattern over-ruled the engineering principles!
Even Playtex in the 1950's echoed the elaborate perforations of the early rubber grdles.
A French Elancia sports girdle from the 1930's.
Rubber corsetry was rarely referred to as such. "Reducing garments' were the euphemism of the day. From the earliest days of the invention of latex, the term rubber has had so many connotations. Indeed, the word itself has such totally different interpretations on both sides of the Atlantic that a newcomer to the country can inadvertently make the most ghastly mistakes. Rubber was the first really elastic material and it was embraced by several corset manufacturers who saw the potential of a far more mobile garment than the traditional corset. Even in the earliest days of the 20th century, rubber features in corset advertisements, however, the impression is strongly one of 'novelty value', or perhaps one step up from the extravagant claims of the 'snake oil' salesman!
The rhetoric speaks volumes, for never was there a medium more given to hyperbole than the rubber corset!
Dissolvene (1906), "Make Reducing Sane" (1924) and "It ventilates" (1925), indeed it needs to, for these garments, freezing to don, were never less than feverish companions after a long day!
This precursor of the girdle must have been a heavy and sweaty affair, however, it persisted from Charneaux in the 1920's, through the massively popular Playtex and the traditional Alstons, to pass into obscurity and the fetish world in the late 1980's. Just when it seemed to have died, the Latin American market chose to take up the challenge to perspire for fashion and a whole new range of these garments became available in South America. For such a fundamentally uncomfortable garment to survive so long has taken all the persuasive powers of the marketing departments. I sometimes feel that the so-called 'spin doctors' of the modern political genre were novices beside the marketers and the saleswomen of the corset companies!
The History of the Rubber Reducing Corset

I believe the rubber foundation garment proper (as opposed to a curiosity) started in the late 1920's or early 1930s with the famous Charneaux corset, constructed from perforated rubber; the perforations allowing both breathing of the skin and varying the elasticity of the rubber itself. However, I have heard the following story from the same period. For sure, the rubber girdle and corset were invented during this time. Irene Castle and her husband were stage performers who were the toast of cafe society in the Paris of the 1920s. They had a style on stage that reflected none of the stiffness and posed formality that stage performances previously had. When asked how she accomplished the fluid movements of the tango, Irene Castle told the press she credited the corset made for her by the top fashion designer of the time, Paul Poiret. When Poiret was queried, he merely said that he'd made Irene's corset of surgical rubber, glued and stitched to conform to the typical corset pattern of the day, but without any boning. Thus was the first rubber girdle born.
This lovely advert shows the Charneaux styles available in 1936. They have been rendered in black so as to illustrate the patterns of perforations, which were critical to the elasticity (not to mention hygiene) of the garment.
Unimpressed by the old-fashioned style. "My wife!" he shudders
"Put a pretty young girl inside these, and she needn't be ashamed to go anywhere"
Alfred Hitchcock's "39 Steps" (1935) shows two travelling salesman admiring the latest in corsetry. The rubber Charneaux girdle. "Put a pretty young girl inside these, and she needn't be ashamed to go anywhere". Notice the intricate pattern of perforations and the crude attachment of the suspenders before latex molded suspenders were perfected (Playtex 1950). The rubber corset, brassiere and girdle became very popular since it was a revolutionary departure from the rigid restrictions of one's corseted Mother and represented a whole new concept of freedom. Of course the marketing department capitalised on this. At some point, the word 'rubber' must have been perceived in a negative way, since a number of euphemisms start to appear in the advertising literature. 'Slymlastick' was a trade name, but the product looks awfully like good old perforated latex to me. The most lasting and endearing euphemism was the 'reduction' garment. Rubber or latex need not be mentioned, and the mere suggestion that the garment not just squeezed one into a new shape, but actually caused you to shed pounds was a huge attraction. Not that the latter claim is entirely
false. Wearing one of these garments in any warm surroundings encourages copious perspiration.
In 1935, the word latex was perfectly acceptable to Sears' customers, but the reducing aspect was strongly advertised. These garments are rather elegant with the brassieres' cups faced in satin. They were marketed by Sears under the title 'famous Gale scientific support'. Note the cluster-lacing on the corset in the middle.
In Britain, the marketing department of the 'Slymlastick' material were more coy. No mention of the material in 1936, but one doesn't have to be an expert to guess what it is. Of interest is the 'before and after' photographs which were
to feature throughout the 20th century in corsetry advertising - (and may have been the inspiration forrr the Michelin Man added my husband!) Even Beasley's and the famous British firm Ambrose Wilson ( below; left ) got in on the act as did virtually every major competitor in the corsetry world. In 1939 Beasley's was still into reduction, with the word Latex in tiny print underneath. Ambrose Wilson's fierce looking corsetiere, Mary Armstrong, coined the brand name Nu-Slim and mentioned neither.
Lane Bryant, in 1937, coined the 'Adaptolette', and covered both sides of the fabric in jersey, that in many ways reduces the reduction aspect of the garment. Just in case the reader of the catalogue might have missed the rubber garments that she was after, the artist accentuates the perforations so characteristic of reducing corsetry.
At least the straightforward Twilfit, who still manufacture corsets in Britain today, referred to both Latex and rubber in the text. No coy references to reduction or 'wonder materials'. If a woman wanted to sweat it out she wore rubber. No beating about the bush from Twilfit in 1939. I think the zenith of pre-war rubber corsetry is revealed in the pages of the Sears Catalog(ue) from 1938/9 (right). Two pages and goodness knows how many square yards of perforated rubber, laced, strapped and buckled into every conceivable combination. The Ministry of War (or whatever the equivalent might have been in the various countries) was, however, well aware that rubber was more urgently required for the war effort and rather than the support of some matron's abdomen. Rubber corsetry would never recover from this blow. I know there are students of social history that can expound at great length on the inter-relationship between the tension of a woman's corset and the state of the world's politics, however, one of the side effects of the Second World War was a shortage of rubber, the use of which was reserved for military purposes.
Several companies went out of business during the war, but others flourished. Although the hey-day of the rubber reducer had passed, it was not quite dead and achieved a surprising revival courtesy of Playtex. After the war, the famous Playtex girdle appeared, made from latex, perforated and unlined in earlier versions, lined with a bonded soft fabric in the later versions. The reduction aspect was once again heavily advertised in the late 50s, 60s and even 70s in Britain. A few companies, such as Ambrose Wilson and a few specialist manufacturers still made the old styles as well. In the 1950's, Ambrose Wilson were at it again, As an aside, the Ambrose Wilson company used to provide (and still does to a very although the delightful model ( below) holds a rose to limited extent) the most comprehensive catalogue of corsetry right up until the late 1980's her nose. Indeed, one problem of all rubber garments (they were like a British Lane Bryant). Their chief corsetiere of the 1980's introduced the is that unmistakable, pungent odour. corsetry section of the catalogue with the depressing phrase, "Let's not romance about corsetry" which might well be the epitaph to a whole industry.
On the right, in 1962, AW has a full-page in their catalogue dedicated to rubber corselettes, bras, girdles and corsets, but note, the original artwork comes from I'm sorry. These garments might be many things, but cool, they most definitely were not! Even Playtex in 1959 (right) admitted that the clammy embrace of unlined latex was losing its sales potential. the 1950's.
Playtex
The origin of the phrase "My girdle's killing me" is lost is history, however, Playtex used it extensively in their advertising campaign of the 1960's. The latex Playtex (hence its name) became so popular at the time, and has such a strong collectors' appeal today, that I wouldn't dare to compete with the excellent web pages dedicated to these garments. I will simply include a couple of relevant advertisements and pictures of some examples. For collectors, and even wearers, latex disintegrates over time if exposed to numerous chemicals and particularly ultra-violet light. There are numerous accounts of latex splitting at inconvenient moments, and more than one collector has opened the unique Playtex tube to find her old rubber girdle reduced to a sticky mass of decomposition.
The advantage of the garment in reality was its figure-hugging, seamless form. Indeed, many actresses did wear them, for they are all but invisible under the sheerest gowns. Oddly, the garments with suspenders, like all girdles, suffered from 'suspender bump' thus ruining the effect. However, if you could stand the panty-girdle all evening, an enviably smooth profile was yours. The disadvantage is implied in the last sentence 'could stand', for the girdles were notoriously sweaty. The marketers turned this disadvantage into a positive 'reducing' aspect of the garment, but they couldn't disguise the difficulty of donning the wretched thing, the clammy coldness of it after a night in a unheated university dorm., and its predilection to split in old age. The other disadvantage of all latex sheets is that they bend in a two-dimensional, rather than three-dimensional fashion, and women are very three-dimensional! An attempt that was partially successful to solve the latter problem was to make a pattern of perforations that would, so said the makers, allow some areas to stretch more than others. In point of fact, the perforations were necessary to allow the body to breathe. ( The girdle on the right clearly demonstrates these latex folds; the adverts don't!)
In 1951, Sears advertised the famous Playtex girdle. The model bears an uncanny resemblance to a young Kathryn Hepburn. Kleinerts (middle; Sears 1951) also made such a girdle but never had the advertising pull of Playtex. They persevered with the 'rubber nap' girdle with a fabric outer layer, but Playtex would do the same.
It was amazing what antics you could perform in these perforated wonders!
Playtex
mentioned many of the currently famous and beautiful actresses in their advertisements:Zsa Zsa Gabor, Maureen O'Hara and Jane Russell to name just a few. Honesty is always the best policy:- Once, when Miss Russell was being interviewed, she was asked to what did she attribute her stunning figure. "Underwear," she replied huskily and without hesitation. Miss Russell was associated more than once with foundation garments. Her career started along with a brassiere developed by Howard Hughes to emphasise a bust-line that really required little additional attention ! She advertised both in magazines and on TV for Playtex (left). In one of her films 'Fuzzy Pink Nightgown' (1957), her dresser approaches her with a Playtex girdle. "What's that" asks Miss Russell (as if she didn't know); "Your girdle" responds her dresser. "For a premiere; are you mad!" The dresser throws the girdle away. Oddly, Miss Russell has already dressed and the scene makes little more sense than the somewhat strange title!
Less famous names (above) were equally happy to provide testimonials. Even the swimming champion wore her girdle in the pool! But we all wore girdles then, so it wasn't a big secret or anything like that!
Four classic examples of the conventional Playtex, the Playtex Ice and the candid graphics from the Playtex Gold tube of the 1960's. Even the colour is off-putting.
Playtex, like so many manufacturers resorted to the before-and-after picture (below) that stretches the imagination, if not the girdle. The picture on the right shows a ghostly 'Five-pounds-thinner' girdle beneath the lady's dress.
Another commonly used ploy, was to have the elegant lady wearing the Playtex girdle whilst her frumpy friend looks on with obviously envy. But even Playtex could get the advertising wrong. Regard the lady on the right. The intention is to show that granny, despite her years could bend down in the garden since she was modern enough to wear Playtex, rather than the boned contraptions of her generation. Unfortunately, it looks like the poor lady is collapsing to the ground. Sometimes the heat generated by the latex girdles did have this effect! Some other odd effects of wearing these girdles is recounted by Alison. A German Playtex advertisement that really goes for the emotional jugular has been included in the Corsetieres' section. A word of warning to collectors. We have several of these girdles in the Ivy Leaf Collection, unfortunately one has become brittle with age and another split along the perforations. It was always a problem with these garments. I knew very few women who wore them, although an aunt of mine wore one in the humidity of the Far East and suffered badly from prickly heat until she reverted to a more conventional girdle. (I believe they were far more popular in the USA). Keep the girdles away from sunlight and never, ever let them get in contact with oil.
The Playtex Brassiere (this article has been moved since it does not directly concern rubber or latex. Oddly, for a company that more than any other associated latex and corsetry, Playtex never inflicted the rubber brassiere on a gullible female population. That was left to other manufacturers.)
Alstons
The most famous rubber corsetry company in Britain was Alstons. They supplied made-to-measure corsets from their factory in Eastbourne from their inception in 1932 until the mid 1980s. Rubber was their specialty and they had a wide range of thicknesses, colours and patterns.
In the letter ( left ), Alstons allude to the fact that their corsets might feel a bit 'different' to normal corsets. The example (below right) demonstrates another failing of sheet rubber girdles. Basically, if the latex is thick enough not to tear, anything less than a perfect fit results in flesh-nipping creases. At least in this garment, Alstons condescended to insert a few perforations, in some of their garments, there were none.
I have one hi-waisted example ( left ) which is unlined and unperforated. It is horrid to wear since it causes profound perspiration and once on is so sticky that it cannot be wriggled round or adjusted like a normal girdle. This surgical rubber Alstons possessed the famous double zip front that could be removed and replaced for a wider section if the wearer so desired (UK 1976). The advertising literature implied that the wearer might use the extended panel for comfort during a long car journey, for example. Frankly, for comfort, one had to remove the ghastly device.
Alston's (im-)famous surgical rubber corset
Alstons' Catalogue 1968
One of Alstons' last advertising brochures from 1975. Wearers could elect to have single or double thickness rubber.
Two interesting features may be noted. Alstons' models are always cartoons, and the remaining garments available at auction today are invariably lowers. I believe that by the 1960's, these garments were quite unpopular, save for a few 'diehards'. What garments were purchased tended to be lowers, the thought of encasing one's breasts in pure latex on a hot summer's day doesn't bear consideration. One presumes that the models, who were usually young simply drew the line at posing in what to them may have seemed a strangely fetish style of garment. With the notorious fragile longevity of pure rubber, few garments have survived. The garment on the right was acquired in 2007. It had belonged to somebody's granny and was discovered at the back of a drawer. Fortunately, this storage in a dry environment away from the depredations of sunlight had protected the garment. It has been used although not often since some of the (few) perforations still have the little rubber circle attached. It has the full length zip; such garments were almost impossible to don otherwise! The metal zip and suspenders date the garment to the1970's, about a decade before Alstons went out of business. It has lasted well for a 30 year-old garment.
My Lady
My Lady (UK 1950's - 60's) was a small British firm that made rubber girdles, corselettes and corsets. These latter girdles were beautifully made in cloth lined pink perforated rubber. The embarrassing splitting was mitigated by reducing the size and number of the perforations. The seams between the panels are covered by sewn pink satin ribbon like material. The girdle in the top left picture is side-fastened by hook-and-eye; the other two by a busk. Once again, the busk seems to be an easier and neater method of fastening. Why did it vanish in the 1960's? As with the Dutch corset ( below), the rare laced example was probably designed to accommodate the fluctuating figure of the elderly women. It certainly was not a tight-lacing garment. Below is an example of the, now, incredibly rare rubber corselette. This garment was purchased, probably worn once by a lady unused to rubber garments, and promptly hidden and forgotten at the back of a little used drawer. Most of these garments were discarded discreetly, their wearers not just embarrassed at wearing such an old-fashioned garment, but one made of rubber as well.
The button-centred suspenders date these garments as relics from the 1960's
The Charneaux Imitators
On the right are two examples of convergent evolution, as the French make their own, Gallic, attempt at a rubber girdle. It appears, however, that the seams would protrude somewhat! The Australian version (far right) has the beautifully patterned perforations of the original Charneaux. A warning to all collectors of rubber corsetry is the catastrophic long-term effect of sunlight and oils on latex.
What might have been a highly collectible Australian 'Charneaux' (above) has become brittle at the edges and could no longer be worn for fear of tearing. This depradation plagues older Playtexes and any of the true latex rubber garments. Sunlight causes them to harden and become brittle. Oils can 'melt' the rubber. Of all the girdles and corsets that I have described in these pages, the ones that were known to fail, especially whilst being donned, were the rubber ones.
A Dutch company also made heavy-weight, rubber, back-lacing corsets in an unlined but well perforated white rubber. These corsets were on sale in genuine ladies shops in Holland until the late 1970's (this particular example comes from 1978 and the shop in the Hague offered a made-to-measure service). The strength of the panels provided the structure of this un-boned garment, however the lacing has the odd effect of stretching the corset rather than compressing the wearer. It really is best described as a laced 'girdle'. I have related elsewhere the discomfort that my Aunt suffered one swealtering afternoon in the Ardennes. She was a victim of her rubber corsets. We all knew what she wore since she was far from coy about dressing and undressing in her bedroom with the door open when we visited her. My husband was quite shocked at this revelation. His aunties did nothing of the sort!!
My poor Aunt, who wore one of the Dutch corsets (above), although born in the early years of the 20th century, I'm sure would feel for the poor South American maiden pictured below. After eight decades of rubber corsetry, the marketers have persuaded a new generation of girls to aspire and to perspire for beauty. Perhaps in the torrid summer heat of Rio de Janeiro at least the reduction aspect
may have a chance of working. More alarming Latin latex can be found on our Latin pages.
The cinch on the right has been well-worn as can be seen from the wear to the hooks-and-eyes. Some sultry maiden, or more likely matron, wore this device regularly!
Get fit immediately it proclaims. Rubber, weight loss and fitness, all entangled in the aspirations of the marketing department and the perspirations of the customer.
My husband has extracted some of the text from the 'Slymlastick' advertisement above:- " --the large perforations form minute suction cups which work constantly -- gently but persuasively eliminating fat --". Wasn't this actually the giant squid from Jules Verne's classic 20,000 Leagues under the Sea?
Typical man; no idea about corsetry. A woman must suffer to be beautiful (unfortunately). Ivy
Alison's Views on Reducing Corsets

A number of people have enquired whether Spencer ever sold rubber corsetry. Spencers main product line was always custom fitted rigid corsetry, but at one stage on the late 60s they did offer a line of rubber corsets. I dont think they were manufactured by Spencer but I believe they were imported from an English company (Probably Alstons - Ivy). For a short time we were given a catalogue and I offered them to my customers. I did not sell many of them, and being a traditional corsetiere, I did not have much interest in them, but there appeared to be a small but steady demand from full figured ladies for these weightreducing garments. These controlling rubber garments were very pale pink rubber bonded with a covering of stretch knit cream nylon. Techniques for molding natural rubber were not generally available then, and the panels were sewn together with a fold over seam to avoid any tearing of the rubber on the inside of the garment. The salve-edges were turned over and sewn down and over these, conventional elastic edging/piping was sewn, so there appeared to be a minimum number of seams. When worn, these rubber girdles could almost be mistaken for the normal ones, except there was no lace or brocade, and they had a more tubular appearance (no creases). The open bottom girdles were made up of six panels; a central back panel, two sidepieces, two front pieces and a wide tummy shaped piece. There was a central seam connecting the two front pieces, which was covered by the stronger tummy panel from the hem to the cuff. The panty girdle was similar except the tummy panel came to an apex at the crotch. On the panty girdles there was a very unusual zip fastening that came up from the left inside leg cuff, around the groin and then down again on the right inside leg. Spencers advertising stressed the benefits of these garments. "They slim whilst reducing excess flesh whist at work or when just relaxing at home," and, No dieting is necessary and no tiring exercise, they work for you, all through the day. I always thought they were very expensive, but Spencer guaranteed results. As I remember a discounted price was offered if you bought two, or a coordinated set, and the ease of laundry and drying was also stressed. Just wipe over with mild soap flakes, dry away from heat in an airy place, dust with powder, and they are always ready for your new day, each day and every day. The corsets were designed to give long lasting wear, and if regularly changed, washed and properly dried before being put away, would last until you slimmed enough to require your new set. We were told to be especially careful to stress the personal hygiene aspect of the garments, as there were no ventilation holes in the back, front, or groin of these rubber girdles. They were designed to create a localized Turkish bath effect, and we were told to tell our customers that ventilation holes had a propensity to split or tear. The ones I remember most were all zippered. The high-rise girdle had an apron front, was conventionally fitted with a side zip, and the usual six elastic fabric garters were sewn on to the hem of the apron front, which had the usual triangular elastic insert in the centre. The long-leg panty had a front zip, wide-cuff waist and wide-cuff leg bands and no garters. The long-line bra had a front zip, wide-cuff waist band and elastic fabric bra straps that followed round the curve of the back panel like a corselet.
I never saw a one-piece corselet. I assumed this was because a tight one piece rubber garment would be very difficult to get in and out of. For women who required a corselet I would recommend a high-rise girdle worn with an extra long-line bra. I this case we were told the garments should overlap by three inches or more to avoid any possibility of a gap occurring at the midriff between your bra and girdle during regular activities.
Recollections from Eastbourne

My brief encounter with Alstons is of a quasi-professional nature not as a customer, you understand, but as a recent graduate and aspiring copywriter in the unlikely setting of Eastbourne. Among the many accounts that was brought to this small advertising agency, an equally small income (judging by our pay packets) was Alstons, both the retail outlet and the famous rubber reducing corsetry business although this side of the business was already tailing off even before the advent of the Trade Descriptions Act forced the owners two sisters, I believe, and a brother to reconsider the reducing aspects of their mail-order offerings. (There was a rumour circulating the ad agency that Mr Alston used on some occasions to appear in our studio to borrow a tin of Cow Gum. Why, one asks? To attach the suspenders of a particularly urgent order. But this may just have been an urban myth.) One hot summers day my friend and colleague, a young, ambitious account executive, was summed to the Alstons shop to collect the garment that was to feature in a front page advertisement in the local paper. The garment was a pink rubber corset, but what my colleague had not bargained for was that it it was already attached to an equally pink fibreglass female trunk. Worse still, he was obliged to the carry the garment and its replica of female anatomy through the crowded holiday streets of Eastbourne unwrapped. It wasnt long before his face bore the same bright pink shade of the garment he was carrying. But worse was to come. The garment was duly sketched by one of agencys small team of commercial artists, and the artwork sent to the paper. Now this was in the days when a typical advertisement would be made up, physically, of a number of discrete components heading, illustration, logo, and so on. So this may explain why, when the advertisement appeared in the paper, the corset was rendered upside down, with its six suspender defying gravity and pointing to the sky. Red faces all round this time!
The Playtex Brassiere
Jane Russell, who has managed to look glamorous for more decades than I can remember, extolled the virtues of Playtex brassieres as did the pretty young thing in the silk blouse as she 'crossed-her-heart'. Jane, as ever practical, mentioned that the brassiere displayed had been through a machine wash 65 times!
Miss Russell also appears in one of her less meritorious films, released in the UK as "Fuzzy Pink Nightgown" in a satin sheath dress. Her dresser asks her if she wants to wear a girdle and proffers an obvious latex Playtex. "To a premier" Miss Russell gasps "You must be joking!" at which she drop kicks the girdle off set. I never really understood that part!
Ivy Leaf's Corsetry Compendium

As readership of Ivy Leaf's web site has increased, so have the questions asked. In addition to these questions, I have corresponded with and visited several of the remaining corsetieres and their clients. All have been charming, helpful and providers of stories, anecdotes and reminiscences. Obviously, a corsetiere sees and hears intimacies that are revealed in confidence and kept that way by the professionalism of the trade. Nevertheless, there are many stories to tell that do not breach these confidences and others that with suitable anonymity protect the people involved. All personal questions are treated confidentially, however, if a question is relevant to a wider audience it will be rendered completely anonymous and included under the appropriate section. This page has slowly become the repository for all topics that fail to find a home in the more structured sections of the web site. Perhaps one day, this page will develop into some new chapters, meanwhile please browse through and enjoy the topics and experiences of others.
The Difference between a Corset and a Girdle At what Age did Girls start to wear Foundations ? General Girdle Questions Roll-ons, Step-ins and Belts Vestigial Lacing Girdle Hooks Foundations (how many?) Suspenders and Stockings Unusual Boning Under-belts Questions to Alison - the Spencer corsetiere
The Old Corset Shop Knickers and Corsets Reminiscences of Wearing Corsets How to Lace your Corset, Madam The Trendelenburg Position Sleeping in Corsets The Visibility of Underwear The Audibility of Underwear The Feel of Corsetry
Questions from Roger K - the volunteer editor Trapped inside my pantie-girdle The Other Side of Corsetry
The Difference between a Corset and a Girdle
This is a widely debated topic with probably no definitive answer, particularly nowadays when such garments are to most women simply a memory. However, my own definition is that a corset, in one dimension, does not stretch and a girdle does. Let me explain. A true corset at some point in its circumference will have no stretchable material. One could say that a corset can compress the wearer, but the wearer can expand the girdle. It may have elastic gores at the bottom to allow ease of movement but there will be two points on either side of the garment where no amount tension will cause the garment to expand. On the other hand, a girdle will expand. This is why there are 'laced girdles' and corsets without lacing. A good example of a laced girdle is the Dutch rubber corset where I have explained that the lacing has the strange effect of stretching the garment rather than compressing the wearer. I recently saw an example of a rather beautiful fan-laced corset (right) . The makers only just avoided turning the garment into a rather ineffective laced girdle by adding a fabric band across the elastic sides. This allows the force of the lacing to compress the body. Otherwise, once again, the lacing would simply have expanded the corset. On the left, is a Spirella Spirelette, model 216. It dates from 1954, before the term Spirelette was aimed at a younger clientele. Spirella quite explicitly referred to the garment as a 'laced girdle'.
Corset photo courtesy of Stichie
An example of how a girdle can be turned into a corset is shown on the right. An internal waist-band of an unstretchable material was often used in 'merry widows' and basques to ensure that, whatever degrees of freedom the garment allowed to the wearer, expansion of the waist wasn't one of them. This is a German girdle, and I must admit, it's the first I have seen like that, however, it would certainly be effective.
At what Age did Girls start to wear Foundations ?

A frequently asked question is at what age did girls start wearing foundation garments. In the earlier part of the century, there are frequent examples of corsets for girls as young as six years old, however, the importance of protecting the growing body was recognised, and these garments were basically for warmth and that all important function, to hold up the stockings. Between the wars, Spirella was advertising a laced corset for eight to 14 year-olds, and a girdle for the general teenager.
In the post-war era, early teens would seem to be the answer. In Herman Wouk's book 'Marjorie Morningstar' from the 1940's, the heroine is described as wearing such garments in her very early teens. The Spirella magazine has some interesting letters on the subject:July 1962: Corsetiere Mrs. H., of Shrewsbury, has recently had an order from a 16 1 /2 -year-old girl. Nothing unusual about that, you might say. But there was something unusually special about this client, for she ordered foundations to the retail value of 65 pounds. The account was paid by cheque by the girl's mother. The girl, who had experienced trouble with shop garments, ordered three corselettes, three girdles and various bras. Mum was so happy with the result of the fittings that she too became Mrs. H's client. In today's money, this would be an outlay of close to a thousand US dollars ! September 1963: A happy and satisfied client of Spirella is 21-year old Miss S., daughter of Mrs. S., a successful corsetiere in Lincoln. Miss S. has worn Spirella since she was 13 and says she has always been most comfortable. These letters from the Spirella magazine show that in the 1950's and 60's, young teenagers would wear a girdle. From 1961 comes this letter to Spirella. Penny wears her 246 girdle high above the waist and says she just loves the feeling of support it gives her. Now she won't do without it. Many friends have remarked lately on her grace, poise and good carriage, and she knows that it's thanks to her Spirella made-to-measure girdle, which not only gives her support and comfort, but has given her confidence .. surely the most treasured accomplishment for a 16-year old girl learning to grow up. Even in 1970, the young teenager was following (or being told to follow) her mother's example. August 1970: Spirella has so much to offer all age groups today, as I can bear witness with a client of 94 right down to a young girl of 14. The youngest age that I have ever heard a girl being put into corsets (for fashionable intent) was nine and this was in the 1970's. The girl in question had an embarrassment of puppy fat and her Mother had her corsetted to attend a wedding as a bridesmaid. This news came from the letters of Woman's Weekly and the thrust of the comment was that it was a shame that a young girl should get into such a state that a corset was necessary for her to fit into her dress. The girl was inelegantly described by one observer as a "pink satin sausage"!
Even school trips in 1962 were not immune from visits to the Spirella factory. Here a teacher whose daughter is a Spirella corsetiere shows her early teenage pupils what they should be wearing, and I wonder just who the teacher might recommend! The picture on the left from February 1962 shows the unabashed enthusiasm for Spirella corsetieres and their daughters to model their wares for the general public (and this was before the 'freedom' of the later 1960's). The daughters on the outside are obviously in their teens and although not wearing the full girdles of the period are sporting some charming deep suspender belts. The girl on the right (photograph) wears what was described by Spirella as a 'waist nipper'.
In a similar vein, a question about the underwear worn by James Bonds women elicited a vigorous response, firstly from myself, but subsequently from the knowledgeable Isobel Black. The topic touches upon whether teenage girls wore the firm style of girdles that their mothers wore in the 1960's. Miss Moneypennys screen debut was in the film of Dr. No in 1963. The part of Ms secretary was played superbly by Lois Maxwell. At that time in 1963, Lois was 36. A British woman in her position, and at any age over her late teens would not have been seen dead in public without wearing proper foundations. Whether she would have gone to the expense of a made to measure Spirella 234 is in doubt since a civil servant in the Ministry would not have earned very much in those days, even one as senior as Miss Moneypenny. However, I am sure that in the England of the early 1960s she would have been wearing a girdle. In reality, Lois was actually Canadian and therefore might have worn the pantie-girdle whose popularity across the Atlantic preceded the staid British by nearly a decade. Ivy. Isobels comments bear out much of this feeling and again suggest that British women were far later in adopting the pantie-girdle:Having worked in a corset shop from 1955-64, it always seemed to me that it was not until the early 60's when I start to notice a real dichotomy in the style of foundation garment worn by those in their teens and twenties and older women. By older I really mean women in their 30's as many of our customers who were 40+ continued to wear the sort of semi rigid or rigid lace ups which they had either grown used to pre-war or felt they needed for support. Of course, even in the 50's, for our younger customers, especially those who had only just started wearing girdles, a light unstructured elastic garment was all they wanted or needed. However, it was by no means uncommon for a woman by the time she was in her early twenties or even her late teens, particularly if she was deemed to have a "problem figure", to request a firmer foundation for general wear, such as the one pictured in Ivy's letter. Also, even those with a good figure and accustomed to wearing an elastic roll-on on daily basis, would very often own something far firmer and more structured for special occasions or workplace situations. There was another influencing factor. Back in the 50's young people and more especially girls, still tended to defer to the wishes of their parents and elders; and I commonly witnessed a foundation garment sold to a teenager on the basis of what her mother and the corsetiere thought "best". Of course, all these observations might be, at least in part, as a result of our location, that being a very conservative part of the NE of England where people viewed anything different with the greatest mistrust. As a consequence, we found it extremely hard to sell any foundation garment, which was described as new or innovative. Indeed, right up to the time I left, so small was the demand for pantiegirdles that we only ever got them in on the basis of a specific customer order. Isobel adds more to this topic from her experiences. I shouldn't think that, apart from a bra, any young girl wears a foundation garment these days. Even with my two daughters, who were teenagers in the 70's, I wouldn't have dreamt of suggesting they wore foundation garments, not that they would have even if I had. For myself I was fitted for my first girdle at age 13, not that I needed one, but that was just what happened back then when girls reached that 'certain' age. I was told that corsets were a compulsory article of clothing at some schools right up to the late 1930's and maybe beyond, and corsetieres would often be asked to attend at a school for the purpose of measuring and fitting pupils. For myself I went to a girl's boarding school in Scotland in the 50's where girdles were obligatory for all pupils over the age of 13. I don't doubt that in previous times corsets would have been similarly mandated. Anyway, girdles with stockings were part of the senior school uniform, so even if you didn't want to wear one, not that I personally can recollect anyone who didn't, you had little choice in the matter. When I started selling foundations in the mid 50's little had changed and we usually fitted girls for their first girdle at 13 or 14 years. At that time though there were a variety of girdles designed with the teenage market in mind we found these really only grew in popularity in the 60's, when girls were given greater freedom to choose the way they wished to dress. Before then it was not unusual for us to be asked to fit a girl with the exact same style of girdle her mother wore, as it was commonly felt that younger girls chose on the basis of appearance rather than function. All mothers knew that the overriding factor in choosing a girdle was that it 'did the job' and they thought that if a particular girdle 'did the job' for them it would do it for their daughters as well. The pages of the Spirella magazines are very ambivalent. Did the lasses below really need the support of their corsets. I think not. The girls on the left are barely out of their teens, and the women on the right in their 30's. These pictures were made in the late 1970's, and quite frankly, the number of women featured below who genuinely wore corsets, even rarely, would be virtually non-existent. It was simply that the marketing department of Spirella was desperate to sell their wares. If this meant attracting a younger clientele into the foundations of an older generation, or alternatively, persuading their mothers that they were not old fashioned in their choice of
foundations, then so be it.
Girdles
The apparently straight forward questions below made me realise how complex a subject this is. I had to ask myself about some conventional truths, such as "is a girdle designed to slim the wearer, or to provide a fixture from which to suspend her stockings ?" "Is that why the open bottom girdle declined when tights became fashionable ?" So many questions were raised in my mind. Nevertheless, I attempted to answer as best as I was able:1) Were girdles regarded positively by most women or seen as something necessary but unwelcome? The girdle, which became worn by younger women in the late 1920s, really became popular in the post-War era as the development of reliable elastic materials, and latterly Lycra by DuPont, allowed for a supporting garment other than a corset. For the vast majority of women until the late 1960s, there was no alternative to a foundation garment, which by then implied a girdle. Corset wearers were already a small percentage of this population. The girdle was neither positively nor negatively regarded, it was just worn; it was a way of life. Certainly, some women would rather have died than been seen un-girdled and whether the girdle was tight, effective, pretty or just plain badly fitting and uncomfortable; it would be worn, whatever. A woman will suffer agonies for her looks. The typical point of view would be that the girdle was positively regarded because it enhanced (really or in the imagination) the wearers looks. After 18 hours (despite Playtexs claims) most women would have regarded their foundations as both unnecessary and unwelcome. In Herman Wouks The Winds of War, theres an interesting comment as the hero Pug Henry observes his wife dress for dinner. ..I'm bulging a foot. I look six months' pregnant and Im wearing my tightest girdle. What shall I do? cries his wife. Pug can see no difference from normal but wisely avoids interjecting. If a woman feels she is bulging, then in her mind she is. No lady in the 1940s, when the novel was written, would have dined without a girdle. 2) Were girdles generally worn for the entire day or only for going out?
Girdles were worn all day, from getting dressed to go out, say to work or do the shopping, and they wouldnt be removed until going to bed which might be 14 16 hours later. Special girdles, meaning more expensive and tighter (because of less frequent wearing) might be worn for a party, a special dinner or wedding. However, the regular girdle would normally be worn all the time. By the end of the 1960s (in Britain), the girdle for the younger generation would indeed become an object worn only for something special. 3) Would girdles have been considered mandatory under pencil skirts of the early to mid 1960's? Definitely! The pencil skirt, or any fitted garment looks far better when fitted over a foundation. Until the late 1960s most welldressed women understood that their bodies fluctuated in shape depending on many influences. Well-fitted clothes were fitted to the figure confined by its foundations which limited such fluctuations. The corset was, of course, the ultimate foundation, but clothes in general hung so much better on a figure correctly girdled. As Jane Russell (in her 60s) breathed candidly to a reporter, the secret to maintaining her good figure was underwear. 4) What distinguished light/ medium/ firm control girdles and at what point/age did women generally move into firm control girdles? The levels of control have decreased through the years. In the 1970s, a woman born at the turn of the century would probably have retained her corsets or a firm control girdle, however, that girdle would be beyond anything marketed today. In the 1950s, a firm control girdle would be similar to a corset without the lacing. One of the strongest girdles of the 1960s, yet best designed, comfortable and remarkably glamorous in appearance was the Marks and Spencer all satin-elastic girdle. This girdle was a design based on the Dior girdle of the late1940s and would have been described as medium/firm control at the time but by todays standards such levels of firmness no longer exist outside the traditional corset. This brings us to the item referred to as the roll-on. This un-boned girdle has its origins pre-War, however, it was a softer post-War variation of the standard boned girdles, so part of their Mothers life, that daughters adopted in the 1960s. Tights had not yet caught on and a girdle, if nothing else, was required to hold ones stockings up. In Britain in the 1960s, a light control girdle would have implied a roll-on (see next article). The invention of tights (UK), panty-hose (USA) probably have far more of an influence on the girdled woman than is commonly realised. At the turn of the last century, the corset was a shape-maker and incidentally, it provided a position from which to support the stockings by means of suspenders (UK), garters (USA). When the corset was replaced by the girdle, the function of the garment as the only support for the stockings was still highly important. With the invention of inexpensive tights (UK; late 1960s, USA early 1960s), suspenders became unnecessary and thus so did the conventional girdle. Panty-girdles afforded the support that would ultimately become nothing more than the elasticated underpants that girdles have become today. For more than a decade, panty-girdles carried suspenders (either internally within the long legs or externally if shorter legged) almost as a comfort to those woman who disliked tights, however, latterly it became a sort of throw-back to a dying era in the same way that the traditional bow of material in the standard brassiere represents the lacing of the corset. So firm and light control definitions have varied through the decades as has the age when women might wear them. In the early 1960s, a woman in her early 20s would wear a medium control girdle as standard and firm control for special occasions. 5) "My girdle is killing me!" is the typical anti-girdle comment. In practice, how comfortable was a properly fitted girdle? Was the wearer always aware of wearing it, or did you just forget about about it during the day? "My girdle is killing me!" was not so much of an anti-girdle comment. It was a very feminine expression handed down from mother to daughter at the end of a long day when the desire to look ones best was being over-ridden by the constriction of the garment. This was not an everyday girdle; this would be the girdle for that special occasion, and because it was rarely worn, it would indeed be uncomfortable after a days wearing. A properly fitted girdle is very comfortable, however, even the best will make their presence felt at the end of a long, hard day. It is very similar to a good pair of shoes. An interesting letter appeared in the Spirella magazine of August 1966. A client who visited me yesterday told me that she had attended a performance at the Wigmore Hall. A lady sitting next to her kept fidgeting and seemed uncomfortable, so she offered to change seats with her, thinking that perhaps she had the more comfortable chair. However, the lady declined the offer, saying that it was just that her foundation garments were killing her. After the meeting my client was told that her neighbour was Princess Marina. Even Royalty, it seems, can get poorly fitting girdles, or perhaps as is often the case, it was simply too tight ! I can empathise with this heart-felt comment from a reader. "I laughed when I read about the M&S firm control girdle. I had one for dances and best wear. They did a wonderful job, but it was Heaven to take it off."
6) How important was boning by the 1960's or was it mainly used in earlier girdles of 40/50's? Boning is vital to prevent the girdle's waist rolling over. It was extensively used in all serious girdles and can still be found in any of the so-called firm girdles of today. The Marks and Spencer satin elastic girdle to which I have referred had eight bones of about 8 10 inches each. Two at the back, one on each side and four at the front. This girdle and its derivatives was being sold in Britain until the late 1980s. 7) How does one don a girdle? Look at the enclosed instructions from the Figurette company. Slightly complicated, but absolutely correct since it involves putting the garment on the body whilst reclined; in fact in the classic Trendelenburg Position.
Berlei (UK) gave this advice on how to put on one's roll-on:- Heres the Right Way to Pull on a Pull-on 1. Reverse the garment so that it is inside out and upside down. 2. Fold the bottom in, including the garters, creating a 4-inch cuff. 3. Standing with crossed legs, pull the [edge of the] garment up to the groin. 4. Grasp edge of garment which is just above knees and roll up. 5. Still holding edge, pull up until garment is adjusted in front. 6. Finally, pull garment down in back and align the garters properly. It is critical not to lose one's balance during the third movement. 8) Do women ever sleep in their girdles? Not on any regular or planned basis. However, a number of women sleep in their corsets, or have a special corset for wear when they retire to bed, usually for some good medical reason. There are many elderly women with 'bad backs' who wear their corsets during the night. I fondly remember an elderly women in her 70's who slept in her corsets every Friday, wore a fresh pair on Saturday and put the old ones in the wash on Monday. I asked her why every Friday? Apparently it was her husband's night out with his friends, and on returning home, he was apt to be unusually 'frisky' as she quaintly explained it. Apparently her unaided back simply wasn't up to the rigours of 'you know what'. Another example is quoted in 'the Other Side of Corsetry'. 9) Anecdotally, would a woman, particularly in the post war era, choose to be firmly corsetted during long beauty salon visits or would this have been a time for casual wear?
This would depend entirely on the woman. Some women were habitually tightly (some might say over-tightly) corsetted, and a trip to the beauty parlour would be no exception. Such woman wanted to look at their best all the time, and that included emerging from the salon; I mean who knows who you might meet on the street? Others, perhaps getting ready for an evening function, would go to the salon in jeans an an old jumper and only don the tight foundations at the last minute. A Dutch friend of my mother's was, at all times, immaculately dressed and wore the most expensive foundations. Her corsetiere admonished her for wearing everything far too tightly (she would tear the brassiere hooks from the eyes regularly) but she was adamant. Outside the privacy of her bedroom, she was immaculate and would spend hours in the beauty salon to stay that way!
Roll-ons, Step-ins and Belts

I am always grateful for constructive criticism for otherwise how would we learn and improve ? The erudite Bunyip Bluegum corrected me on my misconceptions regarding the famous 'roll-on'. I had written "This brings us to the item referred to as the 'rollon'. This un-boned girdle has its origins pre-War, however, it was a softer post-War variation of the standard boned girdles, so part of their Mothers' life, that daughters adopted in the 1960's. Tights had not yet caught on and a girdle, if nothing else, was required to hold ones stockings up. In Britain in the 1960's, a light control girdle would have implied a roll-on." BB corrected me as follows:- I think you are about 30 years behind the times here. Roll-ons certainly remained popular in England in the Sixties, but the word swept the English-speaking world in the Thirties, and, although the Sixties roll-on was lighter and better lasting than its 30's predecessor as a result of the introduction of lycra and nylon, it was essentially the same garment, and probably gave a similar degree of control. According to Elizabeth Ewing (Dress and Undress), BT Batsford Ltd, London 1978: "The most notable immediate result of the process of extruding rubber elastic was the introduction of the 'roll-on', the most famous corset of its time, with the additional distinction of having added a word to the English language, as well as a new item to the history of underwear. The first roll-on dates from 1932 in Britain and probably a year earlier in the USA. It replaced the hook-side or busk-fastening corset for the younger and lighter figures, and for many more too, so great was its comfort. It dominated the 'light control' market for many years. If you belonged to that market you didn't talk of a corset anymore; you said a 'roll-on' and got rid of what was already an unpopular word." The panty-girdle was introduced in 1934, and was very popular in 1935. My reading suggests by the mid-50s it had largely displaced the roll-on in the USA, though I gather it never achieved the same popularity in the UK. I think that by then all the prewar roll-on wearers would have graduated to something heavier in the USA, while the new generation went straight into panty-girdles.
In the Fifties I don't think girdle wearing was as universal in Australia (and even in England) as it was in the States, and I think Australian girls were somewhat slower to switch to panty-girdles than American girls.
The term 'Roll-on' also served a euphemistic purpose as a letter from Dene suggests:At a time when any mention of ladies underwear in mixed company, was very questionable, this term could provide an allowable and slightly light-hearted solution. I heard an older lady saying At my age I need something more than a roll-on. Again on expressing my amazement at the change in appearance of a lady acquaintance, I was told Yes, but that time she was wearing her roll-on. Finally, there was the amazement of a boy friend to be told Sorry, but I cant hurry as I have a new roll-on, to be followed remarkably soon afterwards by I have to go shopping on Saturday, I need a new roll-on. Whether the euphemism was used through coyness or guile, the woman wishing to understate the power of the foundation that she actually wore, I do not know. 'Step-in' seems to be an expression like 'roll-on' which never achieved the same popularity. It referred to the standard girdle or pantiegirdle that could be donned without lacing, zips or hooks. It is mentioned in Tom Sharpe's humorously anarchic book 'Indecent Exposure'. The girdle in question, however, has been borrowed by a man from his wife, which moves us towards the topic of 'the Other Side of Corsetry' . In Mr. Sharpe's book, the Major's wife's step-ins are also referred to as corsets and as a girdle in successive paragraphs. As for 'belts', this seems to be another euphemism, that developed in the 1940's and 1950's, to divert the client's attention from the fact that they might be buying or even needed to
wear, a girdle. By 1965, Twilfit had dropped the 'girdle' word entirely from their catalogue unless the construction of zips, bones and hooks demands that one 'bites the bullet' and admits that, indeed, this is a girdle and nothing you can call it will persuade one otherwise. The Twilfit catalogue only mentions the 'girdle' word when it becomes a hook-side model. At the end of the catalogue, Twilfit's usual selection of corsets are called corsets. After all, it was the younger clients that needed convincing, not the older ladies that had been wearing corsets for many decades.The term 'belt', even as early as 1965 in the halcyon days of girdle sales, reveals that the marketing department had a feeling that sales of foundation garments to the younger generation needed a new image, and the girdle was not part of that By today's standards, this Twilfit girdle would image.
Spencer was far more specific. Their 'belt' was hardly be described as a light garment worthy of a six buckle corset designed to return the postthe 'belt' appellation. natal abdomen to its former proportions.
One interesting consequence of the 'roll-on' was due to its mode of removal. Let me explain. The classic zippered girdle often had an un-zippered equivalent, very flexibly boned at the back and sides ( left M&S 1979). The only effective way to remove this garment without stretching the elastic was to roll the top down against the tendency of the bones to remain straight. As the bones folded over, the top of the garment would invert, and then be quite easy to pull down. Like all M&S garments, these girdles would last for years, and turn up like new with regularly washing (thats why so many appear in the auctions today). The only give-away sign of this regular inverted removal would be a tendency of the bones to become concave with the girdle in repose. This is clearly evident on the girdle shown. The Berlei Gay Slant was notorious for this, however, it did not diminish the power of these classic foundation garments. Even zippered garments, if rolled-off, would display this permanent set of the waist bones ( right - USA 1972). It's worth noting, that the M&S girdle, which was well used when we acquired it in the early 1980's, is as strong as it was back then. It could almost pass for new except for the give-away concavity of the bones.
Vestigial Lacing
It is apparent that many brassieres have a token bow placed in the cleavage at the join
of the cups. This is simply the token reference to the full lacing of the traditional corset. Even the most prosaic girdle ( TP - left below) makes reference to its ancestry. Cross-stitching is well known for its strength, however, the gratuitous use of the stitching down the centre front of so many girdles is simply a throw-back to the times of the laced corset. The bow at the top, once again represents the knot of the lacing.
This is the detail from the Marks and Spencer girdle shown in the last section. The detailing is exquisite, and the bow is a dainty blue colour on an otherwise white foundation. This was a very nice touch for a bride (who would not uncommonly have worn such a garment at her wedding) to carry 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue' according to tradition. If the girdle was borrowed from an elder sister, for example, three out of the four conditions would have achieved in one garment!
Girdle Hooks
How often have we observed on the auction sites, a picture of a brassiere with one or more hooks dangling from the bottom edge. Often they are referred to as suspenders (?). They are, in fact, hooks that would latch onto corresponding eyes sown strategically into the wearer's lower foundation to secure the brassiere. There is nothing more embarrassing than bending over and having your brassiere ride up beyond the top rim of one's corset. On retaining the vertical, the brassiere can catch on the rim and leave the wearer either bent, acutely uncomfortable or with a completely distorted brassiere. The hooks are shown on the photographs below taken from a Spirella magazine of 1958.
For followers of Spirella lore, the corset in the middle is referred to in the brochures as a 'laced girdle', model 216. On the right, we have the traditional 305 corset. Bra hooks, and their recipient eyes, were often put on by the factory, however, an obliging corsetiere or the client herself would often add these appendages.
Knickers and Corsets

Whether to wear ones knickers over or under a foundation garment has been discussed several times on the Internet forums and is one of the more widely debated questions. The main reason for the debate is that in an age where the foundation and the knickers have become the same article, the question doesnt arise. Nevertheless, it has become apparent from the forum discussions that the views expressed here are very British and on the other side of the Atlantic different customs were adopted. It's still a very personal question, however, I think perhaps we can say that Knickers are worn over corsets and girdles (necessary), and panties are worn under panty-girdles (optional). That is to imply from the correspondence on the subject, that the majority of the British remember their Mothers or Grandmothers with their knickers (a very British expression) over their corsets and in America, where the pantie-girdle was always far more popular in the 1960's and 1970's the reverse held true. Any number of exceptions exist, I simply believe that this comment represents the statistical evidence. The views below are those of an English woman and I simply do not have any American contacts who could advise me on what happened on the other side of the Atlantic. Traditionally, the knickers are worn over the corset. The corset should be of such a construction that there is nothing in the interior to chafe the skin. To this end, flaps cover the laces, satin or plush linings cover the bones or stays and the lacing avoids knots on the internal sections. The most obvious advantage of wearing the knickers over the garment is the ease of toileting (as my corsetiere quaintly refers to it). In the 1930s some corsets were even made with a short length of back lacing which could be untied allowing the skirt of the garment to be folded up. This was when corsets were worn far longer than was the post-war custom. But the subject isnt that simple. Many advertising photographs, particularly pre-war, show models wearing their corsets over the knickers purely for reasons of propriety. Their stockings even rise above the knickers causing bunching of the material which is obviously going to be uncomfortable. Many advertisements of the period show the model wearing a petticoat underneath their corset . Did we do that in those days? In some respects it actually make sense. There is no trouble toileting and the garment is protected from
perspiration, however, the foundation garment simply could not be as well anchored as one worn against the skin and would surely move during prolonged wearing. Despite the comments above, women did wear long-legged knickers, marketed as 'split-crotch' under their foundations. Such garments are quite convenient however you wear them, but the main object was to allow women to toilet with ease and many of these ladies wore their knickers well and truly trapped underneath their corsets. It also has the benefit of protecting the corset from natural perspiration. Its far easier to wash and dry your knickers than a heavy pair of corsets. Rather than rely on historical memories, we asked a friend to don a Hunkemoller back-laced satin brassiere from Holland (1980's), and an American Spirella corset (side-laced) from the 1950's. On the right, she wears her knickers under the combination, and on the left, the knickers are worn over. Several interesting point emerge. 1) The back-lacing of the brassiere and the twin side-lacings of the corset, not to mention six suspenders, are quite a challenge to the inexperienced in the 21st century! 2) With the corset firmly fastened and laced over the knickers, there is no easy, or indeed, practical way to 'toilet'. Such an arrangement was purely for modesty in proprietary advertisements. 3) The fact that the knickers are made of satin is the biggest clue. Satin (or materials that slide easily) are always worn over foundations. The shiny fabrics allow the clothes to move easily over the corseted body. That is the reason for the petticoat and the knickers being worn outside the foundations. In this case, the use of satin for the brassiere as well ensures that her clothes will slide easily over her under-pinnings. Perhaps the last word from the British side of the Atlantic should come from those purveyors of corsetry to the masses, Marks & Spencer. On the packets that contained their girdles, was a warning on the back ( right). The implication is that women would NOT normally wear anything under their girdles, however, for obvious reasons, when trying on a garment in a shop, briefs or knickers would avoid accidental soiling.
Reminiscences of Wearing Corsets

The notes below come from clients of various corsetieres My normal corset is a front-lacer with boning that is laid in pairs, particularly around the back. It is indeed very supportive and helps with a long-term back problem that I suffer from. I tried a corset with the heavy back boning (twin aluminum strips) about ten years ago, however, when I bent over, the top of the corset separated from my back and was quite obvious to anybody looking ! I prefer my foundations to mould my figure without calling attention to their presence. I habitually wore a Spirella 246 girdle until my 30's when I reverted to the 305 corset (still their best selling garment) which I've worn to the present day. Occasionally I've worn a 325 (front and back-laced) which was supposed to help with back problems, but to be honest it was too complicated. In the late 50's in Britain, the pantie-girdle was still a novelty. My mother insisted on Spirella since she felt that the made-to-measure element was essential, however, the choice of girdle or corset was up to me. I usually wore a girdle, however, for special occasions, even in my late teens, I wore the 305. It produced a far better figure than any girdle could, and of course I was trying to look my best. However, since the 1960's, I've never again worn a corset, and my girdles were consigned to the dustbin a decade later.
The latex Playtex did exist for a while in England. Several colleagues from university complained that the latex became freezing in the un-heated college rooms during a winter's night and was almost unbearable to put on in the morning. My Mother introduced me to my first girdle in 1952 . She had regular appointments with the local Spirella corsetiere, normally twice a year when another two corsets and half a dozen brassieres would be ordered. About two months before my 16th birthday the corsetiere was called in and I was measured for a 206 girdle. Mother insisted that I needed three in white and six short brassieres to match. I was very keen to have a black lace girdle over the pink satin that I'd seen in the Spirella brochure but my Mother would have none of that ! (I did eventually buy one with some of the first money I saved when I started working). Far from being teased at school, most of the girls in the small private school that I attended wore girdles from the age of 15. Remember this was the early 1950's in Britain. Its the combination I still wear today (305 corset and long-line brassiere) although I must admit, I stopped ordering brassieres from Spirella in the 1990s since the quality had gone out of the material, and quite frankly, the Triumph Doreen range was cheaper and better made. The corsetiere that I attend today lives on the south coast of England and services the entire south-east of the country. This remarkable women is in her late 70s and visits a clientele of nearly 30 ladies of which I am one of the younger members.
Getting Dressed The weight and length of these uncompromising garments is almost totally alien to several generations of women these days, but what about the time taken to put them on. Certainly, women are acutely aware (as are their long-suffering husbands), that proper preparation to get ready for a do or a party, takes time. However, these days, nobody is really aware of the daily chore represented by the donning and fastening of the classic foundations of years ago. An elderly gentleman summed it up. It was quite a performance to behold. Stockings, brassiere, corset, knickers, slip. The chance of laddering the stockings seemed to be awfully high. I once laughed when she miss-aligned the hooks and eyes on her corset. She had to undo the lot and start again, but not before she had rolled the garment up and whacked me with it. I laughed as well, but it hurt. Those things are fairly solid! If all went well, the whole assemblage of underwear could be donned in less than five minutes; rather longer if the added complication of an under-belt was required. Definite aids to speed were the busk fastening. Why did this ever get replaced by hooks-and-eyes? The Camp method of adjustment was also so easy, quick and remarkably effective too.
The Audibility of Underwear

Although the visibility of underwear has been discussed at length in many forum, the audibility of underwear is less commonly understood. The susurration of satin and taffeta is well-known and a source of stimulation to adolescent males, however, the sheer noise of corsetry has all but been forgotten. Gerald Durrell in one of his charming books which I believe was entitled 'Rosie is my Relative', recalls his huge landlady, a Mrs. Dredge, who "ascending like a leviathan from the depths" visited his attic room. (I have to remember the following since I've lost the original book), "Mrs. Dredge's voluptuous avoirdupois was encased in construction of steel and rubber which groaned alarmingly at every move". The truth is that tight corsetry can draw attention to itself. Ideally, the corset bones lie in casings that allow silent movement as the wearer goes about he life, however, if the corset is too tight, and the bone cannot move freely, it will creak as it slides and sticks. "Madam, your stays are creaking", a comment attributed to Sir Winston Churchill whilst seated beside his arch-enemy, Bessie Braddock, was a gross insult to a woman since it implies, usually correctly, that she is over-tightly corseted to compensate for an excess of 'avoirdupois'. I have heard that this comment has been attributed to others, and Tennyson appears to have been the originator, however, Sir Winston was well read, and had a notoriously caustic tongue, so I'll quite happily believe that he borrowed the comment. Isobel adds, "Having sold many, many corsets in my time, creaking of stays was often an issue of concern to certain clients. According to my boss, a very experienced corsetiere, creaking was a function of poorly made or designed bones and/or stay pockets. Having said that, a well-boned and tightly laced corset made of a rigid material was rarely soundless when the
wearer put it under additional strain". What Isobel says is absolutely true, however, I was amazed when our Dutch corsetiere friend told us that some of CAMP's panty-girdles could be heard under strain. CAMP's panty-girdles were some of the strongest ever made, and were often well boned with multiple fabric layers. Apparently, more than one customer had mentioned to her that their panty-girdles had creaked distinctly when they sat down. She knew that the women concerned had bought far tighter girdles than was comfortable or even recommended, and that under normal conditions, these garments were quite silent! The oddest noise was related by an acquaintance from Utrecht. An elderly lady had moved into the area and attended the same church as my friend. Every time the lady sat on the hard Calvinistic pews after hymns, there came a muffled, but distinctly audible 'thunk'. It was only when the lady bent forward to replace her hymn book that the stiff bones of her surgical corset were evident through her jacket. The bones were just long enough to reach the pew when the old lady sat down. Deaf as a post, she was quite unaware of the noise. Another bane of the elderly, and a modern invention at that, is the horrible ripping sound of Velcro fastenings. Many modern corsets have substituted Velcro for buckles and laces but the ripping sound as one disembarks from one's underwear can be heard across the street! The remarkable German example on the right has no less than half a dozen Velcro connections to rip asunder!
Number of Foundations
How many foundations a women would like and how many she really needs are completely different subjects. Matters as diverse as finance and vanity must be considered along with the more prosaic weight fluctuations, climate (and therefore perspiration), frequency of washing and strength of garment. My cousins, on the death of their Grandmother (my aunt), were amazed to find a drawer full of corsets. She had over 20 identically sized, identically coloured, white Spencer corsets. This is quite an investment representing about US$ 4,000 at todays values. The only differences were in the weight of the material. There were some in a very lightweight aertex style, some in the good old Orchid material (artificial and washable satin) and a few in a heavy brocade. The lady was wealthy and travelled extensively. I can only presume that she took along a collection of corsets (they are not the easiest garments to wash and dry on holiday) appropriate to the climate of her destination, hence the large collection. Take a typical middle class lady in the 1960s aged let us say about 55. She might still wear corsets but probably would wear a girdle. She would normally have the basic three of the same style (one on the body, one in the drawer and one in the wash). There would be a corselette or special occasion foundation. She might even have some in different colours. If she was prone to weight fluctuations there would be more. Impulse buys at a sale could account for another couple, rarely worn. If she was a Spencer client, then no corsetiere worth her salt would allow a client to order a girdle or corset without adding two matching brassieres. Suddenly our hypothetical client has accumulated at least seven lower foundations and 10 upper foundations; quite a collection! One thing is certain however, women will possess more foundations than they actually need. The tighter girdle for those special occasions may lie unmolested at the back of the drawer for years until duty calls. Our nieces were inspecting our collection of foundations (about 2004 when they were both at university). They find it fascinating and oddly enough, it is the scientist who likes to try on the various articles whilst the literary one looks on in mock horror. They must have made some sort of bet for I found the scientist trying to wear as many panty-girdles as she could. Sensibly she started with the smallest, and one by one the garments the garments were forced on, the last girdle determinedly rolling up the legs of the previous
one that then had to be straightened. At girdle seven, she was looking awfully red in the face and by girdle ten she complained that her legs were feeling numb. I called a halt at this 'world record?' and observed my normally thin niece looking rather 'padded' and tottering like a marionettte. On removing the girdles, a quicker exercise than donning, I felt that at about girdle three she had the firmness, silhouette and flexibity just about right. Needless to say she reverted to her non-supporting knickers in short order. What a shame!
Unusual Boning
Like many people, I always considered boning to be vertically mounted within any garment. Perhaps the most obvious exception would be the under-wiring of the brassiere cup. Yet, in European corsetry, lateral bones and curved bones can be seen. I first noticed this in Holland in 1994, where the old corset shop in the Laan van Meerdervoort displayed a corset which, within the front panel, had an inverted horseshoe shaped bone ( 2nd from left ). The corset was of German manufacture, and apparently of recent production. Why the strange bone was not replaced by two vertical bones, I have no idea. Was it whimsical design feature? I doubt it, since it would be rather expensive to produce the complex bone pocket. In other German garments, dating about a decade earlier, elliptical bones appears ( below). The horseshoe bone is, in fact quite common. I don't know why since the bone (as it does in the picture below left) takes the line of least resistance and will tend to flip over creating a ridge. Horizontal boning occurs quite frequently over the tummy in French corsets ( blue below). The German girdle ( right - pink ), appears to have horizontal boning over the derriere; surely not? Perhaps this is stitching, and the horizontal stiffness is caused by the vertical bones running down either side of the back.
Bones of every shape, size, alloy and steel, horizontal, chevron, horseshoe, elliptical, spiral and boring old vertical!
Not actually boning, but a lovely idea, and what a superb touch for any corset is the lacing over satin. As all corset wearers know, there is a lot of friction in those laces. A Canadian Spirella by Spencer (the companies merged log before they did in Britain) uses a satin facing of the friction area. I've only even seen this extracost option once. Fan-lacing might overcome the friction problem, but these latter solutions get around the problem in such a pretty, feminine and probably practical way. The (otherwise conventional) Belgian corset on the left here flatters deceive. That gorgeous heavy satin front panel conceals a trio of solid unyielding, steel bones. Certainly, a protuberant abdomen is embarrassing to many women; however, this appears almost bullet-proof. It reminds my husband of the story of Madame Chang Kai-Chek, who lost her bullet-proof pink satin corsets in one of her husband's escapades. (One dare not ask how).
A visitor to the web site kindly sent us some more interesting pictures of chevron boning from Belgium (right). The garment has three vertical steels on the front panel with chevron boning between them. On the inside of the garment, and typical of so many continental manufacturers, the bone casings are tipped with cloth or leather at their ends. In many cases this was to allow removal of the bones, or insertion of stiffer bones. The European woman doesn't want her tummy to bulge; absolutely not! Additional Note: 14th February 2004: I've received so many pictures of odd and strange boned garments recently, that I begin to suspect that such boning is not odd at all. It is simply that my limited knowledge makes it seem strange! Additional Note: 1st March 2008: A great example can be seen on the 'Corsets and Crinolines' web-site (left):http://www.corsetsandcrinolines.com/vintage/lingerie An erudite discussion (in German) of boning can be found on:http://members.fortunecity.de/miedermuseum/50er/fibel/formgeb1.htm
Not boning, but buttons! Why did the French persist with buttoned corsets well into the 1960's? Certainly buttons are cheaper to buy than a steel busk but surely the top and bottom ones must be subject to considerable force.
Also it is almost impossible to align them evenly and thus distribute the force of the corset along the fastening. Nevertheless, they were a common feature of French corsets. I am just surprised that such a bulky fastening was ever adopted by the chic French. Perhaps they were more popular with the ever practical country folk.
Zippers and other Perils

The construction of this page was prompted by the many accounts we have received of stuck zippers, uncomfortable bones, in fact, the very perils of dressing in conventional corsetry. What bought the matter to a head was the visit of one of our nieces. In the fine weather we are having of late, I asked her at breakfast if she fancied a walk on the local moors. She agreed and went upstairs to change. To my amazement she returned within a few minutes in jeans (what else), a T-shirt (with no brassiere as far as I could see), socks and trainers. In total, she was wearing only seven items of clothing - or anything for that matter! I mentally counted the numbers of articles that my old Dutch auntie would wear, it hardly seemed to vary with the seasons. Including the layers of complex underwear, teeth, coats, hat, brolly, earrings and so forth, not only did it take her an hour to prepare, but she adorned her body with over 40 separate items! Goodness knows what they weighed. Our niece, dispensing with what auntie would consider essential, dressed even more quickly than my husband. For my niece, and the rest of her generation, this page, in fact the whole web-site, is probably a complete mystery.
Zippers
I know of several women wearing zippered girdles who have managed to jam the zip on the little satin tag attached thereto. Infinite patience is required to set oneself free, or an expensive mistake will occur. I came across a rather severe Jenyns panty-girdle. Slightly yellowed with age (it would date from the late 1960's), the interesting point about this garment is the broken top of the zipper pull tag, where the original satin flash has broken off the end of the tag. This could have been a manufacturing defect. The old corsetiere in Upper Street, Croydon refused to sell any zippered foundation in the 1970's due to the unreliability of the zippers. There is however, other evidence in the distorted lower hooks and eyes that reside beneath the zip. Indeed, this garment was far too tight for its wearer. What is evident is that closing the hooks and eyes must have required heroic effort. Pulling the zipper taut against the elastic forces of the over-stretched garment must, at some point have overcome the zipper tag. Was the wretched women trapped in her underwear, the zipper at half-mast I wonder? Oh, the perils of vanity. A word of warning to any lady that tries to wear too tight a lower garment. You may think it's tight when you don the article standing, but when you sit down, the nether regions will expand and place a huge force on any fastenings around the hip area. The forces involved can become intolerable to wearer and can, in short order, part the zipper and pull the hooks and eyes from their industrially anchored mounts. It is a missconception that tight lacing (or tight underwear) puts a strain on the waist. It may do, but the strain is constant. It is the strain over the hips that can increase dramatically as one attempts to sit. On the same theme, I remember a lady recounting how, in exactly the manner described above, she pulled the end of the tag off her zipper. The zipper was finally hoisted by the use of a pair of pliers (not the first time these articles have been usefully employed in dressing or undressing).
A reader volunteered the following remarks in response to the above:I was reading your latest Diary entry about the perils of zips, especially on too-tight girdles, and about the effect on tightness of sitting down in a girdle. My fiance, later wife, never wore a zipped girdle: with a slim (under 24"
waist) she had no need of a high-waisted girdle (the ones that most often came with a zip) and although she wore firm control open girdles to deal with what she regarded as a disproportionately large rear, none of those had a zip. Because she bought the small size (23/24" waist) her girdles were quite tight as she pulled them up over her hips. When I questioned whether perhaps her girdle was too tight and therefore uncomfortable, she said it needed to be tight to do its job and, in any case, she was quite used to it. Then she added that it was even tighter when she sat down but it "stops my bottom from spreading out". I can confirm that those M&S girdles with their downstretch back panels certainly did that! Earlier, while I was still at school, I overheard a conversation in which the mother of a slightly plump girl about my own age (15 or 16) commented that her daughter had "spread out". She put this down to sitting for long periods on hard, wooden school seats. "She ought to have worn a girdle sooner", she said. One of my sisters wore a firm girdle, with a zip, in her mid-teens. When she sat down on a firm chair, the point where the bottom of her girdle ended was quite apparent because her thighs bulged out a little. She had been recommended to wear a longer-skirted girdle to help deal with that problem and, when standing and walking, she had a very neat smooth line, even in her straight school skirts. It was only sitting down when the thigh bulge reappeared and I suppose that too demonstrates the point you made about how much a girdle tightens around the hips when the wearer sits down. In the early days of the metal zip fastener, there were some catastrophic zip failures on girdles, which is why, these days, all such zips are backed by hooks and eyes. Talking of which, yet another euphemism for girdle was zipper. It wasnt so common but Ive heard a mother ask her daughter I hope youve got your zipper on today. My husband speaks of a girl-friend who referred to her waist nipper as a zipper nipper, although whether this referred to the garments zip fastener, or to the poor girl catching her flesh in the zipper was more than my husband dared to ask! This girl, who was somewhat overweight, later purchased a basque, however, the boning (see below) on the garment simply wasnt up to the task, and every time she sat down, her tummy would force the front bones to fold back on themselves.
Bones
David Niven also recounts the episode of a large and heavily corseted actress who was dancing with her partner closely clasped to her bosom. At the end of the dance, the man didn't let go and she hissed "the dance is over". "I can't move" replied the man, "One of your stays is up my nose"! The spiral-wound stay, although a great revolution for corsetry, did sometimes cause embarrassment when it broke loose from its casing. In the Spirella magazine of October 1959, a lady recounts walking home at night when she was terrified by something that tapped her on the back of her neck. She ran home only to find that the tapping was an errant stay from her corselette that had ridden up. Perhaps the troubles with bones might be known to our younger readers, not the extreme examples above, but the nuisance of underwiring setting off security alarms at airports. A well placed bone is a support, literally, a stay, but an errant bone that has pierced its casing can become a painful enemy. The Sears girdle on the left illustrates a common feature of such garments where the girdle is removed by pulling it downwards and turning it inside out. The non-spiral waist bones (particularly on Berlei girdles) takes on a pronounced concavity due to the extreme bending.
Laces
Another aspect of corsetry that requires hiding is the length of lacing left over once the garment is tightened. These lengths of lacing can be a dreadful embarrassment, particularly if they come loose and trail ! This is truly a mortifying experience as my Aunt will testify. The traditional way of dealing with the lacing is to ensure that it is as short as possible whilst allowing the wearer to don the corset correctly. Corset laces come in standard lengths which are always too long; they have to be shortened. The remaining lacing that will appear after the corset is tightened and the laces tied, should be tucked under the edge of the corset where there is always a little space. They may even have to be tucked vertically down the edges, but it works and leaves no unsightly bulge, and Heaven forbid, you'll never betray your secret by trailing a couple of yards of lacing behind you ! My ancient auntie was visiting us for the afternoon. As we toured the garden looking at the flowers, I noticed our recently acquired kitten beginning its stalk and dash game. I looked around for the object of its attention and noticed that aunties corset laces were dangling down. Before I could intervene, the kitten pounced on the laces and swung there, its front claws firmly caught in the laces. Auntie and the kitten panicked as one. The kitten went mad, auntie screamed, tripped and fell. The kitten killed the laces, disentangled its claws and rushed off after the next victim. Mercifully auntie, although slightly the worse for wear, damaged only her pride. The perils of tight-lacing are legion, and not simply confined to the health of the wearer either. Heres a wellknown trick if you really want to tighten a corset (either front or back-laced). Take the two loops of the corset laces and put them over a smooth, but strongly anchored object and lean away from the object. You weight will automatically pull the laces tight. The dangers are, the laces snapping, or the loops coming off the anchorage, both of which can precipitate the wearer to the floor. Since the commonest strong-point is a door handle, make sure the door is secured shut. I know of one hotel guest who was proceeding to dinner, when she was startled by the explosive opening of the door she was passing. The sight of middle-aged woman crashing backwards to the carpet was even more alarming. Its one of those situations that you cant just ignore, the woman may have been injured. Fortunately, it was simply a case of injured pride.
Buckles
Believe it or not, I have seen a surgical corset with no less than 17 buckles. By buckles I am referring to the metal tag that secures the webbing straps found on under-belts and that often secure the front of these corsets. They are easy to tighten but require an over-centre flick to release and that can pose a problem. An elderly and rather vain lady was being fitted with a new pair of corsets. The corsets in question were long and rigid in the back and fastened at the front by means of straps and buckles. She exhorted the fitter to fasten it as tightly as possible, against the fitter's advice, since new corsets do need to be 'broken in' for the first few days. The fitter left and agreed to pass by the following week. That evening whilst preparing for bed, the elderly lady realised that the strength in her hands was quite insufficient to budge the buckles against the over-centre action. It was several days (and nights) before the poor lady ate humble pie and phoned the corsetiere to free her from her corsets. The lady subsequently reverted to front-lacing corsets since, in extremis, one can always cut the laces. Spirella was aware that many of their clients suffered from arthritis and substituted velcro fastenings for the lacing or buckles. This has become common on many modern surgical supports, however, the appalling ripping sound as one divests ones underwear before retiring is audible testimony to one's stays. My husband adds (in his typically male fashion) that it really is a bit of a 'turn-off' as well. The other peril associated with buckles is the twisted webbing that jams the whole mechanism.
Suspenders (Garters U.S.)
The forces on the suspender can be huge. I've mentioned elsewhere that for decades one of the primary functions of the corset was to support the stockings. In the days of far heavier yarns and elastics, required to support those 'aching legs', the act of sitting down could literally tear the rear suspender from its mounting. The embarrassment of having ones stocking detach from the suspender was always a risk whilst women wore stockings. Not that the detachment was particularly audible, or even noticeable, since the stocking would usually have one of two other suspenders to retain it. It was more the idea that, something untoward had occurred to ones underwear. My husband remembers well that the only outward sign of his (very prim and proper) mothers rear suspender coming drift was a muttered Oh, Blast (very strong language for such a lady). She would then depart to rectify the situation. A stocking properly attached to the suspender will not come adrift, so why did this happen so frequently? I believe it was very much a problem of the 1960s rather than any other period. One must consider the fashion of the times. Stockings were worn by all women throughout the year, however, as skirts became shorter, so the stockings became longer. Attaching ones back suspenders became harder and harder (a long rear suspender is far easier to attach that a small tab right up by ones derriere). Some brands of girdle were even manufactured without rear suspenders. At this time, the suspender design was becoming more stream-lined. Cars started having heaters, central heating in the house was becoming common, and basically, a warmer population demanded sheerer fabrics. The suspender was designed to minimise its profile. The old button-centred suspender was replaced by the classic so-lo suspender as adopted by Marks and Spencer. These suspenders, especially the invisible rear ones, were all too easy to cross-thread. The tension of the stocking would allow for temporary security until the wearer sat down and stood up again. Then ping; detachment and embarrassment.
Corsetieres
"The Corset Lady had piercing black eyes and a large bust and stomach apparently encased in steel, for when I brushed against her it was like bumping into our oil drum. She was such a high pressure saleswoman that almost before she had turned off the ignition of her car I found myself in my bedroom in my 'naked strip' being forced into a foundation garment. ... My legs were so tightly squashed together I couldn't walk a step and I had to hold my chin up in the air for my bust was in the vicinity of my shoulders." so quoted Betty MacDonald in 'The Egg and I' (1945).
Not all corsetieres were formidable and neither were their corsets. Certainly, the draconian characters of fiction existed and I'm sure many ladies were forced into unnecessarily expensive and complicated garments. However, having known and been fitted by several of the few remaining corsetieres, I can honestly say that these ladies are completely unselfish and loyal to their clients. Compare the approaches that the various corsetieres from their respective companies employed to furnish their clients with the desired figure of the day. One important talent of the corsetiere, was the skill that she showed with her hands. Just as a Doctor or dentist can make or break their reputation by their soft touch and 'bedside manner', so could the corsetiere. The marketers realised this and used it strongly in their advertising. In reality, a corsetiere with 'painful hands' ( below left - Spirella 1939), could so easily ruin, not just a
Corsetieres from the premier brands

Charis Spirella Spencer Berlei Camp Playtex
We have been most fortunate to gain permission to recount some tales from corsetieres, who practiced in the past. Alison was a Spencer corsetiere from America, Isobel and Rosalind served in
sale, but a lady and her friends' entire perception of Spirella in particular, and corsetry in general. These corsetieres worked for the major firms that supplied conventional foundation garments to the vast majority of women for many decades A Charis corsetiere from 1937 demonstrates the in the last century. More specific were formidable lacing of these extraordinary garments a number of retailers catering to (more of which later). 'specialised' corsets for the small but dedicated clientele of 'tight lacers'. Preeminent amongst these was
corset shops in Britain, and Marianne in Denmark.
Alison's Story Isobel's Recollections Marianne's Recollections Rosalind Remembers
Iris Norris
Charis and Spirella used entirely different exhortations here. Charis, directly advertises to its customers, whereas Spirella, cautions the corsetiere in the house magazine. After all, the bottom line was commission!
Would you buy a second-hand girdle from this lady ( above right)? The American Lady corsetiere is a world away from her British counterpart immediately to the left. What a world of difference, and quite an accurate expression of how America had forged ahead down the bumpy road of progress since World War II. The American lady would be all 'hard-sell and pushy', features written all over her countenance, however, don't underestimate the little British mouse. In the austere post-war Britain, her livelihood depended on that Spirella commission.
Spirella, Warners and Gossard all put tremendous store by their fitters. All photographs feature the indispensable tape measure. In the case of Gossard, they have cut costs with using a real rose for the model and cunningly position her in front of rose patterned wall-paper!
Another charming sequence from the 1930's. The enthusiastic saleslady shows the client a lovely satin corselette. The garment is fitted in front of a mirror so that the fit, front and back can be checked. Flowers sit in a vase on the table; a very feminine touch, for this is a very feminine moment. Adjustments are made to the suspenders and voila, the finished product. We won't mention the wrinkles! In fact, the garment has made little difference to the client's figure, but consider the era. This was not an everyday garment. This would be for evening wear where the sliding of the expensive gown over the satin foundation would allow that graceful of the vamp to be achieved.
These photographs amuse me for various reasons. On the left, the customer seeks the advice of the fitter and a friend. The fitter carries an armful of garments, but not in the shade that the customer had tried on. Nobody seems satisfied (yet). Oh dear; one of those customers. Some days, the poor fitter really earns her meagre pay. On the right, surely not a male fitter, although this was the norm in Victorian times. No; this is a corset manufacturer. The gentleman is probably the sales manager, the clothed ladies buyers for the department stores and the model, could be a professional, but equally (to save money) could be a staff member trying to squeeze a few more dollars into her pay packet as she squeezes her hips into the company's latest girdle. The gnome on the right stitches and modifies at the command of the gentleman. The Sales Manager seems to have an enviable job! I like the German series of prints from a Playtex advert ( below). It seems to typify the corsetiere's trade and the powerful advertising approach. For a start, both corsetiere and client are immaculately groomed, and by today's standards in no needs of foundations at all. The rubber Playtex girdle is demonstrated "An ideal material for a girdle". The girdle is fitted as only an expert corsetiere can do.
The result is an even thinner client, but more important is the last picture in this charming middle class fable. The wife, the husband and the daughter are all smiling. The wife bends from the hips showing the flexibility of the wonder-material, the husband puts away his wallet, happy with his wife's improved figure, happy that she's smiling, and happy that it wasn't too expensive. Even the little girl appreciates her mother's good humour and simply can't wait to wear a girdle herself one day. Domestic bliss. How could you not rush out and buy one?
So let us end with the German lady and her fitter below. The customer smiles. I have seen it so often. When a lady feels that her foundation is 'just right', the smile breaks out. She imagines her new figure, the well-fitting dress, the compliments from her friends, even her husband, before he sees the final bill!
Berlei
I used to know little about Berlei other than their incredibly successful 'Gay Slant' range of girdles ( below right) and pantiegirdles. As other manufacturers modernised their range, Berlei continued to provide traditional girdles in a good variety of fittings right up to the late 1980's. Berlei employed professional corsetieres to chose the correct combination of fittings from their range much the way that Camp did. Berlei was initially Australian and the name derives from the original firm's accountant Fred Burley, who married the firm's manageress in 1907. The name was registered as Berlei some years later. Another famous brand, Sarongster, seems to have merged with Berlei, or was a part of Berlei as the advertisements below reveal. One of Berlei's claims to fame was its approach to sizing. Probably not as unique as they claimed, it did at least admit to the remarkable range, not just of sizes, but of shapes and forms that women possess. This was called the "Berlei System" and was in use, albeit attenuated, in the British High Street in the 1980's.
Berlei, like many firms in the pre-war period, was not immune to exaggerated 'before-and-after' advertisements. Similarly, the fad at the time for 'patent' miracle devices, was not lost on the corsetry trade; it probably never has been! Berlei never resorted to latex corsets, but they did try cluster-lacing with their "amazing Controlacing Berleis."
In the post-war period, we see a departure from the larger woman, desperately in need of Australian engineering knowhow to pull her into shape, and the more motherly, realistic women makes an appearance. The Berlei Australian Fitter's magazine of 1958 shows these two vignettes. They almost give the appearance that the photographer walked in off the street and just took a few snaps. Perhaps that was the case!
I have included more pictures from this magazine ( below) because I think they illustrate so clearly the interaction between the corsetiere and the client. The approach is subtly different from Spencer. Here
the client has no defects or bulges; she simply looks good in her girdle. On the right, Berlei reveals the secret of its success. Not made-to-measure like Spirella and Spencer, but a good range of fittings in the popular corselette, girdle and pantie-girdle. The message reached every corner of the market.
The relationship of the corsetiere and the client. All the photographs above and
below come from the Berlei Australian fitters' magazine of 1958.
The classic 'Gay-Slant' still sold today, but rarely. It would that the model is daring you to buy one!
Latterly, all the models were young women, as the company desperately sought to replenish its market. The daughters of the 'realistic mothers' ( above ) failed to buy girdles and corsets. A diet of outdoor sport, the post-war hardships forgotten and varicose veins easily treatable, meant that the new generation didn't require a strong foundation. The Australian climate in summer didn't help either. Names like 'Youthline' and 'Gay-Slant' (that has a whole new connotation these days) failed to attract the numbers required. Despite that, some of the advertisements were classics. Regard the advertisement on the left. Stylish and elegant certainly, but note the artist's exaggeration of the satin sheen of the panels. It might seem simply a highlight of the picture (which it is), but Berlei knew the power of satin as a male attractant and used any advantage to sell its wares. I recently came across a beautiful example of an early Berlei corset (courtesy of Sewing Machine Girl).
An extremely well made example of a mainstream front-lacing corset in elegant, yet hard-wearing, corset quality satin brocade. Note the internal panel that would protect the wear's abdomen from the laces, and how it stops short at the lower loop so that the wearer could sit in comfort.
II: The Scientific Support and the Rivals

The Scientific Support Maternity Engineering Memories The Jenyns Corset Other Fan-lacers
The Scientific Support

These fan-lacing corsets have often been referred to as scientific supports. Certainly, these corsets and some of their derivatives have been used for serious orthopaedic treatments. Camp's advertising treated both the medical side of corsetry and the fashion side with equal vigour. This sort of advertising appealed to so many women who naturally wanted to look their best and yet harboured the notion (imaginary or otherwise) that there is 'something wrong with my
back,' for example. For these women, the Camp corset appealed. The Camp style corset is highly effective at figure forming and very easy to put on, adjust and wear.
The recurring theme of 'scientific corsetry' is repeated here. 'Engineering corsetry' would be This poor lady (whose shame is hidden in the shadows) seems to be the object of disapproval by a group of formidable matrons. more appropriate.
Camp shows images of good and bad corsetry (above). On the left (in one of the classic corsetiere poses of all time) is the happy relationship between the corsetiere and her smiling customer, proud of her 'new' figure and just waiting to try on that gown she bought for a special occasion. On the right, the poor lady in question is being poked, prodded and generally 'tut tutted' at by a group of nurses and formidable matrons who seem to be using the object of their attention more as an example of the lady who "didn't listen to her Mother when she was young"!
Camp, as did so many other firms, sold the overall benefit of the corset to the wearer's well-being. How you disguised the webbing and straps was, however, another matter!
Even in the 1990's, the Dutch Camp fitter adjusts the webbing straps of the corset. There is no fashion statement here. The support is indeed, scientific and would be worn a briefly as possible by the patient for some 'back problem'. Note that the assistant wears vaguely medical looking garb (see the nurse above right). This aims the advertisement squarely at the 'surgical corset' end of the market. The customer wears a leotard under her corset which will prompt readers to wonder whether women wear their foundations over or under their slips and knickers. The confusion comes from the modesty of the advertising photographs. Any foundation that requires more than a moment to release is always worn under the, let us say, 'modesty layer'. For advertising purposes this is unacceptable since the layer conceals what is being advertised.
Basko Camp, Holland 1996
I purchased the 'Dameskorset' from the corsetiere in Rijswijk, a suburb of the Hague in Holland. It must have been about 1999. The corset doesn't fit particularly well, since latter day CAMP's are notoriously short in the back; exactly what a lady of my build does not need. Note how the corset is marketed under the BASKO name, but described as a 'Camp Lady's Corset', the term 'Camp' referring to the generic lacing style rather than the owning company. The few remaining Spirella corsetieres were, perhaps professionally, scathing of CAMP. One fitter told me that she had recently 'rescued' one 'old dear' from her Camp! Nevertheless, the practical side of the Camp lacing system was a boon to both the fashionable lady and also the lady with a medical problem. The support was effective, easy to adjust and strong. It could be made, as shown above, as attractive as required and yet it fulfilled its primary function. As the 1970's drew to a close and the corsetry sections of the great department stores began their slide into the 'sea of brassieres' (as a friend of mine commented), Camp products began to show a change in emphasis from fashion to function. The materials became plainer. The rare satins vanished and even the brocades moved to coutil or nylon. The traditional colours of white and tea rose (Camp virtually made no black underwear except for the rare example below) were replaced by boring beige, and metal suspenders became plastic. The heavy fabric webbing of the straps was replaced by a thin, shiny fabric and, as a last indignity, Velcro replaced the hooks and eyes. The fashionable garment had become a surgical appliance. I have no idea how this affected the finances of the Camp company; however, they still exist today and thrive in the surgical appliance market. The 1996
brochure shows the descendants of the traditional Camp corset and girdle, albeit in beige and notably in Dutch. Camp must have joined forces with a company called Basko, and the names Basko, Camp, and Basko-Camp are marketed in Western Europe and Scandinavia, but no longer in Britain. The latest web catalogue reveals that the traditional fan-lacing lives on in a wrist support, but its use in proper corsetry has died some 94 years after its invention.
At one point, CAMP was famous throughout the world. America was a stronghold and many Camp corsets still appear at auction there. Indeed, it is the auction houses that still provide some regular wearers with their only source of corsets! Holland and Germany featured Camp strongly for several decades after the war. The CAMP sign was a feature of Dutch corset shops in the 1960's to 1980's. One still is on display in Rijswijk. Examples from Italy ( left and centre) show some market penetration as well, and despite the 'Original and Unique' garment on the right, that surely is a CAMP. The Italians, quintessentially style-conscious, had many brands of their own from the fashionable to the heroically formidable. Pasta has a lot to answer for! The examples shown below come from the 1980's and are genuine Camp products. Identical products are still sold (http://www.backbraces.com/pagesproducts/backsupports5.html ). These products are also available as copies in Latin America. They were marketed in the 1990's under the brand name 'Pro Infirma' and it was interesting to note that in their shops, the only catalogues that the assistants referred to were old Camp catalogues.
A formidable corset by any standard, it bears all the Camp hallmarks. The long back steels (which were usually made of Duralumin) are held to the spine by means of shoulder straps (CT).
Another strong support with triple side-lacers and a slightly dished front panel for the abdomen (CT). These are corsets from the 1970's and the durable rather than fashionable nature of the material indicates their intent precisely. I purchased an identical corset in Holland in 1986 and it featured in their brochures until recently
Maternity Engineering
Maternity gave Camp's engineers a chance to excel. Triple-lacers were quite normal, and we have in our collection an amazing quadruple lacer, where the expanding motherto-be could accommodate her swelling abdomen, provided of course that she had a degree in mechanical engineering! When you consider that Camp manufactured brassieres of a similarly adjustable nature, the poor woman concerned must have wondered ruefully about the expression 'confinement'. Possibly the most outlandish creation that we have encountered, is a girdle designed for pregnancy. It performs a sort of 'Jeckyl and Hyde' function, where the rear is confined into the 'mono-buttock' sleekness required in 1960's America, whereas the tummy is literally allowed total freedom which, I would have thought, precluded wearing the skirt encouraged by the other side of the
contraption.
The Camp maternity corset (TP). The ease of the lacers' adjustability would have been a boon to the young mother-to-be.
The Camp maternity corset (CT). The swing rear suspenders and the five hole former are hallmarks of this brand. The corset on the right has, perhaps, gone a little too far to accommodate the expanding womb. Four sets of lacing (two on each side) take up so much of the corset that it's even hard to make the photograph show all the complexity.
The Cherry-Tomatoe Collection
But let us return to what Camp, and the Camp system of lacing did best:I tried on a Camp (one of our collection) in 2005 and it reminded me how ridiculously simple that lacing method is. One goes from bulging abdomen to youthful flatness with a firm pull of the straps (Lady Mary adjusted the straps of her surgical corset with a vigour that reminded Sir Godber of a race meeting writes Tom Sharpe in his hilarious novel, Porterhouse Blue.) Would that my other lost youthful attributes were as easy to recreate! I'm not alone in these thoughts as a letter from a reader illustrates.
Memories of the Camp Corset
Memories of the Camp Corset #1 Mummy and Granny wore Camps for as long as I could remember. I supposed that one day, when I became old enough I would wear one as well; it was a normal part of a ladies underwear. The cluster-lacing seemed an eminently practical way to tighten the garment. In our household they were quite unexceptional and I was surprised when a girlfriend from school remarked on "those old-fashioned torture devices" when we passed through the kitchen on washing day, corsets and bloomers hanging from the pulley in riot of tea-rose and white. It certainly gave Mummy a flat tummy which patently many of my friends mother's did not possess. As it turned out, I never did wear a corset of any kind. When I went to university, 'flower power' and 'bra burning' was in. Corsets definitely were not. I sometimes wonder, as a Granny myself these days, whether my wayward figure might have been a lot better had I not become a victim of Womens' Lib.
The 'before-and-after' picture on the right is, for once, moderately accurate. Forget the prosy text; it is the flat tummy that is accurate. Camp was not just one of the best in this regard, but one of the easiest to fasten.
Memories of the Camp Corset #2 I have never forgotten this tale that my mother told me to illustrate the difference between men and women. I will relate it as she related it to me as a teenager in the 1960's. After years of marriage, I suppose that familiarity breeds, not contempt but complacency. If dressing and undressing in front of one's spouse was romantic in the early days, it certainly lost its appeal quite quickly as the sheer practicalities of raising a family intruded upon one's freedom. Indeed, as the family grew up, so the body grew down and out. At one point I was quite depressed about my poor figure that even the strongest high street girdles failed to control and a friend suggested trying a Camp corset. I had seen advertisements for these in Womans Weekly and was not impressed by the complex looking lacing. Only a man could design such a monstrosity. My friend persuaded me however, and one day I was fitted in Shinners of Sutton. Well; I still did not like the look of the garment but I have never ever worn such an effective foundation. It was so easy to put on and fiercely compressive. It did the trick and, after all, who would see the engineering involved. Shortly afterwards, and I was wearing the new corset regularly, much to the improvement of my figure, I noticed that whilst dressing in our bedroom, my husband, instead of snoring away his last precious moments in bed, was regarding me intently as I engaged the straps on my powerful new ally. "What is that?" he asked. I explained the principles of the corset and he even clambered out of bed to take a closer look. I didn't know whether to be flattered, annoyed or apprehensive, but I need not have worried. "What a superb piece of equipment!" He waxed lyrical about mechanical advantage and pulleys and I'm sure added Mr. Camp to his personal list of heroes. Not a word did he mention about my improved figure and the way my clothes hung so much better. Typical male!! Memories of the Camp Corset #3 I knew that Granny wore a Camp corset for I had seen these remarkable devices hanging on the washing line. Mummy wore whatever girdle was cheap and cheerful at the time and I simply wore what Mummy normally wore, for dutiful daughters more or less followed their parents in the early 1960's. At that time, there was a young fashion (inspired by Alma Cogan and Dusty Springfield) for narrow waists and huge petticoats and I was aware that my normal girdle was not quite up to the task of producing the wasp waist that I desired. Mummy, an expert seamstress (as many women were in those days) solved my problem by cannibalising one of Granny's older corsets (I suspect without her permission!) She removed the boning and cut the corset to cover only the waist so that it was about eight inches deep. She sewed in darts to achieved the waist that I desired. Meanwhile, in his 'secret lair' or so we called Daddy's shed in the garden, he cut the boning to the new required length and mummy re-inserted these into their casings. She omitted a few bones since what with taking in the garment it would have been all bone and nothing else. She re-laced the corset using just the top straps of the fan-lacing and, voil, I had my waist cincher, and an extremely powerful and effective one too! A tug on the straps and four inches fell off my waist-line. So the material was a bit 'tea rose frumpy' but nobody was going to see that in those days. I didn't let on either that I was wearing my Granny's corsets that had been redesigned by my parents!
Charis
I'm sure the majority of Charis corsetieres were hardworking, housewives trying their best to make an additional income, however, judging from the pictures below, the Charis literature seems to specialise in fierce corsetieres.
Charis achieved quite some success with their remarkable arrangement of lacing. Twin overlapping under-belts were laced into the corset so that the lacing was accessible from the exterior. Any bending movement was accommodated by the underbelts riding over each other. The garments were not that strongly boned and the majority sold were corselettes. Like Camp, the garments were not truly made-to-measure, however, with so many components in the construction, each one could be ordered to an different size and assembled to fit any shape of wearer. A corsetiere was really necessary to make the measurements and suggest one of the myriad options. From the Charis catalogue of 1937 come these photographs from an era that all but seems inconceivable today. Firstly, the Charis corsetiere was encouraged, as were the Spirella and Spencer fitters, to demonstrate the excellent qualities of the garment by wearing an example themselves.
The Charis corsetiere checks that everything is in place.
The fit and flexibility of the garment are demonstrated. Corsetieres were told to wear front opening dresses so that the corset could easily be displayed without the corsetiere completely undressing, or even removing her hat for that matter !
The engineering of the garment and the complex lacing is demonstrated. The underbelts, the back and the front of the corset were all laced together which meant that each lacing controlled three separate pieces of material. I have tried to demonstrate the complexity of this arrangement in some examples from the Ivy Leaf collection.
The older corsetiere examines a trainee for correct procedure. The trainee is unlikely to have worn such a garment in real life (unlike the instructor), however, her shapely body made the garment look even more effective than it already was.
I find the last photograph on the right vaguely sinister. It reminds me of the uncomfortable relationship that Alison had with her manager. Note in two of the photographs (and for the purposes of modesty in the manual), a band has been placed across the upper bosom to hide the dcolletage. Sinister or not, these corsetieres sold some beautiful garments. Quite frankly, however, fierce or intimidating a
corsetiere might be (and most are not), they will not stay in business if the product is poorly designed or constructed. One sad fact about the decline in the corset industry is that the companies lost sight of this fact and that some garments were unattractive and poorly made. It takes decades to make a reputation a precious little time to lose it. Nevertheless, let us return to an age of elegance.
Spencer
The plastic post-war Spencer bag that would indicate to the corsetiere, and later to the customer, that another one of millions of corsets and girdles was destined for another satisfied customer (one hopes).
Spencer gave similar advice as Spirella to its corsetieres in 1936 as the student fitter was taken step by step through the demonstration and selling procedures. Every aspect was described from the greeting at the door, the dress and deportment of the corsetiere right through the measuring to the final sale of the article. Volumes were issued on marketing strategy, advertising and how to address the lady in question or even the lady's maid depending on the class of the area.
This cameo would appear in thousands of ladies' magazines.
The battle of the bulge. Spread advertisements throughout the popular ladies' magazine about the dreaded bulge. Sorry - you might realise that an expensive foundation is the answer, but even then you will be wrong unless you get on the phone to the legendary (and imaginary) Anne Spencer! Just one appointment with the Spencer corsetiere and your problems, and bulges, are solved. Even a girl who looks remarkably like a refugee from 'Goldfinger' (top left) wears a Spencer, perhaps I can look like her too! Once the corsetiere was past your front door,
you might end up looking lighter, but your husband's wallet would certainly be lighter. Joking apart, the Spencer corsetieres make a fine job of shaping their clients and provided real relief to many sufferers of that perennial woman's problem, the 'bad back'. The cartoons continue ...
The Spencer Corsetiere's guide from 1936 had no problems with the client trying on the corset over her dress. Note that most of the corsetieres wear dresses that can be opened at the front. This is for ease of demonstrating their own garments.
The Spencer method for measuring the client in the modelling garment appear to be the same in 1936 as it was in 1920.
Not that this was an official instruction but Spencer made sure that their fitters handled the clients responsibly.
Spencer measuring methods from 1920 and 1947 are identical (above). Even in 1966 the modelling garment was essentially the same device.
The same method is still used by Spencer corsetieres today. Quite simply, the customer is put into a garment of considerable accommodation. The garment is tightened to the required degree and the measurements taken. The post-war measuring garment achieved a considerable degree of complexity!
Latterly, the number of corsetieres who possessed the measuring garments or could even be bothered to use them became very limited. The few remaining corsetieres simply measured over the clients' existing foundations, which to be quite honest, probably gave a better fit than the measuring garment, especially if the client was already wearing a Spencer. Perhaps, however, there was subtle psychology at work here. The costs of these corsets was always high, and the whole measuring ritual ensured that the client would feel that value-for-money had been delivered, and that an acceptable amount of pampering, and due care had been lavished upon her figure. If the corsetiere simply looked and said "You'll need corset corset in the same size as before" (however
correct that might be) it spoilt the afternoon's entertainment!

An early pre-war measuring garment, far simpler than its successors
These post-war modelling garments (1956 above) were in use until the end of the 20th century. The example on the right and below was recently acquired by the Ivy Leaf collection (2004).
The garments show superb attention to detail. Note the cup size meter !
Although the standard measuring garment covered a huge range of women, variations were adopted for the more specialised corsets, particularly that old favourite the abdominal support with the strongly dished front.
The technique simply doesn't change through the decades. The corsetiere of 1934 and 1947 could be as critical as her successor in 1974. (Note that the client above on the right is wearing a Marks and Spencers' lightweight panty-girdle. In reality, there's little chance that she will revert to a Spencer). It is a sad reflection that the client in the 1974 picture is wearing what the majority of women in last three decades would refer to as a 'foundation garment'. In fact it barely qualifies as a pair of elastic underpants. These floral garments were much in vogue in the 1970's and could be bought from Marks and Spencer. Indeed, the corsetiere should be critical. Of course, there are many reasons for wearing a corset:habit, peer pressure, parental pressure support for one's figure support for one's stockings but finally, one of the most powerful is that proper corsetry allows one's clothes to fit perfectly every time. If a Spencer corset can make me look like the lady on the left, then I'm going to phone my corsetiere immediately. Silly advertising belief perhaps but Spencer sold millions of girdles on just such images!
Alison Perry, who was a Spencer corsetiere in the USA, writes a lovely account of the training, trials and tribulations of a novice corsetiere. These recollections are included in
But returning to the halcyon days of the 1960's, the bottom line comes from the 1962 brochure where all the artifices of 'Before and After Woman' are exploited to their full potential. The background is even made of graph paper so that the alarming rise in the bosom can be charted by the scientifically minded!
Alison's Story
- Her times as a Spencer Corsetire -Questions to Alison -Alison's views on rubber corsets
My Early Days
A number of people have asked me about my very early days as a Spencer corsetire and whether my decision to become a corsetire was influenced by my family upbringing. I came from a strict family and grew up in the 30s and 40s. I wore girdles from an early age and was fascinated by my and my mothers visits to the corsetires. When I was growing up, I was like most other girls and started with a garter belt and stockings and a bra. Later, as I became a little older, I progressed to a girdle and stockings and a bra. My mother was a most fashionable lady of the day. She always had a personal corsetire who visited and made her corsetry. Fortunately for me, her corsetire retired about the same time as I started with Spencer, so my mother became one of my first customers. My visits to her were pre-arranged for the whole day every other month, and even more often before Christmas and Easter when a lot of entertaining was done. The day before, she always prepared for me, and got out her dresses, suits and gowns which she wanted to wear with her foundations. She was very fastidious about this. Its hard to remember these days, but a foundation garment is meant to shape the figure, and the clothes then fit that shape. Well-fitting clothes accentuate a well groomed figure; they should not be loose and baggy to hide a bad
figure. Ivy My mother was always very happy, very pleased, to be trying on her new foundations; she loved them. After fitting her, I would sit back on my stool while she looked at herself in the mirror, and she would ask me if I thought she looked good. She did look wonderful and absolutely beautiful in those white satin and brocade foundations. She always asked for ribbons adorning the suspenders and fine lace over the front panels and cups of the long-line bras she favoured so much. These were very firm and very well boned garments; the bra cups were full coverage, the corselets were long over the thigh, and the bras were quite high backed. But they had a lovely sheen to them, and had the lace and ribbon adornments that made them so feminine; and of course, they produced such a lovely silhouette. I was always expected to be beautifully turned out, and we would sometimes go out for lunch as a break during the course of our day, or after a morning of product reviews and preliminary measurements. I dont think this intimacy, yet privacy, normally exists in the family today. I enjoyed these afternoons (but I didn't let on), and she knew it. My father was very proud of his wife's appearance, and his business colleagues always complimented him on how stunning she was. He loved that, so he never complained about the Spencer bills. Occasionally her lady friends were invited for coffee at 11:30 and I would fit them too. After their first fittings, the new designs and fabrics were discussed in great detail. These were also social occasions, so whilst corsetry was discussed in great detail, decisions would also be made for which foundations would be the most suitable for a forthcoming event, where a particular suit or gown would be worn. As you know only too well, ladies openly discussed foundations in those days. The personal matters and private aspects or complications of a particular fitting were, though, absolutely confidential, and a special trust existed between me and my mother and her friends. The candid intimacy between women is a surprise to those who were not present during this period. Look at the Spirella corsetires quite openly modeling their wares in front of their friends. (I have to admit that at least one lady looks rather less than confident). Ivy
My Spencer Training
When I saw an ad to be a Spencer Corsetire, I applied. When I joined Spencer in 1953 I had to attend a training class given by our local manager. In this class we learned about the product line, how to analyze figure problems, and of course how to fit the girdles using the Spencer method and the measuring girdle. Ultimately I became a "Spencer Consultant" and had a territory, and I visited ladies in their homes and fitted them with custom-made girdles and bras. I liked the job very much and I think my customers did too. All the measuring and fittings were done in someones home, and it was a lot more relaxing than going to a store. But let's return to the beginning. The main thing I remember about the training was that it was rather intimidating. It took a week and was held at one of Spencers factories. I was in my early 20s at the time, and I know there was some discussion that I was too young. But they felt they needed some younger corsetires to attract the younger customers, so I was hired anyway. But right away I got started on the wrong foot. It was summer, and it was very hot. On the first day of training I came dressed in a summer dress under which all I was wearing was a cotton bra and a light girdle. For the life of me I still dont know why I dressed like that. I had much firmer foundations in my wardrobe, but here I was coming to Spencer with absolute minimum undergarments. I guess I knew I had a good figure and was proud of it, so, perhaps subconsciously, I was trying to show the other women I did not really need many foundation garments. But I knew I was in trouble when I met the rest of the class. There were about 12 ladies, the youngest of whom was at least 10 years my senior and all very conservatively dressed, with very matronly looking figures showing they were wearing good foundations. I stuck out like a sore thumb. Our instructor was very nice and made the introductions. We were told that the mornings would be for general instruction and the afternoons would be for fittings. We were given the first of our instruction manuals, which, as I
remember, dealt primarily with elementary anatomy and different body types and shapes. After a short lunch break came the first fitting instructions. Our instructor told us that the first thing a good corsetire must do is feel completely comfortable seeing other women in their foundation garments and we must be comfortable being seen in our own. So to start us she wanted each of us to disrobe and describe the foundations she was wearing and why she chose them. The rest of the class would then make comments. I was horrified, especially when the first few women disrobed to show firm, custom-fitted corsetry (much of it made by Spencer) and they described their figure flaws and how they had been fitted with the various garments. When I came to my turn I removed my dress to show only my light bra and girdle. I stood there not knowing what to say while all eyes watched me in silence. I was finally rescued by our instructor who made some comment how Alison was obviously waiting to be correctly fitted so had purposely left her regular foundations at home. After the rest of the class disrobed she did too, showing the most beautiful and exquisitely fitted satin girdle and long-line bra. She then introduced us to the adjustable measuring corsets, and guess who was the first model? All Spencer girdles were fitted using the Spencer method. It consisted of specially made girdles, corselets, bras and long-lines with a series of straps that made them completely adjustable. They came in a number of basic sizes. I was to be the model for the first fitting, so the instructor called me to the front of the class. I unhooked my stockings and removed my girdle (another rather embarrassing thing to do in front of a roomful of relative strangers). She put the measuring girdle round me and zipped it up at the back. She then pulled on the various adjustable straps and showed the class how she could pull in my waist, hips, upper thighs, etc., and as she did she gave advice on what would be best for my figure type. She made the straps tighter and looser and asked me how it felt and the class how they thought it looked. She had me sit down, then stand, then sit again as she made adjustments to the length of the skirt, then bend while standing and sitting while she got the height and the waist set. Eventually she got the correct adjustment and wrote down the settings of all the straps and adjustments on a special form, along with notes about the fabric and boning, as well as comments about the style, panel design, lacings, hooks, zips, etc. Explaining the fitting process took all afternoon, during which time I had to sit or stand in front of the class dressed in the measuring girdle. The measurements, she explained, would then be sent to the design department. They would produce paper patterns, which would then be cut and sewn together. This process normally took a few days, but in the case of our class we would be monitoring the process, and so my girdle would be ready the next day. As the class ended I apologized to the instructor about my foundations, but she said not to worry, as by the end of the next day I would have my first Spencer girdle.
The corsetire measures the client in a variety of specialised measuring garments (1947)
As I remember, the next mornings classes were on the history of fashion and on the different types of fabrics and elastics and fasteners. In the afternoon we went down to the design department to see my girdle, which had now been designed and cut and was then sent to the fabrication department, where it would be put together. We then went back to the classroom, where we split into pairs to practice fitting each other. The instructor (whom I really liked) made me her partner while the other women muttered that I was fast becoming the teachers pet. This time the instructor removed her girdle and I used the measuring girdle on her. It was more difficult to use than I expected, as it was hard to get all the different straps adjusted without getting the girdle completely out of shape, and I remember we were all engrossed in the fittings when a seamstress arrived with my finished girdle. I remember my first impression was that it was like no girdle I had had before. For a start, it was of shiny black satin like our instructors (a fabric and a color that was considered rather risqu in the 50s), and it looked much longer and heavier than I was used to. It was a side-hooked girdle (which was the most common style in the 50s), with the hooks covered with a zip. The class paused and the ladies took their seats while the instructor demonstrated how to fit it. When it was on me and completely done up with my stockings attached (to six garters instead of the four I was used to an extra set at the back), she had me try walking around. Not only did it look different from girdles I normally wore, it felt different. It was heavier and stiffer and had a longer skirt than I was used to. This longer skirt made walking a little more restricted, and she had also made the garters shorter so they pulled hard on my stockings at every step. The girdle also pulled my stomach in and its higher waist made me stand and sit up straighter. The class was very impressed with the way the girdle fitted. It almost makes Alison look like a lady, I heard a lady murmur. I had worn heavily boned girdles before, but I must admit not very often, and most of the girdles in my wardrobe at the time were relatively light control. So when I was hooked up into my first Spencer it felt quite different. My initial feeling was definitely one of pleasure and well-being at being so tightly caressed, and when I looked in the mirror it certainly made me look very good. This pleasure lasted for some hours, but I seem to remember that by the time I started to walk back to the hotel along the hot street I began to have second thoughts. As I mentioned, the girdle had quite a long skirt that held my thighs and limited the length of stride I could take, and the stronger elastic Spencer used in the garters caused a pull on my stockings at every step, and that was also something new to me. I also began to find the overall tightness and control rather uncomfortable as the evening wore on. It was something I couldnt escape from; it was with me constantly whether I was standing up or sitting down.
I worked for Spencer for many years, and I have to admit I never really got completely comfortable with being so tightly girdled and controlled. The foundations I wore were just too restrictive to let me forget about them. I think this strict corseting was pretty obvious to my friends. If we ever went somewhere where we had to get changed I would get a lot of sympathy, but also some envy. I think the whole reason they corseted me so strictly was to show other customers what a correctly corseted figure looked like. The next day we started our training on fitting bras. The Spencer system for measuring for bras was quite complicated, and some people (especially young girls) found it quite intimidating. The next afternoon our instructor showed us the two systems, one for regular bras and one for long-lines. We were told we should normally use the long-line measurer, as these measurements could be used for both types, and it often persuaded customers to buy a long-line (which was more expensive). I was again selected as the model. I had to disrobe again, but this time I was proudly wearing my new shiny black Spencer girdle. Unfortunately, the instructor pointed out that I did not have it adjusted properly, so I had to unfasten it and hook it back up correctly. Then I had to remove my bra, and she put the measuring system on me. The body of it was made of rather firm material with many adjustable measuring straps, but the cups were made of extremely light, flexible, stretch fabric. It had shoulder straps, and hooked up at the back just like a long-line, only with a long row of about 12 hooks. It felt very strange when it was on, as it was very stiff and heavy, yet it gave no breast support, so my breasts felt as if they were just pushed through two holes in the rigid material and left to hang there. The instructor then adjusted the measuring straps and, as she did so, she pointed out that my breasts were being pushed further out into the soft cups. This was the way it was designed, she explained. Adjusting the body of the bra invariably pushed the breasts further out and, as the cup material offered no resistance, they could expand to their correct size. I was not sure I remember liking the idea. When she was done with the measuring straps she used a tape measure to get my breast size (remember Spencer did not use ABC cup sizes). Once the measuring was complete I should have been released from this heavy and uncomfortable contraption, but she then went on for about another hour explaining all about breast sizes and shapes while I was standing there in front of the class with this heavy device strapped to me, feeling more and more uncomfortable and embarrassed. Eventually she finished and released me and sent the measurements out for my bra to be made. Then we were split into pairs again and for the rest of the afternoon we got to practice. The measuring system was quite difficult to master, and even after the training was complete I had to fit quite a few customers before I became very efficient. On the final day of the training we again had lessons in the morning, and in the afternoon our instructor had my first Spencer bra ready for me, fresh from the factory. Once again I was called to the front of the class and asked to disrobe to demonstrate the fitting. I undressed down to my girdle (which the instructor inspected and congratulated meI had it on correctly this time). She then unwrapped my bra. I saw, to my disappointment, that it was a long-line and appeared to be as heavily boned as the girdle. It was, I had to admit, very pretty and was made of shiny black satin to match the girdle. I put my arms out and the instructor slid it onto my shoulders and pulled it round me. She had me lean forward and position my breasts into the firm cups. It was fastened by a row of side hooks covered with a zip. It overlapped my girdle by about and inch, and had short straps on the bottom, which fastened to the girdle. She spent a few minutes adjusting everything and stood back to show the class the effect. I think it must have looked good, as there was a soft applause from the other ladies, and again the whispered comment now Alison really does look like a lady. But I did not notice. I was too concerned by the completely new and alien feeling of being encased from shoulders to thighs in unyielding black satin. At the time I had never worn a long-line bra and my main complaint was being tightly controlled around my rib cage. Unlike the long-line bras of today, there was almost no elastic in the section around my chest and there was no adjustment, as it had been made exactly to my measurements. The only stretch was in the fabric itself. Not very good for deep breathing! It was a sensation I had not experienced before, but one I would come to know only too well during my employment with Spencer. The rest of the class went in a whirl, and at the end of the day we were presented with our certificates and were now fully fledged Spencer corsetires. I traveled home, and the next day I had my first meeting with my manager, who was, over the next few years, going to have a powerful influence over my life.
On the Job, the Manager and the Spen-All

I came to the manager's house proudly wearing my new professionally fitted Spencers. Right from the start, however, I sensed she did not like me. I think she felt I was much too young to be a corsetire. At this first meeting she flatly stated that my new girdle and long-line, despite being fitted at the factory, were not satisfactory. She required all her corsetires to wear corselets, or all-in-ones as they are often called now. She thought they gave a much smoother figure (which I must admit they did) and, as they were the firmest type of garments Spencer made, they gave a good example to our customers. After all, she explained, if we didnt wear one how could we recommend they wear one? I still remember that corselet; it was called the Spen-All. I am not sure I remember it so fondly. Spencers rules said their corsetires could wear only Spencer foundations, and these could be ordered only by the mangers, so I had no choice but to wear my Spen-All and similar ones all the time. The Spen-All was rather like a combined girdle and long-line bra connected at the waist. It was made of a shiny flower-patterned material called brocade. It had an inner supporting section or under belt that had to be hooked up first, a side zip and laces down the front of the girdle part to give a really flat stomach. Although girdles at the time almost always came in white or pink, we corsetires were only allowed to wear black. I found the SpenAll very restrictive, especially when I had to bend down to measure a customer or adjust her stockings or garters, but in time I got used to it. Even after all these years, I am still a little upset that right from the very start my manager made me wear one of Spencer's firmest and most restrictive corselets. In my opinion this type of corselet gave far too much control for a girl in her early 20's, especially as I had to bend and move about to do my job. The underbelt on it made it especially tight and uncomfortable, and I did not need it, as I already had a good figure. The Spen-all is a lasting memory for Alison since she partially repeats the episode. Note how the Spencer corsetires were only allowed to wear black. In the Spirella corsetire pages, many of the publicity photographs and displays show women wearing black, which was by no means the most popular colour. The reason, I suspect, is that many of the foundations looked and photographed better in black. Also the old-fashioned image of a corset could to some degree be dispelled by the racier nature of the colour. Ivy A remarkable parallel to Alison's account is drawn from the recollections of Isobel, a British lady who served in draper's shops, as they were quaintly called. --Ivy Initially I hated the Spen-All corselets, as not only were they very restrictive garments with a lot of coverage, but also my manger had fitted them very tightly. Unlike modern girdles and corselets, which are very elastic and mold themselves to the wearer, the firm-control Spencer foundations molded the figure to conform with the foundation. I remember almost crying when I had been wearing one of my Spen-Alls for hours, knowing I had to keep wearing it until late evening when I was safe and my manager would not come around. Then, strangely enough, after a few months, I began to need it. In fact I felt lost without it. I am not saying I particularly liked it, but after the first few months I started to look forward to the feel of its firm support, and I put it on as soon as I got up in the morning. Spencers requirement of six garters on a corselet was also a problem. These six garters, combined with the firmness of the corselet, caused constant tension on my stockings and greatly enhanced the whole effect of being tightly controlled. I dont know whether any of you women who read these postings have ever had the feeling of being so completely covered and controlled by your foundations that your dress just slides on top without really touching you. Thats how I felt. Another interesting observation here. That the dress should fit the foundation garment and not the person has already been mentioned; however, to avoid folds and creases, the dress should indeed slide over the undergarment. To this end, underwear was made of, or had panels of, satin, to facilitate the sliding. This is also why the petticoat is called a 'slip' in Britain. (Not to be confused with a slip, which in Europe means a panty-girdle). Ivy Many people have asked me what my Spen-All corselet was like. Well now you can see. A friend drew my attention to this Spencer advertisement. According to our brochure, which I still have, The lovely Spen-All banishes bulges, and gives a healthful lift to mind and body. When you wear it you will see the slim young lines of healthful posture and you will sparkle with new health and energy.
This is a typical Spencer before and after advertisement from the 1940's. One tends to be a little cynical about some of Spencer's advertising since it seems that the very act of wearing their foundations not only improved the figure but also the hairstyle and teeth. Some of these advertisements were more blatantly modified than others. Spirella made similar advertisements which were closer to the truth.
Although the ad is dated 1941, it is almost identical to advertisements Spencer was using when I worked for them as a corsetire in the early 50s. It shows a customer in her regular girdle and bra with all her figure problems, then there is another picture of her wearing her custom-made Spencer garments. Comparing the two pictures gives you some idea of the rigid control a Spencer corselet gave. It certainly brings back memories of the years when I had to wear this corselet 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not only did I have to wear it, I had to work in it all day, bending and stretching while I fitted my customers. I've often been asked, Why did I have to wear the Spen-All? For two reasons; firstly, Spencer company policy said their corsetires must wear only Spencer foundation garments or face instant dismissal; and secondly, only their managers could measure and order foundation garments for the corsetires. You have to remember what it was like in the early 50s. Women workers had almost no rights and were often expected to dress a certain way, so I was really trapped. The problem was that only my manager could measure me and order my girdles, so she had absolute control of what I wore. We were required to wear only Spencer foundation garments, and my managers trained eye could recognize instantly whether I was wearing my Spen-All. She caught me once without it on and I was given a warning that next time would be instant dismissal, so after that I could not take a chance, as I needed and enjoyed the job. When I ordered a girdle for a customer, I did the measuring, then sent the measurements to the Spencer factory. They made the girdles, then shipped them to my manager, who checked them, then brought them to my house. I never knew for sure when she would be coming; it could be virtually any time in the day or evening. She felt all her corsetires should set an example with a perfect figure, so my Spen-All was always about as tight as it could be. Worse than that, as it was custom-made there was no adjustment. If I was having a bad day I couldnt loosen it in any way. I couldnt even put on a lighter girdle; I had to wear my Spen-All all the time. Another thing I didnt like was that all my Spen-Alls were black, which limited the dresses I could wear without it showing through. (I was told this was to make sure we always looked professional.) This was not bad in the winter, but in the summer I could not wear lightweight or light-colored dresses.
The Spen-Alls I wore during my career fitted like a glove. This perfect fit was a combination of being fitted by an expert corsetire (my manager), plus the fact that she had many chances to enhance and perfect the fit as she made me new ones. The control was very even all over. There were no portions of it that dug in or rubbed; it was just form-fitting. I am not sure whether this was because the fit was so good or that my body gradually adjusted to the contours of the rigid design. I have to admit it was like no other foundation I have worn before or since. From the wide shoulder straps, through the perfectly contoured bra cups, through the nipped in waist and the laced front panel, all the way to the skirt of the corselet and the six garters, it fitted me like a glove and was the perfect example of a Spencer fitting at its best. One advantage of wearing it constantly was that it made buying clothes rather easy. My figure always remained exactly the same inside the rigid confines of the corselet. Alison's relationship with her Spen-All continues. She mentions again, as the underlying reason for wearing foundations, that the clothes are to fit the foundation and not the woman. If the foundations are firm, then the clothes will fit perfectly all the time. The corselet could be rather uncomfortable at times, however, especially during my period, when I often felt rather bloated, which made me a little irritable. Remember this was long before PMS was officially recognized as a fact of life for women. My manager, however, had my periods carefully charted and would avoid assigning me to important customers at the wrong time of the month. I think she knew my cycles better than I did and mandated the use of the Spencer-supplied sanitary wear, to protect my corsetry. Just writing about this makes me think how things have changed (for the better?). Just imagine the outcry there would be nowadays if women employees were charted by their managers, and their work schedules adjusted appropriately. As with all full-length foundations, a lot of the control came from the fact that they gave vertical control in addition to the normal horizontal control of a girdle. For this reason my Spen-All had wide shoulder straps as well as wide garters. It is amazing how this increased the overall control of the foundation. When fitting a customer, I could utilize this effect in a number of ways. For instance, a regular long-line bra and girdle gave good control. However, if I attached hooks to the bottom-front of the bra so it could be attached to the girdle, it increased the control dramatically. Hooks could also be attached to the back of the bra to give complete control. These worked well, but were both inconvenient and unpopular. The standard Spen-All came with a floating front, in which the front of the bra portion was allowed to float over the girdle portion. This greatly increased comfort when bending and moving. However, we corsetires had to have hooks under the front, which in essence fixed the two parts and completed the rigid control. After all, my manager explained, she wanted her corsetires to set an example, and looks were a lot more important than comfort. Alison's continued reference to this garment has prompted us to insert another page. The Spen-All - Ivy >
Marriage
Getting married is always huge event in anyone's life and brings about a lot of changes but I was always amazed in the 50s how it also signalled a major change in a women's corsetry too. I had a number of loyal customers who I fitted from the time they first put on a Spencer through into later life and I always found it interesting how the styles of corsetry changed as the women went from single to married. One obvious change was the colour of their corsetry that changed from white, which was the most popular pick for my younger customers, to the more mature looking dusty rose pink. The style of their bras also changed once a girl was married. Spencer offered a wide range of bras of course, and it was my job to make sure their bra fitted perfectly and was comfortable at all times, but also suited their new married status. For example, when I fitted younger, unmarried customers my first choice would always be a relatively light weight bandeau bra whereas i would tend to fit married customers in something longer, more reinforced and heavier to reflect their more conservative status.
For an unmarried girl with an average bust I would order a short bra made of stretch elastic net and broadcloth to hold the bust in a natural position. For an unmarried girl who needed a bit more support I would fit a short bra made of non stretch broadcloth with a little padding to keep her natural rounded lines. But once a girl married, even if she had a well defined average figure, I would have her graduate to one of Spencers long-line bras. As most women know, wearing a long-line bra with you girdle or corset brings a whole different feeling of control as your complete torso is covered, and your chest, although not really restricted, has to cope with the caress of the elastic or fabric of the long-line bra hooked tightly round you. Spencer's lightest style of long-line bra was made mostly of rayon with net elastic and no stays and would give good uplift with control. They closed with a single set of hooks at the back. For women who needed more control, the next step up would be a long-line bra giving more control of her diaphragm and would be made from broadcloth and lace, and closed with a double row of hooks at the back. The looser set of hooks would be for casual daytime wear and the tighter hooks for evening wear. This bra came with relatively light stays and hooks at the front to attach the long-line bra to the girdle or corset. For even more control; Spencer had another line of long-line bras made of heavier, non stretch cotton broadcloth, complete with corset stays and with a longer midriff line to flatten as well as firmly control the diaphragm. This style of bra came with side hooks. These side hooks did not give such a smooth line as the back hooks, but were necessary as this style of bra was too tight and stiff for a woman to reach around and hook at the back. I did sometimes get requests from customers to have back hooks on a bra like this, but i had to warn her that she would probably need to be hooked up by her husband and would be trapped in her bra for the rest of the day.
Maternity and New Ideas from Spencer

I always thought I should have called my daughter Spencer. She was born in the early 50s while I was a corsetire working for Spencer Corsets. She was conceived while I was wearing my Spencer corselet, I carried her wearing a Spencer maternity corselet, and after she was born she was breast-fed while I was wearing a Spencer nursing bra. Let me start at the beginning. I think my husband was just like many of the men who write to this forum, and was always fascinated by my black Spen-All corselet, which I had to wear all the time I was working for Spencer. In fact he was so fascinated that I hardly remember having relations with him except when I was wearing it. I remember thinking it rather strange, as he always had to battle with the skirt of the corselet. The skirt, as you may remember, was quite long, and when he made me keep my stockings on as well he also had the tension of the garters to contend with. Still he seemed to enjoy it immensely and I must admit that I found sex while I was so tightly corseted quite exhilarating. I had just found out I was pregnant when a message was sent round that Spencer was developing a new range of maternity wear and they were asking for corsetires who were pregnant to volunteer to try the new designs. I was immediately volunteered by my manager and was sent to the regional office where they were designing them. My interview consisted mainly of an examination by their consulting obstetrician and an inspection of my current corsetry by the Spencer design team. Both the doctor and the Spencer staff were impressed that someone as young as me was used to the strict control of a Spen-All, and I was selected to try not a maternity girdle, but a new maternity corselet that they were designing. I was totally unenthusiastic about the idea, as I was assuming my pregnancy would free me from the restrictive corselet and let me wear something less controlling. But, alas, it was not to be. The designers measured me very carefully, and a few days later I was summoned to my managers house for the first fitting. The first thing I remember about the maternity corselet was that the all black rule for Spencer corsetires was not going to be relaxed (at least not for me). I still remember thinking how black it looked and how large the bust was (I found out why when I had it on). After my manager hooked the straps over my shoulders, I immediately noticed how heavy and stiff it was. The maternity corselet was a very interesting and, for its time, a very advanced design. It had a flexible underbelt, which went under and supported my belly without compressing it. This hooked up at the side with many rows of
adjustable hooks to allow for expansion. The most innovative part of the design was the front, which consisted of a floating panel that was attached to the two sides of the corselet with six adjustable straps. These straps could be loosened as my belly grew to give firm support to the growing baby without putting undue pressure on it. The bust was also very innovative, and probably the most unusual part of the foundation. The cups were made of stiff material and were sized for what the Spencer designers estimated would be my final bust size. The inside of these rigid cups was lined with very soft padding. The idea was that as my breasts grew they would compress the lining, so they would always be fully supported, but from the outside my bust would remain the same size. Spencer thought this feature would be very popular, as it would save women getting different size dress tops. I am not sure I liked it much, as I remember finding it very inconvenient going instantly from a B cup to a D, and I also found the thick soft padding made my breasts very hot. My husband, however, was very impressed and thought my expanded bust-line very attractive. Although the front of the corselet was flexible, the sides and back were definitely not. Spencer was aware that good back support was needed during pregnancy, and the designers had used their years of experience in corset design to make it optimum. The corselet incorporated heavy, closely spaced boning in both the back and sides. My manager also pointed out that there were also two long sleeves stitched into the back of the corselet on either side of my spine. These were designed so that two full-length steel stays could be slid into them to provide complete back support. I winced when I saw them, hoping I could avoid adding them as long as possible. After getting it on me, my manager then fussed about and pulled the front straps tight and adjusted the corselet until I looked perfectly trim and my pregnancy did not show at all. Finally she produced a pair of stockings, which Spencer had sent as part of the outfit. I was a little dismayed when I saw these were also black, as in the 50s everyone wore beige stockings and black were rather unusual. I was even more dismayed when she rolled them onto my legs and I felt they were elastic support stockings. They were, and still are, recommended by many doctors during pregnancy, but I was at a very early stage and did not relish wearing them for months to come. But, as usual, my protests were ignored and my manager soon had them pulled up and attached to the wide garters. I wore my new maternity corselet for about a week before I returned to the Spencer office. Here I met about ten other ladies who were also taking part in the study. We were taken to one of Spencers large changing rooms where we all disrobed, and I was able to see that we were all wearing different designs of maternity foundations. It became rather like a pregnant womens social group as we all went round comparing the designs of our foundations and discussing different aspect of child-bearing. I could not help noticing, however, that despite my managers assurance that the all-black regulations were still in effect, most of the other womens foundations were pink or white, not black like mine. I also saw most were wearing maternity girdles with separate bras, which looked a lot more comfortable, while only two of us were wearing corselets. The other woman wearing the corselet was quite heavy, with the kind of figure you might expect to be wearing a very supporting foundation. I was more than a little disappointed to see that the women with my slimmer kind of build were all wearing relatively light girdles with minimum support. I resolved that I would have a serious talk with my manager, not that I thought it would have much effect. We were told that all the foundations were different designs that Spencer was evaluating. For the next few hours we were measured, examined and questioned about different aspects of our foundations: how comfortable they were, how convenient, and what kind of support they were giving. All through these interviews I was dressed only in my corselet and support stockings. Even though I was used to being seen in my corsetry, there were so many Spencer personnel coming and going that I began to feel more than a little embarrassed. This was especially true when I caught sight of myself in a mirror and saw how much the pink of my arms and thighs contrasted against the black of my corselet and stockings. But eventually the examinations were over and we all got dressed and I could return home. These visits to Spencer were repeated every two weeks, and at each visit the consultant obstetrician and the Spencer design team examined and interviewed me. The doctor was very pleased with the fit of the corselet and the support it gave, but the designers kept tinkering with the design. They always seemed to be adding some type of new adjustment such as an extra row of hooks or a different set of lacings to give just the amount of support they thought was necessary. As they made these changes and modifications, new corselets were sent to my manager for her to fit.
As my pregnancy progressed, my belly expanded, but my manager insisted on keeping the corselet laced and adjusted very tightly. I remember it did an extremely good job of supporting me, and I eventually became quite grateful for the stiffly boned back. However, I remember I was never too enthusiastic about the design of the bust. Even though the padding inside the stiff cups was very soft, as my breasts became larger it started to squeeze them slightly and, as other women who read this posting can attest, that can become very uncomfortable. My pregnancy proceeded very smoothly and, despite the best efforts of my manager, who kept the corselet as tight as possible, I eventually began to show quite noticeably. The visits to Spencer continued, but the design of the corselet remained more or less the same, as the design team became satisfied. They felt the design was one of their best, and I was often asked to show it off to various visiting managers or top sales people. This was all very well for them, but I remember starting to feel like some kind of show, constantly being moved from room to room to meet different people while being only scantily dressed in my corsetry. Because I was so well supported by the corselet, my manager insisted that I kept working as long as possible, but it soon became apparent that I could not really do all the bending the job required. Finally, on one of the visits I complained I was feeling back pain. I thought it was caused by the way the corselet was laced, but the designers were convinced I needed more back support and decided it was time to insert the final stays in the corselet. As I described earlier, they had sewn in two long sleeves at the back of the corselet, either side of my spine. Two fulllength steel stays had been specially made and had been shaped to my back at the beginning of my pregnancy. These were now produced, my corselet was removed, and they were slid into place. The corselet was then put back on and tightened and adjusted. The effect was immediate, and I can still remember today the feeling of my back being held completely rigid. I could not move my back or bend at all. Looking back, however, I must admit that despite the firm control the maternity garment gave, it was reasonably comfortable and I was used to wearing corselets anyway. The elastic support stockings were a different story. I know they were good for preventing varicose veins, but I found them unacceptably tight and uncomfortable. They were not like modern-day support stockings. They were made of strong elastic that only stretched around my legs; there was almost no up-and-down stretch at all. When they were attached to the wide garters and the garters pulled tight, it stretched the corselet taut right through to my shoulder straps. I remember it gave me the feeling of being rigidly encased from my shoulders all the way down to my toes. I protested to both my manager and my husband, but they insisted it was part of the package, and insisted on my wearing them for the remainder of my pregnancy. After all, they told me, it was my figure they were protecting, and I would be grateful later. I was not so sure. I earlier described the softly padded bra cups for growing mothers-to-be. This Spencer variable-fill padded cup was designed so that the nipple could protrude correctly. As I mentioned, I thought these cups were very hot and overly constraining at the end of my pregnancy. Spencers doctor, who was involved in assessing my development, made sure that the tips of these cups were empty enough of padding, to prevent compression or flattening of my nipples by the stiff, contour-holding material of the outer shell. An alternative was for a well-constructed firm bra with a good wide supporting under band, wide non-stretch straps and deep cone shaped cups. These were to be worn from the twelfth week, and for increasing periods daily until term. Monthly observations were recommended for the doctor to assess the womans progress for successful breast-feeding. In all cases doctors were very concerned that the mother-to-be had a bra that gave very firm support but did not compress the nipples during the last 24 weeks of pregnancy. Spencer advertised quite heavily in maternity journals and produced brochures showing their medically endorsed maternity foundations and related obstetric supports. I remember the brochures displayed young models who were beautifully fitted with these foundation garments. They were all most attractive 'smiling and blooming' pregnant young women, yet they were wearing long-line, heavily boned posture-supporting designs. Cotton taffeta and white-flowered broche and satin lace were featured in these garments, so these young ladies looked very attractive in their foundations. When I was wearing my maternity corselet, the manager at Spencers head office arranged a number of photo sessions for brochure illustrations, with me wearing in the company's most expensive and controlling corselets. I was supposed to convey the life-form and life-style for these brochures, which were aimed at sales to elegant mothers-to-be and their husbands. In some cases Spencer was trying to sell two expensive foundations, the first one having been endorsed by the husband for his wife, and the other being chosen by wife for herself. I dont think
any of my photos were ever used. At this time, obstetric figure-care was also very much in vogue. Doctors were recommending the wearing of a really firm and well-boned deep girdle after the birth, in order to bring the hips bones (pelvic girdle) back to original size, the hips having expanded in later pregnancy in order to provide a widening of the birth canal.
Fitting Clients
Looking back, I find the social aspects of my fitting sessions were rather interesting. As I mentioned in some of my previous postings, girdle- or corset-fitting sessions at Spencer were often almost a social event, with family members and friends present. Nowadays, I think the idea of disrobing in front of friends and family would be very disconcerting to most people, especially as it was my job to point out the customers figure flaws. Perhaps it was because, once she was correctly corseted, all her flaws disappeared and many women ended up with a virtually perfect figure. (Even though they were now very firmly controlled by their foundations.) Thinking back, I remember more than one person attended many of my fitting sessions. Perhaps solo sessions with only you and your corsetire were just too intimidating and women enjoyed the moral support of a friend or family member. I, as a trained corsetire, always had an idea as to what I wanted a womans figure to be like, and, with the degree of control a Spencer could give, I could mostly attain it. The customer however had to decide whether the discomfort she experienced would be worth it, and she would often discuss this with other people present. For instance if I pulled in her waist very tightly with the adjustable measuring corset, she might ask her partner how it looked versus how it looked when it was less constrictive and more comfortable. My customer always knew that, as her corsetire, I would push for the firmest control, so perhaps it was good to have someone else on her side. There was also the flip side to this, as sometimes the other ladies present encouraged more control. This was sometimes the case with mothers and daughters, although very often teenage girls were highly motivated to get their first real girdle. They had, perhaps, seen their older sister or mother in their foundations and they had certainly compared notes with their friends at school. Many of these teenagers picked quite heavy girdles from my catalog and insisted on firm control. These girls often became my best customers and, while still in their teens, would have quite an extensive wardrobe of different girdles and corselets. Customers either came to my house, or I went to theirs. I always tried to make the fitting a relaxing and pleasurable experience. If they came to my house, we would first have some tea or coffee and I would chat to make them feel comfortable. All the time I would be watching them for posture, how they sat, etc. I would then ask them to remove their clothes down to their underwear. I would carefully study their figures and critique them. I had been trained to point to problem areas. A bit of a tummy bulge here, poor posture there, shoulders slumping, bust too small (or too large). After this I would tell them how a Spencer foundation would take care of all their figure problems. How could they refuse? If they still hesitated I would remove my dress and show them my Spen-All, which, despite being uncomfortable, was perfectly fitted and looked really good. We would then look at the catalog and I would make some suggestions. Remember I got paid a percentage of the sale. Of the foundations we sold, bras were the cheapest, longline bras next, light-control girdles next, then firmcontrol girdles, corselets, and finally the most expensive items, gorgeous satin strapless corselets for special occasions. I was always supposed to guide the customer to the most expensive item. The last thing I wanted a customer to buy was a regular bra and light-control girdle. After we had decided on the style, say for a girdle, I would use the 'Spencer method' for measuring. This was a special measuring girdle that the customer put on. It was a basic size non-stretch girdle that had all sorts of pulls and buckles that I could tighten. As I pulled them tight I got rid of all the slumps and bulges and got her figure exactly how I wanted it. She could then look in the mirror and get a preview of what she would look like in her Spencer. All the straps had markings on them, and when the customer's figure was exactly right I would write down the numbers that would give me the size for her girdle. I would then help the customer dress and make an appointment for the next fitting.
A corsetire in the late 1940's gets her client fully adjusted and measured. A Spencerette for the younger figure.
I then used the measurements to fill out the order form. At this stage there were all sorts of options I could add to customize the basic design of the foundation. For instance, I could make the skirt of the girdle longer or shorter or tighter. I could make the waist higher or lower or tighter. I could add zips or lacings. I could add boning or an under-belt. On the bra section, I could select different types of cups and add padding. I could increase the coverage by lengthening the waist or use a built-up back to bring the bra up towards the shoulder blades at the back. I could decrease the size of the cups for cleavage or could increase coverage so the breasts were held immovably. After the measurement session I described last time, I would normally wait about a day before I sent the order in. This was because I often received a call from someone who had had second thoughts on the style of the garment. It is interesting that she almost always called to order a firmer girdle than the one she had originally chosen. I think she tended to forget exactly what she looked like and perhaps thought more control would be better. The other people who called were mothers who had had their daughters measured. In these cases they had known from the start they wanted their daughter in a firmer girdle, or in a corselet instead of a girdle, but didnt want to argue at the session. Sometimes they would even call me in advance to tell me that although they had told their daughter she was being fitted for a girdle they were actually going to order a corselet or a girdle/long-line bra combination. The girdle would then be made at the Spencer factory and a few days later my manager would deliver the girdle to me. It would be time for the fitting. Again, this could be done at my house or the customer's. Although I tried to make the fitting session a relaxing experience, the customer always seemed tenser. If it was a new customer she was worried what her first Spencer would look and feel like. If it was an old customer she always seemed a little worried about the fit. After some small talk came the moment when I would remove the corset from its covering and the customers got their first look at it. It was interesting to see the different expressions on their faces. These went all the way from pleasure and a smile, to a giggle, to consternation or even shock. This was especially true if a girl was expecting a girdle, and a corselet confronted her. Or if she had been expecting a light-control girdle and instead saw a rigid control girdle. With some teenagers I had to leave the room and let their mothers sort things out. Most would settle down relatively quickly and I could move on to the next stage, where I would carefully and slowly show them all the features of the garment, the various hooks, zippers and laces and show them how they fastened. Then I would hand it to them and let them examine it, to get them used to the look and feel of the garment. Then came the actual fitting. If it was in their home I first had to double-check that there were no prying eyes or 'little boys' around. Then I asked them to remove their clothes down to their panties or bloomers. While they were removing their clothes, I would often remove my dress to point out some of the features of my corselet and let them
see how firmly I was corseted. I liked to do the actual fitting dressed only in my corselet and stockings. This had a great calming effect and I think they often became more relaxed with their garment when they saw the extent of my corsetry, and there was a sort of we are all girls together camaraderie. I can still remember exactly how I fitted the girdle, as I did it so many times. First I would sit or kneel down, place the girdle round her and do up the top hook to hold the girdle in position. Next I would turn her round so her back was towards me and straighten the girdle, centering it on her body. I would fasten the back suspenders to anchor the girdle in the correct position, then turn her sideways so the fastenings were facing me. I would then draw her towards me, and, keeping my legs together, I would pull her against my knees to steady her while I did up the hooks from the bottom up, pulling the girdle closed as I went. After I had a few of the hooks done up, I would stand up and survey the girdle and say a few reassuring words. Normally the girdle had to fit about two inches below the fold where the buttocks met the thighs at the back and had to be straight on her figure. (Sometimes mothers would want the skirt of the girdle to extend further down their daughters thighs, but I will tell you about that later.) I would then adjust it by giving a steady downward pull (not a sharp jerk or she might fall over and we would all end up in a heap of girdles and stockings), which would settle the girdle well down over her seat and thighs. Once I was satisfied it was sitting properly on her body I would continue the fastening. While sitting, I would undo the top hook and finish fastening the hooks from the bottom up. I could then pull up the zipper to cover them. I would then turn her towards me and adjust the front if necessary. Last of all I would fasten the front garters to her stockings. I was asked if men were ever present at their wives girdle fittings. Most fittings were done during the day, so husbands got involved in the fittings only if they happened to be at home when I was there. When they were there I liked it, because it always seemed that I sold the more expensive (firmer control or with more coverage) when men helped decide on the styles. We had one style that the women almost never chose, but was popular with their husbands. This was a corselet that fastened with a full-length back zipper that ended between the shoulder blades. It was supposed to be designed so the wearer could unzip it herself, but when the corselet was tightly fitted, as most were, she was basically trapped until someone decided to unzip her. It was a really beautiful corselet made of white or pink satin, and because it was fastened at the back it had a very smooth line at the front with bones running full length. It had to be custom-made and fitted (as all Spencers were), because it was of rigid construction with virtually no elastic. It looked really nice in our catalog, but after it was delivered and I did the final fitting, many of my customers complained it was difficult to wear, as it was too constrictive. This was especially annoying if their husband zipped them up in the morning and didnt return till late, and the garters were pulled tight to the stockings. I dont believe anyone would wear that type of foundation today. When it came to bras (whether it was a regular bra, a long-line or a corselet), the most popular style from Spencer that I fitted in the early 50s had rigid, heavily padded cups. This style was not often featured in our brochures, but was what women (or their husbands) actually wanted. When I fitted a woman or even a teenager, I was trained to ignore the size and shape of her actual breasts, and instead to design the foundation for the best possible silhouette. For instant, suppose I measured a young woman as an A cup, but decided she would look better with a B cup or even a C cup, I would simply specify that on the order form and the factory would add the appropriate padding. Sometimes the customer would tell me how much padding she wanted, but normally it was my job as a corsetire to give my customer the idealized silhouette she saw in the magazines. (Note that we didnt actually use the ABC cup sizes at Spencer in the 50s, but you get the idea.) This style of bra had a lot more coverage than todays styles. It showed no cleavage and held the breasts completely rigidly. The bra covered the breasts so completely that it was impossible to tell what their real size was. Although these heavily padded cups did wonders for a womans figure, they also caused some problems. I remember one girl telling me how she had been at a dance when someone accidentally bumped her breast with his elbow. It made a big concave dent in her bra and it wouldnt pop back out. She had a very embarrassing few minutes before she made a dash for the ladies room and could get her fingers inside to push it back out! The corselet I described in my last note was normally considered too restrictive for younger girls, even in the 50s
when girdling was common. The only exception I remember was one of my better customers, who complained her teenage daughter kept removing her girdle whenever she got the chance. She looked through my catalog and decided the back zippered corselet would be the answer. To my experienced eye her daughter had a good figure, certainly not the type that needed firm control, but as I was paid a percentage of the sale, and the corselet was one of our more expensive items, I did not argue. The measuring session went quite smoothly and I delivered the finished corselet. I remember the fitting session quite vividly as the girl later became one of my best customers and we often joked about her first real girdle (or corselet). I arrived a few minutes before her, as she had to be excused from school. Knowing she was late the girl came rushing in skirts flying. She was dressed in her school uniform, a gray pleated skirt and white blouse. I remember noticing she was wearing bobby socks, Mary Jane shoes and no stockings. Her mother had her undress and she was wearing a lightweight roll-on girdle and bra. She removed these; I unzipped the corselet and held it out so the daughter could put her arms through the straps. She took one look and burst into tears. Her mother and I had to persist and persuade until we got it onto her shoulders and smoothed out in the front. I then zipped up the back. At this stage we managed to get her calmed down. Her mother produced a pair of dark beige stockings, she put them on and we attached them to the garters. I remember the stockings were too short and we had to pull them up as high as they would go. She then put her uniform back on and we tried her sitting down. She had to practice sitting down very carefully and to smooth her skirt down, otherwise the tops of her stockings showed. She was sent straight back to school. But this time she moved a lot slower and more carefully. I guess you could say, more ladylike. A number of people have asked me whether my customers were all older ladies. The answer is yes and no. Although my customers were predominantly older, on occasions they would bring their daughters to be fitted also. Now most people thought that fitting young ladies was a waste. For a start Spencers were more expensive than regular girdles. Secondly, a Spencer was carefully custom made to the customers exact measurements, and was more rigid. Thus it did not allow room for growth, and young ladies were obviously still growing and would soon outgrow their girdle. Nevertheless, some of my better (and probably more wealthy customers) seemed to think it was worthwhile. I also got some referrals from other corsetires, as, at the time, I was the youngest corsetire in my district. Spencer did have some designs that were targeted towards younger ladies, such as their Spencerette. But even this was a lot firmer, and gave a lot more coverage, than a girl expected. Unfortunately, I have to admit I took on these fittings, as at Spencer we were paid on a commission basis and at the time I needed all the income I could generate. What was the biggest complaint I got from these young ladies, you may ask. Well the biggest by far was the length and the tightness of the skirt of a Spencer. They complained that it made sitting too uncomfortable. I was always very careful during a fitting to check the Spencer when the customer was sitting down. This often meant adjusting and shortening the front boning of the girdle to make sure it did not dig in. So it was not the boning that caused the problem. I suppose it was just the overall control of such a rigid girdle. The other complaint was about the back garters. Although I could order a Spencer with only four garters, my draconian manager (whom I told you about previously) always checked my orders. She insisted that all Spencer girdles and corsets be fitted with the proper and traditional six garters. No exceptions! It is true that the back garters were difficult to attach, reaching behind, then fiddling to get them fastened. But I think the main reason that younger wearers disliked them was that when the suspenders were done up the pull on the girdle was really noticeable. The time you really felt the tension of the back garters was when you sat down. With four garters your girdle would release a little as you sat, but when the back garters were tightly fastened to your stockings that was not possible. Remember also that in the 50s stockings did not contain any Lycra and did not stretch the way they do now. Leaving the back garters unfastened was not too good either, as they could be very painful if you sat on them awkwardly!
The biggest complainers were the girls who were still in high school and had to spend most of their day sitting at a desk on a hard chair. This tended to emphasize both the tension on the garters, and also the lack of seat room in the tight skirt of their Spencer girdle. Talking more about garters: With a regular girdle or corselet the garters were, of course, attached to the bottom of the garment. If the foundation had an underbelt, however, the garters were attached to a loop between the underbelt and the skirt of the girdle. I always found this to be a far more satisfactory technique. This was because the underbelt was much more firmly attached than the outer shell of the girdle, and gave much better anchorage for the garter.
Fitting College Aged Girls

One of the things we had to do as a Spencer corsetire was always to be on the lookout for new business. To help us, Spencer had cards printed for us, a bit bigger than modern business cards, more like an index card with a picture of one of Spencer's nicest corsets together with my name and phone number and the words "Alison Perry professional corsetire" across the bottom. These cards were meant to be pinned up on notice boards. This form of advertising was popular in the 50's. You could pay a small fee and have them displayed in local shops. I was hungry for business so I distributed these cards wherever I could. One of my most successful postings was in the female dorms of our local College. Female dorms in the 50's were nothing like those of today's universities. They were definitely totally female domains. No males were ever allowed past the entry foyer. If a boy came to pick up his girlfriend he had to wait in the foyer while she was called and under no circumstances was he allowed inside. Anyway, to get back to my recollections. I asked to have one of my cards posted on the notice board and I was a little surprised when I got a call the very next day from a student who said she was interested in a Spencer fitting. Now you would think that the last thing a liberated girl who has just gone to university would be interested in would be wearing a Spencer. After all, these girls had probably just escaped from their mothers' domination and for the first time in their lives they were away from home and able to make their own decisions. Surely one of these decisions would be to dress as they liked in whatever skirt or dress they chose and more especially what kind of underwear. But remember these were the 50's when fashions were a lot more formal and the more exclusive colleges had expected dress codes for both men and women to attend classes. For females this included stockings which inevitably meant a girdle or suspender belt. When I met with the girl, it turned out she was not so interested in a corset or even a custom girdle but it was a custom bra she wanted. She said she was too flat-chested and her clothes did not fit properly When I asked her to take her blouse off I could see why. It was not that she was particularly flat-chested, she was simply wearing a terrible bra. I had to giggle to myself as she almost looked like the model in one of the awful Spencer ads. Her bra was so saggy and worn out it was giving her no support at all. I immediately switched to my professional mode and told I could really help. I told her I would fit her for a regular bra and also for a long-line bra. I explained that part of her problem was with her posture. She was slumping her shoulders and a Spencer long-line would straighten her posture and pull her shoulders back, push her breasts out proudly and give her confidence in her figure. Then with some professionally placed padding in the cups she would have a pert firm bust-line that would be the envy of her friends. I was in actual fact following almost exactly what my manager had trained me to say. When I came back the next month with her new Spencer bras and did the fitting, the transformation was just amazing. Gone was the flat-chested girl with slumped shoulders and in her place was a woman with the classic Spencer figure with her breasts pushed up and out and with the stiff padded cups I had ordered. A perfect transformation. In this female dormitory, I had found a lucrative source of customers for my fledgling career as a corsetire. A group of four ladies all living in such close proximity to each other and all trying to impress their friends by looking their best. When I had delivered the bras I suggested that I should measure her and fit her with a girdle as well. She hesitated telling me she didn't want to be corseted like her mother so I left it. But sure enough I received a call a few days later asking for a fitting. When I arrived she told me the reason was that she loved her new Spencer long-line bra but it was uncomfortable when worn with her girdle. When she disrobed I could immediately
see the problem. Her girdle was too short and she was having the excruciating problem of flesh being caught between the two garments. My new customer was quite tall and was a perfect candidate for a high-waisted custom made Spencer as it was unlikely she would find an off-the-shelf-girdle of the required length. I considered her figure carefully then pulled out one of my favourite samples, a beautifully made Spencerette. It was an exquisite corset from Spencer's range of corsets designed for younger customers. Much lighter than a traditional corset and designed to control and support a younger figure who's body was supple and easy to shape. I thought it was a beautiful garment with it's satin and lace embellishments and available in white or dusty rose but not in black as black would definitely not be allowed for a virgin female. Even if I had put an order in for a black Spencerette either my manager or the factory would have checked it against the particulars of the customer and would have rejected the order. Even worse I would have been disciplined or my commissions frozen as punishment. If I may digress for a moment, I should mention that Spencer corsetires were closely supervised. In the 1950's opportunities for women were limited. A girl could aspire to be a nurse, a teacher or a secretary but not much else. Being an independent corsetire was considered a privilege and we were closely managed to make sure we didn't get too many independent ideas. My commissions were managed for me and money put into a savings account so I couldn't be a silly female and spend it all. If I misbehaved I could be fined and money taken from my account. As I mentioned earlier, this discipline extended to a strict dress code. My Spen-all had to be correctly and tightly laced and perfectly fitted at all times and anchored securely to my stockings with all six garters. The slightest movement or wobble of my breasts or behind would result in a new corset fitting by my manager to give my figure even firmer control. A Spencer corsetire was supposed to wear severe straight fitted dress, but being younger than most of my peers I was allowed a little leeway and could sometimes wear a more fashionable fuller skirt, especially when I was filling younger customers. Well fitted gloves were also expected, smart slim fitting leather gloves if I was outside making calls and cotton or satin gloves, dyed to match my outfit, if I was inside ready for a fitting. I remember becoming quite adept at working in gloves and it perhaps gave my customers more confidence if I was touching them with satin gloves rather than bare hands. Jewellery was to be kept to a minimum. A pearl necklace was acceptable especially when tastefully matched with a black dress. No bracelets or bangles which might interfere with lacings or tight hooks. Spencer required an overall professional look. (It was recommended practice for fitters to show off their own foundations if required to secure a sale, hence Spencer's insistence on properly fitted garments - Ivy.) Getting back to my customer, as she was a student and would be doing a lot of sitting in class, I measured the Spencerette a bit shorter than normal so make sitting more comfortable. I also ordered only four garters. I knew this might get me in trouble with my manager who said all Spencer's should have six garters, but I knew how uncomfortable the back garters could be when sitting on a hard chair and how hard they pulled on a girls stockings when seated. I then discussed the different priced fabrics that Spencer offered. I was very pleased when the girl told me she would order the most expensive option. It turned out that her mother had visited and the girl had shown off her new Spencer long-line bra. Her mother was so pleased and impressed with her daughters 'proper corsetry' that she had offered to pay the entire cost of any other Spencers her daughter wanted.
Girdles and Swimsuits

One of the questions from the 1950's is Did women wear girdles under their swimsuits? The answer for many women was yes, and perhaps I can tell you about my own experience Those of you who remember the fashions of those days will recollect that the average woman's swimsuits were much fuller coverage and of thicker material than today's. The material of the swimsuit was not so stretchy as it is today but they had some rubberized elastic built in to give them shape. Before I went to work for Spencer I could comfortably wear just such a swimsuit, but once my body had got used to the ultra firm support of a Spen-all it didn't react that well to suddenly being unsupported. I thus joined the legions of women who needed a girdle under their swimsuits. For once Spencer did not have a specific dress code for swimsuits. Perhaps they felt their corsetieres would be too busy to participate is such leisure activities as swimming, or perhaps the average corsetiere was too old, but either way I was free to chose my own foundation. I remember the fist time I went swimming after joining Spencer I happily removed my constrictive Spen-all with all its hooks and laces and put on my swimsuit. I felt great for about an hour, but then I began to feel this dull ache from my stomach and back and that strange falling out sensation with which corset wearers are familiar. I knew I was going to need to wear a girdle under my swimsuit. At this stage I knew there was no time for me to get a Spencer girdle made so I decided to get one off the shelf from
a department store. I had seen adverts about the new molded rubber that seemed very popular (Spencer never produced a molded rubber girdle but for a short while they did supply rubber girdles made from stitched sheet rubber that I described previously). They had displays of these strange girdles on the counter and you could just pick one out without being measured by the corsetiere. This was a new concept for me I thought. I finally picked out what would nowadays be called a rubber panty girdle. A single piece molded rubber garment with no apparent seams complete with a rubber crotch which was perforated with a number of holes. I was a little surprised when the girdle came complete with a small pack of scented talcum powder. The shop assistant told me in a conspiratorial whisper that this was to help the girdle slide on easier and also to disguise the rubbery smell. I took my purchase home. It seemed like the perfect girdle to wear under my swimsuit; light and very form fitting with no seams to show through. I unpacked the girdle and was impressed by its cool rubbery feel but was a bit concerned by the pungent smell. I shook some of the talc into the girdle and rubbed some onto my thighs then I pulled on the girdle. It was rather tight but as my body was dry it slid on surprisingly easily. I pulled it up, and the initial feeling was quite nice; a pleasant feeling of firm control without any of the restrictions of stays or laces. I had selected the panty style without garters of course, and it was nice to walk around for a few minutes without stockings or the inevitable garters flapping against my thighs. I then pulled on my swimsuit and looked at myself in the mirror. I was impressed. The girdle firmed me up and there appeared to be no sign of it under my swimsuit. This was wrong as it turned out! (In those days, swimsuits were often constructed like corselettes, and with their figure forming power too. Spirellas swimsuits had back zips and even boning. Remember that women were very used to wearing some support in the 1950s and 60s Ivy) I thought the rubber girdle would be perfect under my swimsuit. I decided to go to the public pool and I put on a dress over the swimsuit rather than try and change at the pool. I was so used to being tightly corseted in my Spenall that it felt strange to be out wearing only a girdle and swimsuit under my clothes and even stranger not to be wearing stockings. It was so unusual not to feel the familiar pull of my Spencer supplied stockings on my garters and onto the bottom of my corset as I walked. It was not the front garters that pulled so much as those annoying back garters with their wide strong elastic. The back garters were awkward to clip to my stockings and annoying to walk in, in fact I sometimes think they were designed by the male designers at Spencer to further subjugate women. I arrived at the pool and, as it was hot, immediately got ready for a swim. It took a little while to get my hair clipped and corralled under the mandatory white rubber swim cap. In the 50's all women were required to wear swim caps in our public pools as it was claimed our long hair was unhygienic in the pool water and would clog up the filters. I am not sure that was true but it also kept the chlorine out of my hair. I noticed as I pulled down my rubber swim cap and fastened the chin strap that it had the added bonus of masking the rubber smell of my girdle. I remember having fun swimming but it was when I got out of the pool my problems began. For a start water had got inside my rubber girdle and when I stood at the edge of the pool, the water drained out of the perforations of the crotch of girdle and through my swimsuit. I was acutely embarrassed as it looked exactly as if I had an accident. I quickly sat down to sunbathe but as my swimsuit dried in the sun it changed colour slightly as material did in those days. And to my embarrassment the suit dried unevenly as part had the rubber of my girdle under it and part did not, and it was soon clear for all to see that I was wearing a girdle and exactly where my girdle ended. A few days later I happened to mention my problems to my manager. She was rather upset with me and insisted I bought one of Spencer's custom made swimsuits with built in corsetry from our catalogue. I had been avoiding this as they were rather expensive even with my employee discount, and gave a lot of control, but she took the money from my commission anyway so I had no choice. My manager already had all my measurements and ordered one with extra control features probably as punishment for my foolishness.
Spencer Under-belts
Spencer offered quite a number of girdles and corselets that came only with underbelts, and, as all our corsetry was custom made, I could specify that an underbelt be added to almost any of our styles. Having said this, I must
say that an underbelt was not an option that many women relished. The wearer herself almost never requested it. Mostly it was a feature added either at my insistence, or at the insistence of a mother, a husband, or some other person who was accompanying and advising the customer. The reason for this was simply that an underbelted girdle or corselet was a very difficult and controlling garment to wear. In the case of a Spencer, the underbelt was heavily boned at the back as well as the front. It could range from about 6 to 10 inches deep and was fixed permanently to the girdle so the wearer could not remove it. Spencer underbelts were also laced closed under the girdle to give the maximum control. Speaking from personal experience I might also comment that it made getting dressed in the morning a grueling process. When I wore my Spen-All, first I had to loosen the laces of the underbelt. I then had to place the corselet over my shoulders and get it into position. Then I had to hook the underbelt up, adjust its position, then pull the laces until they were completely closed. The corselet itself was so tight that I could only do it up if the underbelt was completely closed. Most Spencer underbelts were front or side-laced and fitted very snugly around the customers waist, so there was no chance of them moving. Speaking from experience, I felt it made the garters and stocking more comfortable to wear, as it minimized the pull on the girdle. This method of attachment was, however, predicated on the girdle or corselet having an underbelt. Although I was required to wear one while working for Spencer, not many people my age or younger would put up with the extra control the underbelt imparted to the foundation. So it was mainly my older customers who experienced the underbelts advantages. Spencers underbelts were stitched securely onto the girdle or corselet. I could order them stitched to the back, in which case they were like an inner girdle going completely round the body, or stitched to the sides so they were like a half girdle, to give more control at the front to smooth the tummy. Either way they were shorter, but more strictly boned, than the outer shell of the foundation. As these foundations were custom made and fitted, there was no need for any adjustment, and if a customer wanted a less controlling foundation without an underbelt, I would do my best to sell a second foundation. It is certainly possible that some of the senior girls at school in those days were wearing underbelted foundations. As I mentioned, they were not popular among younger women, but I did occasionally fit them to girls, normally at the request of their mothers. I am not sure whether they were always needed for figure control, but perhaps despairing mothers were hoping they would make their daughters more refined and ladylike.
Bridal Corselets
Spencer bridal corselets were our most exciting (as well as our most expensive) items. They were beautiful corselets made of shimmering white satin and were mostly strapless. When fitted properly, they could make the bride look absolutely stunning. They were also among my favorite corsets to fit, and I soon gained a reputation of being an expert at making brides look their best, so I had many referrals. From the outside, these bridal corselets looked light and lacy, but the looks were deceiving, and to the bride wearing them they were very heavy and restrictive and gave the ultimate in firm control. You only had to hug the bride to find how firmly she was corseted and, when I was present at the wedding, I often watched some of the male guests holding the bride a little too long while running their hands up and down her back and round her waist feeling the extent of her corselet. These corselets were cleverly constructed of two parts, an outer decorative portion sewn to an inner control portion. The outer portion was made of sheer, shiny, full-length satin panels, normally with no elastic inserts. They were decorated with frills and lace and gave a perfectly smooth effect. The real control of the corselet, however, came from the inner portion, which consisted of a full-length under-belt constructed of rigid brocade. This under-belt covered her from her hips up to just under her breasts. It had very heavy boning and laced up at the back just like an old fashioned corset. The idea was that all the lacing was on the
inner portion so it did not spoil the effect. The bra portion consisted of strapless cups, which were heavily padded. I was considered an expert at maximizing a brides cleavage to the extent that, on occasion, I was worried she would 'bare all' during the ceremony. When the bride got dressed, the corselet was laid round her body and an assistant held it up while the inner belt was laced as tight as possible. The laces were then tied off into a neat knot. The rest of the corselet was then carefully positioned, her breasts were anchored in the padded cups, and the full-length back zip was closed. The bride was then effectively trapped in her corselet until it was unzipped and unlaced. Spencers advertising stated, With a bridal Spencer, your bridesmaid zips you in and your husband zips you out (I always thought this was rather risqu for the 50s). White stockings were then attached and the six garters were pulled taut. One refinement I always made (which was not part of the standard Spencer design) was to add a U-shaped insert to the front of the skirt of the corselet that could be unhooked and removed on their wedding night. I thought the use of this was obvious, but some of the girls, especially those from wealthy and sheltered families, seemed to have no idea what it was for. When I explained its use to one young bride, she was absolutely devastated and reduced to tears. In hindsight I think this removable panel made it too convenient for their new husbands. Wives would sometimes tell me stories of how their husband loved their bridal corselets so much that they were trapped in them for days before they would finally release them. The bridal corselets were definitely more difficult to put on than regular ones because of the back lacing and zip. I dont believe it would have been possible for the bride to put it on by herself (or remove it either). It was assumed the bride would have help, either from the bridesmaids or her mother. In the 50s being fitted for bridal corsetry was often quite a social occasion, and I would often fit the mother of the bride and the bridesmaids all in the same session. Then, when it was the brides turn, there was always a lot of encouragement from mothers and the bridesmaids to out-do them. The bridal corselets looked so pretty in the catalogs that it was easy for the bride to underestimate the degree of control they gave. I think many of the brides had no experience with an under-belted corselet. They did not understand how restrictive an underbelt made the foundation or how tightly it could be laced until the garment arrived, and then it was too late. The painful memories of long hours tightly laced and firmly molded to Spencers ideal shape did appear to linger for a while, but sooner or later many of the women were tempted to wear them again and they were frequently brought back for alteration at a later date, by which time I assume their husbands would have mastered the art of fastening them up. I often thought that Spencer made them with back lacing and a back zip to stop the bride from attempting to loosen the corselet once it was on.
The End of an Era

This time I thought I would recall some aspects from life in the late 50's towards the end of my career at Spencer. As you know, women continued to wear stockings as normal everyday wear long after I left Spencer. Many women did not like pantyhose when they came in during the late sixties, and the long-leg pantie girdle had come into fashion, which made stockings a little more tolerable. But then, particularly in the fifties and early sixties, pants were not worn by many women, except for when doing practical, domestic or cleaning jobs, and even then, stockings and a high-waist short girdle were usually worn underneath. Many of my customers complained that ready-made corsetry in the 50s did not fit properly, was plain, was generally too bulky about the waist, and was uncomfortable. They wanted Spencers tailor-made foundations, which were beautifully made of satin with lace, and looked so feminine. Another big complaint was that bras in the shops were always too big in the width of the back for a full bust and would ride up all the time, and to get them to fit you had to buy a size too small, and then they pinched the sides of the breast.
Fashion has changed so much over the years; then, as you will remember, the most desirable look was to achieve ultimate separation of the bust cups, so that the whole of each breast was fully contained and properly positioned within each cup, and then lifted so as to totally eliminate any pendulous appearance in the lower part of the breast. Spencers cup design maintained a fullness and youthful appearance of the breast in the top half of the cup. I still remember my customers saying I want to go in the right places, and I want to go out in all the right places. Corsetry was rapidly changing by the early 60s, and Spencer was finding it difficult to keep up. Only full-figured women over 25 now wore the corselet, and whilst paneled, they were generally made of the new flexible spandex. I did continue to fit some women who wore classic foundations, but they tended to be in their forties. Another big change was that the zip almost completely took over from lacing and hooks-n-eyes. This was a massive change-over in the ten years since I started. In the 50s I fitted lace-up foundations and well-boned high-waist girdles to be worn as normal everyday wear. By the late 50s pantie girdles and pantie corselets were becoming popular. These had a forward-facing hook-and-eye crotch, or were open, or with the short leg cut for the upper thigh. It seemed that some mothers still wished their daughters to grow up quickly, particularly if they did a lot of entertaining, dinner parties and more formal events. They wanted their daughters to wear formal dresses and evening wear when entertaining, so they adopted the tradition of having their daughter fitted with their first foundations as soon as they developed their figures, and they would purchase a quality semi-padded bra and open girdle. A good bust was very important, and often a young lady who had not developed by 14 tended to be fitted with a very well-padded bra. Mothers seemed most concerned that their daughters should have 'a nice full bust', and I often fitted a well-padded long-line bra for a daughter who was a little small. The bra needed to be a long-line, as the cups were so well padded that they would not stay in place without a generous under-band to keep them in place. But this was, by now, the era of the spandex long-line bra, with front and side boning. The new fabric allowed much more movement in the upper back and shoulders, and they were popular and reasonably comfortable, particularly when worn with a cuff-waisted girdle. This reminds me of an incident from my times at Spencer. I was the equivalent of a natural B cup, and when I started with Spencer my first corselets came with natural cups, and I bought my entire wardrobe to fit appropriately. Every few months our corsetry was replaced by Spencer to keep up with the latest styles. Unfortunately, on one occasion while my manager was measuring me, we had one of our many arguments. When I received my new corselets, not only did they have a tighter waist, I found she had padded out the bra portion from a B to C plus cups. The ideal image of the day was the shapely woman and both Spirella and Spencers publicity photographs show their corsetires as being well endowed. It would never do for a client to think that Spencer garments diminished the bust-line! Ivy As you can imagine, all of a sudden none of my dresses or blouses fitted properly. All of my clothes were pulled taut across my bust and I had difficulty in doing the buttons or zippers up. It was an extremely embarrassing situation for the next few days, until I could finally get them altered.
At the end Alison echoes the sentiments of so many of us:-
Those are some of my fondest memories of those days of corsetry, sadly now gone; these memories bring tears to my eyes.
Questions
Corsetry in bed? A man wrote to me and recalled the stories of young women wearing their older foundations
under their nightgown in bed. Obsessively (he said), they claimed that it was cold and removing their underwear was a bit cold just before bedtime. When he pursued this once as a tease, he got the answer, "you shouldn't ask a lady so many questions and "anyway we want to preserve our figures." It turned out they were wearing the pink bust-reducing or pink waist- and buttock-reducing foundations that could be worn as a set to solve all problem areas at once. These were available in the late fifties and were also often worn as nightwear or at home as late evening wear under a nightgown or taffeta housecoat. They were marketed on the basis that "they worked for you whilst you were resting." They promised to tone the flesh, and the natural rubber lining could be removed from either cup in the case of uneven breast size, or worn for longer periods at home in place of the usual bra, if a woman wanted to reduce a heavy bust. Rubber reducing corsetry has an amazing history right from the invention of latex until the present day. Currently, the latest generation to sweat through a muggy day or night in its rubber underwear is the Latin Americans. Our mothers started it in the late 1920s. There is another question on this subject later. Ivy Long-line bras: A caller described a brassiere as follows It is beige and has 7 hook-and-eyes in the back. There is no elastic on this at all, but looks to be made of cotton. The cups are lacy and have darts in them. The straps are satin with metal slides. There is a piece of elastic hanging on the front that has a hook on the end; did it hook to the girdle? Although this one was made in the 40s, I fitted similar ones when I worked for Spencer in the 50s. The seller seems puzzled by the fact that this long-line bra had no elastic in it whatsoever. I must admit it was not the most comfortable style we made, and a woman was constantly aware she was wearing it every time she breathed, but it did give excellent figure control and had hooks to attach it firmly to her girdle. Girdles of the past: Girdles today are a lot different from those of the 50s, when I was fitting them. I think it would be difficult to reproduce the corsetry of the 50s, mainly because the type of material is no longer available. Spencers were made of non-stretch material with only the minimum elastic inserts, and were designed so the womens body had to conform to the garment rather than the other way round. That is what made Spencers so different from todays foundations. When the underbelt of the Spen-All corselet I used to wear was laced tight, there was almost no give in it and my stomach was held as flat as a board. The rigidity of the upper part of the corselet made me breathe with the upper part of my chest, and because the cups of the corselet were also very firm, it caused my breasts to be pushed up with every breath. This heaving of the breasts was considered very seductive and desirable in the 50s, and the effect was much sought-after by Spencer corsetires. I dont think many women today would put up with this degree of control, except perhaps for special occasions. The mysterious corset: A reader describes a corset she found. I'm wondering if Alison has any memories of anything similar to a Spencer corset (way more than a girdle, methinks) like this one which I have in my collection. The tag reads "Individually Designed" and the Spencer Logo is between the words. There are only two small stretch panels located at the top front. The rest of the foundation is of non-stretch materials. Most of the material has a beautiful stitched leaf and flower pattern. It cannot be opened, that is, it has no busk. It is laced in the front. To put it on, these front laces must be loosened enough to struggle into it. The back has two sets of double inch wide by 22 inch long steel "S" shaped stays, one set on each side of the spine. They reach from below the buttocks to between the shoulder blades. Also on the back, toward each side is a set of side by side 1/4 inch wide by 21 inches long stays and each side is another similar set of 1/4 inch wide by 13 inch long stays. The stays go to the top of the corset and the fabric extends below the stays 1 inches at the center and 3 inches at the side That's a total of 12 steel stays on the back. The top back tapers to the side to go under the arms. Approximately centered with reference to the back is a "flap" 9 inches high at the side and 11 inches high at the front. There are two more sets of the 1/4 inch stays on each side before a final single 5/8 wide by 10 inch long stay next to the set of 13 eyelets through which the front laces are strung. That is a total of 22 steel stays. The eyelets don't go quite to the bottom of this front flap, as there is a buckled cinching strap at the very bottom. There are two non-removable garters in the rear and two more just below the eyelets and cinching strap. In addition, each side has another "outer flap" that starts from the side of the rear section and is 11 inches tall from the bottom. It tapers to 7 inches in height and has seven hooks at the edge. The two side garters are attached to this "flap."
My process for putting this on is to first get into the main body, position it properly, and attach the front and rear garters. This is necessary as, once laced, I cannot twist enough to work the rear garters. I then pull the laces closed and pull the cinch closed. There is a loop in which to tuck the excess cinch strap. This next part took me forever to figure out and I suspect that there may be some parts missing. I use the hooks on the outer flap as if they were eyelets, and crisscross lace the front as tight as I think the hooks will stand. This turns out to leave about a 2-inch gap in the front. This flap covers the bottom portion of the main laces and the cinching strap. With difficulty, I fasten the side garters. We are not through yet! There are straps that attach to the top of main rear stays. There are several ways they can be positioned. They can be crossed in the rear, brought over the shoulder, under the armpit, though a vertical loop in the center of the back, around the waist though two more loops in the front where they are hooked together and tightened. This can cause a very severe pulling back of the shoulders. They may also be brought straight over the shoulders, crossed in front, through the rear and front loops, hooked and pulled tight. Even with practice it takes me about a half an hour to get it all put on. So you ask, what does it feel like? The amazing thing is that it fits me! However, it certainly is the most restrictive thing I have ever worn. There is very little twisting of the body possible. The outer "flap" is low enough that it restricts my stride considerably. It is awkward and difficult to climb stairs. Sitting is absolutely impossible. Transition from a standing to a horizontal position is very difficult and returning to a standing position is next to impossible. So far the longest I have had the opportunity to wear it, is about an hour. I really can't imagine the original purpose or the fitting process. Do you have any ideas? After this remarkably detailed description, Alison replies and I have included my own thoughts after hers. The corset you describe is definitely a Spencer. Although I cannot visualize exactly what it looks like I remember we had some very rigid models for people with real (or imagined) back problems. I did fit some women in these types of back support corsets with no openings where they had to squeeze it on. I also used steel stays in the garments, but I never remember using 22 in a single corset! I have seen a few pictures of what I believe the questioner describes. Have a look at the picture below (with the slightly unfeeling comment added, of course, by my husband) and regard the lady. She must be wearing something rather similar to the description. Ivy
The photograph on the right might have been the same lady as on the left, but she isn't. The lady on the left is a Spencer client in the 1940's and the right hand lady is Norwegian from the 1960's. A recurring theme of the corsetry of this period is that there is no need for a functional garment to be plain. Satin looks pretty, is hard wearing and allows clothes to slide over the garment unimpeded.
Roger K's Questions

1. You mentioned that you checked for little boys in the background before a fitting. According to company lore, did one of the little imps ever sneak into a session? Yes. I know of a number of instances where youngsters were caught either eavesdropping or peeping into a fitting session. The reaction of the women present ranged from anger to amused tolerance. I have been asked whether the little boys were punished by being fitted with corsets, however, I know of no such case. 2. Did little girls (under 14) ever attend a session, and what were their reactions? In the 1960s it was common for daughters to watch their Mothers being fitted. This would be in preparation for their own fittings to come within a couple of years. Its much the same as a Father letting his son drive the family car in the driveway of the house before being allowed on the road. When teens were fitted, if it was their first girdle, did they experience rite of passage (now Im a woman) emotions? Very much so. For many girls, stockings, adult underwear (meaning a girdle and brassiere) and make-up were the defining moments of womanhood. Sadly many young women learnt far too late that Motherhood is the real defining moment. 4. Were there any husbands who objected to their wives purchases on the grounds that they thought girdles and corselets were unnecessary items? Rarely in the 1960s and 1970s. These days, many men object to their wives even wearing pantie-girdles. Fortunately my husband is not one of these men. 5. Did the males (some? all?) at headquarters routinely observe models and/or visiting corsetires in their underwear, as happened when you were modeling your maternity corselet? How blas were they about it? (E.g., how quickly did visiting corsetires at Spirellas who might never have modeled before adapt to The Male Gaze? Were there written or customary guidelines for them to observe, such as Dont Stare (not to mention Dont Wink!)? How blas were the models and other undressed women there about being observed by males or being walked around the plant to be checked outor was the latter something that rarely happened? I never met anybody who wasnt embarrassed the first time they appeared in public in their underwear or watched somebody else parade around undressed. Some of the photographs on my web pages show the various degrees of confidence of the amateur models. Professional models are, of course, unflappable, but even they had their first time. 6. Were (to your knowledge) many male employees embarrassed about where they worked? Did other males kid them about it? Many male employees were quite coy about their jobs. Even when girdles and corsets were widely worn by women, there was always a smutty undertone to the expression ladies underwear which featured strongly in many of the Carry On films for example. 7. Is there some way to contact former managers at your company and collect anecdotes from them? They must have a few dozen interesting tales. I have been trying to do this for some years with limited success. So many of the Spirella employees saw nothing unusual or remotely amusing in their work. I do have a couple of interesting stories about ******** ******** and ******* *********s daughter who were regular Spirella wearers, but such confidences cannot be aired on the Internet. 8. Did Spirella sell Merry Widows? To whom, and how satisfied were they with them? The nearest item to a Merry Widow that Spirella sold was their Spirelette basque. It was bought by brides but was such a low volume seller that it was discontinued in the 1970s. 3.
9. How well did cold calls goi.e., calls where you introduced yourself by saying a mutual acquaintance had given you her name? Did you get any remarkable reactions from women who refused? What happened if only a man or child was at home? Cold calling was never as successful as a positive recommendation, or better still, an introduction. If the lady of the house was not at home, the corsetire would simply leave her card. 10. How many customers failed to reorder, and why? Failure to re-order, which was thankfully not common, was due mainly to the expense of the garments. Today, a Spencer corset costs about GBP 160. For a widow, that is two weeks of state pension. 11. What happened if the fit was badly off, e.g., because a novice corsetire made a mistake. Were returns allowed? Returns were allowed and not infrequent. Sometimes the fitter would be at fault, but often the clients whims, or even body size, would change during the weeks it took to construct the garment. 12. Was there a repair service? What were the most common repairs needed? Were there ever amusing reasons why repairs were needed? Repairs were carried out at the factory provided that the garment was returned in a clean and laundered condition. The most common failure was when the ends of the bones broke out of their casings. Splits in the material from wearing the corset far too tight did occur. In the 1980s there was a disastrous batch of black orchid material which was not to specification. I tore two (very expensive) corsets of this material by the simple act of sitting down. Torn seams are very hard to repair and I only ever got one corset repaired, at my own expense I might add. Spirella discontinued all black material a few months later. It was a regrettable trend in the general decline in the choice and quality of materials. 13. How long did an average garment last? Did they outlast store-bought garments? (I read recently that European bras outlast American by 2 to 1, for some reason.) What failed first? An average garment can last from six months to several years. The variables are regularity of wear, duration of wear, is the garment worn next to the skin, how acidic is ones perspiration and frequency of laundering the garment. Spirellas girdles definitely outlasted store purchased items particularly when you consider the repair service. Elastic gets worn but can be replaced. 14. What was the dropout rate for new corsetires? Did new (or experienced) corsetires make any embarrassing or amusing blunders? The dropout rate was remarkably low. Many corsetires needed the money and many saw their services as a social need. Those that did drop out found the rewards poor (by todays standards a corsetire earns something less than a chemists assistant). 15. How long did it take for first-time customers to get used to the control of the rigid Spencers? Did you have to reassure them that the garment and themselves would both get broken in over time? The women that wore the rigid Spencers usually had been wearing all their adult lives, and so were used to the control. Certainly, a new corset will be like a new pair of shoes and it does take about a week for corset and wearer to adopt a comfortable compromise. 16. Did you need to keep back-up measuring garments, etc. in the trunk of your car (e.g., in case the customer was very fat)? A good corsetire would always try to gauge the size of the customer over the phone. Even on cold calls, a future appointment would normally be arranged. The measuring garments were actually very versatile and could accommodate most frames. Only once did a corsetire of my acquaintance have to improvise with two measuring garments to circumnavigate a huge client. 17. Did you ever get a sense of the attitude of sloppy dressers of the time (e.g., like the wife in Anatomy of a Murder) to well-girdled women? The attitude was one of jealousy, much in the same way that a plain woman will criticise a pretty woman for wearing too much make-up. 18. Did you ever get a sense of what the attitude of your customers was towards sloppy dressers? Did they
envy them their lack of need for figure control, or look down on them as slackers, or regard them with indifference? Indifference, unless it was a family member when pressure to smarten up would be applied. 19. Did you ever get a sense of the attitude of your customers toward other well-groomed women? Did you sense a feeling of camaraderie? (Im developing a theory that women wanted to look shipshape, in part, to one-up the male sex and raise womens status collectively.) Did you ever sense a team spirit and an unspoken sense of feminine superiority to males in the realm of clothing, body presentation, and demeanor? Thats a complex question that neither I, nor my husband can answer offhand. Im not sure that I feel superior when I try to look my best, I simply feel good. Roger K
Ivy Leaf
Rubber Corsetry: Some of the questions asked to Alison have prompted so many recollections and ideas, that I've moved the topic to a separate page with the idea of developing the entire theme.
Isobel is one of those fascinating people who not only reminisces about their past experiences, but also writes about them. Born in 1938, Isobel grew up in the post-war years, and served for a while in a corset shop. Very kindly, she allowed us to reproduce some of her recollections so that we may all share her memories.
Isobel's Recollections
Throughout my childhood and teenage years, my parents were stationed in East Africa, and as a consequence, in common with the children of most other European couples out there, I was sent back to go to boarding school. In my case I ended up at school in Scotland at age seven in 1945. Although the war was just about over, rationing remained, and clothes were in short supply. Consequently, anything nice you had to wear often depended on your family's pre-war circumstances and what they had stashed away before the outbreak of hostilities and the ensuing austerity measures. Mindful of the potential for both envy and argument that a few well-stocked wardrobes might engender amongst a group of young girls starved of pretty things, our school ensured a clothing equality by providing all with a uniform list according to their seniority. This set out not only exact quantities, but also a detailed description of each and every article of both outer and under-clothing that we were allowed to take with us to school. To make things easier for our often absent parents, most things on the list were supplied through the school shop or, alternatively, from a few local suppliers. This, of course, further ensured a rather drab and dour uniformity, which I believe, was probably their goal. Being a Scottish school which believed in the national virtue of thrift, and given that both money and precious coupons were in short supply, it was customary for all still serviceable clothing to be handed down from the older girls to younger ones, a fairly easy task to accomplish as we were kept in school uniform throughout the week and weekends, with the one personal dress we were allowed being set aside for special occasions and hence, in practice, rarely worn. I started wearing a girdle, at around age 14, as a compulsory part of all the senior girls' school uniform. Prior to that, our black lisle uniform stockings, commonly worn by schoolgirls before cheap nylons became readily available, were kept up by means of suspenders attached to a front-buttoning liberty bodice, and I remember well how those hated garments were happily discarded in favour of the far less comfortable girdles and bras with which we were then issued. The school Matron, a formidable Scotswoman in her late 50's, whom even the school staff treated with a mixture of respect and fear, in common with many women of that generation who had been brought up wearing corsets, believed that for a girl to both acquire and retain a good figure and to learn to comport herself in a ladylike manner, it was essential that she be put into good, strong foundations as soon as she started to develop curves. Matron therefore treated the matter of choosing and having her girls fitted with appropriate garments as her personal mission, if not her sacred duty, and those few mothers who foolishly suggested that this might be left to them were dealt with in Matrons inimitable fashion whereupon they never interfered again. Unlike other elements of our school uniform, foundation garments were not supplied through the school shop. It was Matron's practice to arrange for a fitter from a corset shop in Glasgow, with whom the school had been doing business since the early 1900's, to visit biannually at the beginning of both the autumn and summer term. During the day or two she spent at the school, all the older girls were seen, fitted and wherever possible supplied with both bras and girdles from an extensive range of samples she brought with her in a small van. For those that needed alterations to a selected garment, or where she didn't have the size or style which had been chosen, these would be dispatched by post a few days after her return to Glasgow. To simplify and speed up the fitting process, choice was taken out of the hands of the wearer, all decisions being agreed between the fitter and Matron. Wherever possible, a garment from a previously chosen standard range, based on support provided, durability and ease of laundering, was picked; the only variables then being the size, width and length needed to suit the particular girls statistics. Throughout most of my senior school years for me this meant a short girdle and bra in a white cotton cloth, devoid of decoration, with strong elastic side panels and some light boning. Other girls, blighted with a heavier figure than I, faired less well, finding themselves in the deep, heavily boned models within the same range.
This all seems like an age ago now, and of course it was. In a different world with different values, I doubt whether any youngster today would put up with what we put up with then, although we really didn't complain much. Of course, back then women didn't expect to be at ease in their clothes, and we all wore girdles because one just did, society expected it of us and we wanted to look good. When I look around at some young people today, sometimes I think we did look better, but maybe that's just a function of my age. (I dont think so, Isobel. Posture and grace are ageless, and many people today fail to understand that. So often Ive observed the legions of todays nouveau riche in their so-called designer clothes, totally failing to hide their own lack of grace. I said to my husband you cant make a silk purse out of a sows ear. He nodded You shouldnt try to put a sows ear in a silk purse either he replied! Ivy Leaf). Upon leaving school in 1955, having no family home in Britain, I moved with a school friend to a market town in the northeast of England. Here we shared a house owned by her mother, a widow by name of Mrs. Rogers, who happened to be the proprietor of the largest specialist corsetry and lingerie shop in the town. It was soon suggested, that I could earn my keep by helping her out at the shop, to which, having nothing better to do, I agreed, intending to fill in for a month or two, and ending up staying for over six years until I married in 1963. Mrs. Rogers, a women in her mid 50's, was an experienced corsetiere but very much of the old school, having worked in the industry since leaving school, at age 14, firstly at the Symington Corset Company in Leicestershire, and then later at a large Manchester corset maker and retailer where she was trained as a professional fitter. She employed three others to work alongside her in her business, two shop girls, Sandra, her daughter, myself, and Doris the seamstress, who worked in the backroom mending, altering and making up the occasional custom garment for customers. Even by the standards of a North Yorkshire town in the 1950's the local residents, though quite prosperous, were by nature very conservative. Women, both old and young alike, tended to choose all undergarments first and foremost on the basis of what they were accustomed to wearing, and after that on fit, function, serviceability, and price, with attractiveness being of little or no importance to most. When it came to their foundation garments, many treated innovation, or indeed any change, with a deep sense of suspicion and there were ladies, and not only the older or larger ones, who, despite an ever widening choice of modern foundations based on elasticated yarns, insisted on sticking with the sort of corsetry that one might have imagined their mothers wearing forty years earlier. To illustrate this, throughout my first few years working with Mrs. Rogers, for every three girdles or corselettes we sold, we would also sell at least one rigid-style lace up corset, not unusually fitted with a front busk and underbelt for further control. At first, surprised by a request for such a garment from a relatively young and not overweight customer, I would unwisely offer her a far more comfortable and modern alternative. However, after being told repeatedly that I was far too young and inexperienced to understand their needs, and then later admonished by Mrs. Rogers for trying to interfere with a customer's most reasonable, and incidentally often expensive, choice, I soon learnt to serve and comment only if asked. Sadly, the general unwillingness of our customers to try things new or be adventurous was reflected in the stock we held for sale, and consequently the many beautiful confections coming out of the French lingerie houses remained little more than pictures in our trade catalogues. Alison has given us an account of the Spen-all corselette that she was required to wear when serving customers. Much like Alison's boss, Mrs. Rogers similarly dictated what foundation wear I would be obliged to wear whilst working in front of shop, believing that a salesgirl with a compact, moulded figure, upright posture and gracefully restrained movements would reflect favourably on her skills as a fitter as well as generally upon the benefits of good corsetry. Unfortunately for me, Mrs. Rogers chose my work wear foundations for visual effect with an emphasis on control and containment, and with little thought to my comfort. Being naturally petite, slim and smallbreasted, I had always worn a short elastic-sided girdle and regular length bra. It was therefore with some dismay that I found myself being fitted from a selection of well-boned corselettes, and similarly constructed high-waisted, side-fastening girdles and padded, long-line brassieres, all of which left me compressed from bust to mid thigh beneath panels of powernet and stiffened, unyielding brocade or satin. At first, not even the unarguably excellent figure and wonderfully full bust I instantly seemed to possess compensated for the tightness and stiffness, which at best I found irksome and at worst downright painful especially after a long, busy, and hot day. For the first few months, I would rush home as soon as the shop closed to get out of my wretched armour cladding. However, as so many women discover, there is something addictive about a really firm girdle, and after a while I found myself missing the tightness, support and control at weekends, when my foundations would consist of little more than an
elastic roll-on and short bra. Consequently, when my casual foundations needed replacement, I started to substitute them with things of ever increasing firmness and length, until my lingerie drawer boasted little at all in the way of light control garments.
As the trained professional, Mrs. Rogers took charge of all customer fittings, though as many of our clients already knew what they wanted, her role was often reduced to merely checking measurements and congratulating the customer on her most excellent choice. Of course, as most middle age or older women tended to squeeze themselves into the heavier, more complex and expensive garments, she had little financial incentive in steering a customer towards a lighter and cheaper substitute. At first, I mostly served behind the counter, selling lingerie, underwear, stockings and some foundations garments where no fitting was wanted. However, as I gained greater experience, I was increasingly asked to assist in the fitting room, especially with our younger clientele, who it was felt might better accept the opinion of someone closer to their own age, although in truth my instructions were to concur fully with everything Mrs. Rogers said. In particular, I often found myself helping when customers brought their daughters in for that, potentially troublesome, first fitting. Alison's recollection of an occasion when she was asked to make an especially firm control corselette for some young hoyden to curb her excessive boisterousness, reminded me of more than a few difficult first fittings. By the 1950's, tight-lacing was thankfully a practice long gone. Nevertheless, the Victorian principle "if you want your daughter to grow up demure and obedient lace her tight, still influenced some mothers. These ladies genuinely believed that the physical moderation imposed by firm foundations, helped transform a young girl into a young lady, and as a consequence, more than a few ended up in foundations not dissimilar to those Mrs. Rogers had chosen for me. However, I remember a dozen infamous occasions when some grandmother or elderly maiden aunt was left to make the choice, when Id end up helping to fit a tearful teenager into a lace up corset at the insistence of her elders, mindful of her own youthful experiences half a century earlier. Not surprisingly, I was often faced with a fractious teenager most unhappy with what she was expected to wear, and it was left to me to persuade her that the offending garments were precisely what she needed to improve, but above all, preserve her figure, and though they might seem uncomfortable this would pass as she grew accustomed to them. Usually a little coaxing and flattery, combined with the girl's natural vanity, and her fear of incurring the displeasure of her elders was sufficient to turn her voiced objections, if not to enthusiasm, at least to a sullen resignation.
It should be remembered that most women in the 1950's wore girdles and bras which would be considered very firm by today's standards, as a result of which, from an early age, we grew so accustomed to the many inconveniences and discomforts imposed upon us by our foundations, that we were often unaware of them. Of course, a long and firm open girdle restricts one's stride, makes running nigh on impossible, and sitting less than comfortable, however, those tight skirts which went in and out of fashion did very much the same. What I do recollect, however, was the way in which the vivid red marks left imprinted upon my body by the boning of my work foundations remained there for hours after the offending garments had been removed. Much has been said about the discomforts and even health risks associated with girdle wearing back in the 50's and 60's, some of which may be true though I believe greatly exaggerated. The anti-girdle lobby has even politicised the garment as symbolic of the repression of women. It is my belief that everything has to be taken in the context of the time. I remember only too well that even in the 1950's we felt liberated when we compared themselves to our mothers. Even in the small matter of girdles, although I accept we had to wear them, they were advertised as light, flexible and cool', and they often were when compared with the previous generation of foundation garments. What brought this home to me was one particularly hot, busy day in the shop. I made some slight complaint to my boss about my girdle, that was by late afternoon killing me. Far from being sympathetic she recounted that aged 17, working as an apprentice corsetiere, she would assist at the corsetry counter of a small department store. Whether serving customers or working behind the scenes, she was required to look smart and trim, which meant not only being corseted but tightly so. This rule applied not only to those working in the corsetry department, but to all the shop girls employed in the store. Furthermore, supervisors could and did send girls home if they were thought to be insufficiently trim with the threat of instant dismissal for a repeated offence. Harsh you may think, but according to my boss they too thought themselves fortunate and liberated by their modern scientifically designed corsets which, which when compared with what their mothers had had to wear, were both healthy and capable of being laced tightly with absolute comfort! We did have and serve a number of gentlemen customers too, some of whom had been regular clients for many years. Though my boss never permitted me to conduct a girdle or corset fitting for an adult male, I was allowed to serve them across the counter for repeat orders or sell them other items which didn't require a fitting. Though, at first, as a rather naive and sheltered 18 year old, I found it rather embarrassing to be selling foundations and other articles of women's underwear and lingerie to men whom plainly intended to wear what they were buying, I soon came to appreciated these customers as being both less demanding and far more courteous than many of the ladies with whom we conducted business. As we entered the 1960s, youngsters started to develop their own voice and were no longer willing to be forced into things uncomfortable at the behest of anyone, least of all their mothers. Although the ritual of mothers bringing their daughters to Mrs. Rogers for their first fitting continued right up until the time I left the business, these girls increasingly knew what they wanted and what's more, unlike their predecessors, usually got their way, despite the fact that this rarely coincided with Mrs. Rogers' opinion of what they needed. It was then that my employer started to loose her rearguard battle, waged for years, against the panty-girdle, which she had always deplored. Right up until the end of the 1950's, she had managed to get away with carrying no more than a handful of panty-girdles in stock, kept for those who preferred to wear them, rather than a standard girdle, under slacks or those who, usually engaged in some active sport. By the 1960's, even Mrs. Rogers could no longer hold back the tide of demand that swept in from all her younger clients, and the dreaded panty-girdle was there to stay as it started to sell in ever increasing numbers. After I left the shop, the tide of change flowed ever faster, and a defeated Mrs. Rogers closed the shop in 1968 and retired to the south coast.
Mme D C Medeq
with great thanks to Frangard2 who supplied much information, and to Bob and Cathie Jung who introduced us to this wonderful lady.
What's in name? As the career of Diana progressed from a nurse skilled in needlework to a provider of corsetry to the stars, Medical Equipment Supplies was abbreviated to Medeq in the trading name of Medeq Corsetires Ltd., and latterly, almost to a stage persona, Madame D C Medeq. Whether this was even intended by Diana is uncertain, however, when garments carried her label, there was Mme D C, and in a larger script Medeq. It certainly lends an exotic air to the prosaic title Medical Equipment Supplies! Diana was a nurse at a London teaching hospital during and just after the war years where she met and married an orthopaedic surgeon. The surgeon had offices on Duke Street where Diana, a skilled seamstress, used her and her husband's knowledge of anatomy to construct surgical corsets. Her husband sadly contracted cancer and after nursing him for five years he passed away at a very young age. Diana was left penniless, but still with the impressive London premises. She found the surgical corset business dull and started to make more theatrical corsets. She re-married a gentleman who became a barrister. Slowly she built up a clientele and her reputation grew such that she was asked to provide the corsetry for the 1971 film 'Nicholas and Alexandra'. Her reputation was now assured and her clientele from the theatre and the world of tight-lacing beat a path to her door. She helped out with John Sutcliffes designs and David Kunzles researches whilst never immersing herself personally in the fetish world that these gentleman occupied. She was extremely broad-minded and let people get on with their own pleasures. If that involved wearing tight corsets or bizarre leather gear, then she was happy to help with their enthusiasm. She made many of the corsets for Ethel Granger in the 1960's and 70's and for Cathy Jung until she retired from corset-making after the death of her second husband in 1985. She moved to Sussex and started to indulge her passion for animals by breeding prize sheep. This amazing lady, now in her mid-80's still leads her independent life to her own rules, yet if you met her in the street, you would simply think "here goes another rural WI member" and you would be right, but like the iceberg, you would miss the 90% that lies beneath the surface.
A Visit to Sussex: 2011

Several months ago, we were delighted to receive a communication from Bob and Cathie Jung concerning their long-time friend, Diana of Medeq Corsetry. To our pleasant surprise, we realised that she lived very close to the route that we take on our regular journeys to Holland and we phoned her to arrange a meeting. As described so well by Frangard2, we approached her house through charming rural Sussex. At first sight, her bungalow is unexceptional, however, her lands are extensive and encompass an orchard and paddocks, for since she gave up corsetry 26 years ago, she has concentrated on animal husbandry. Determining where the front door might be, we encountered a gate with the alarming message Beware of the Dog! I love dogs, but my husband is less sure and visibly quailed at the sight of the huge black mastiff on the other side of the gate! That the dog had a fluffy tigger toy in its jaws and was wagging its tail was, however, quite encouraging. On approaching the front door with our new found canine friend, a sprightly, albeit elderly lady emerged and we exchanged pleasantries and went inside. The house was a veritable museum of anything and everything. One might be excused for considering the lady to be eccentric, however, in short order, we realised that this was a person who wrote her own rules and lived life to the full, if not to the conventional pattern. For a lady in her mid-80s, she was bright, alert and possessed of excellent hearing. My husband helped her with the coffee and with some rather heavy suitcases and boxes that had been stacked in the drawing room. This was politeness on my husbands part for she was well capable of doing everything herself.
We gave her a copy of the 2010 calendar to break the ice and she launched into the story of her life. We sat spellbound and wondered how many elderly ladies could tell such a tale! Perhaps more than we imagine. Frangard2 has described her story so we will not repeat it here other than to reveal the provenance of the name MEDEQ, or Madame Medeq as some referred to her. Prosaically, it is a contraction of Medical Equipment, for she started out making surgical corsets in the premises that her surgeon husband occupied. Finding this dull, she moved towards the theatrical corset and using her knowledge of anatomy, for she trained as a nurse, produced anatomically excellent garments that could put a Victorian waist on the most recalcitrant of torsos! Her fame spread and the world of the tight-lacers beat a path to her door. She made the corsets for Ethel Granger and Cathy Jung. She helped out with John Sutcliffes designs and David Kunzles researches whilst never immersing herself personally in the fetish world that these gentleman occupied. Completely non-judgemental, she was extremely broad-minded and let people get on with their own pleasures. If that involved wearing tight corsets or bizarre leather gear, then that was their concern. From the suitcase and boxes, she showed us some examples of her craft and we were amazed by the strength, the complexity, the quality of materials and astonished by the tiny size of some of the corsets. I might wear a corset, but it is mainly for support. I was slightly embarrassed to realise that the smaller corsets would not even fit around my thighs!
Before we left, Diana took us into the garden and insisted that we collect two full bags of apples from the orchard. What an amazing woman and what a privilege to have met her.
An Example of her Work: This can be found in the web page 'Corset Detectives'
They don't make them like that anymore! This is a beautifully made corset that only a few talented corsetires could have produced. Laced tight, it would produce a waist of barely 20 inches. The materials are sumptuous and expensive. The corset abounds with those touches that only the experienced corset wearer would demand from the corsetire; the plush lining of the busk, the heavy fabric flap under the lacing, the reinforced eyelets, eight suspenders, heavy-duty laces and tape binding at the waist. The wear and tear on the exterior surface and the concave set of the busk speak of very, very tight-lacing. Such a corset brings to mind Ethel Granger and Cathie Jung, but this would be far too big on either, nevertheless, it is another classic from Madame Diana Medeq of Duke Street London.
The Professionalism of Madame Medeq by Frangard 2

Diana is a charming person, with broad interests and was wonderfully understanding and sympathetic of the motivations of all her customers who tight-laced. You so rightly say: ...she showed us some examples of her craft and we were amazed by the strength, the complexity, the quality of materials and astonished by the tiny size of some of the corsets. Tiny those corsets may be in length as well as waist they would certainly cinch their wearers figures and enhance their boudoir attire and show how truly beautiful a corset can be. What a contrast therefore is the corset shown above which is another of Madame Ms wonderful creations; one which, I would argue comes close to the epitome of the corsetieres art. The corset abounds with those touches that only the experienced corset wearer would demand from the corsetire; the plush lining of the busk, the heavy fabric flap under the lacing, the reinforced eyelets, eight suspenders, heavy-duty laces and tape binding at the waist. The wear and tear on the exterior surface and the concave set of the busk speak of very, very tight-lacing. As one of those who regard themselves as one of those experienced corset wearers, I feel compelled to point out, if only for purposes of educating the younger generation, additional details that are immediately discernable to a tight lacer and which we feel are part of the lost art. In the case of this corset its owner clearly needed to experience not only the control it offered but also the additional satisfaction derived from having one's stockings very tautly suspendered. Her suspenders werent fitted simply to hold up stockings! Although I have used five pairs of suspenders myself for close to 30 years, I will not quarrel with the choice of four pairs, since ones choice of number and length of each pair of suspenders are highly individual matters. That said, it is good to see that, in all other senses, the owner was as fastidious about her suspenders as am I. That is we would have been in close agreement on matters of:1) width and strength of the elastic, which albeit is showing signs of strain no doubt from prolonged periods serving at high tension! 2) the lovely satin ribbon flaps to the suspender clips which hide tell tale 'suspender bumps' on close-fitting skirts and no doubt those clip buttons will have the central rivet. 3) last, and most importantly in my humble opinion, the fundamental necessity of; a) having graduated lengths of ones suspender elastics - relatively short in the front increasing to very long for the back pair. b) correctly positioning those suspenders on the corset hem. In this case Madame M. has strategically sewn each of them directly below each of the doubled steels (bones) so that the pull from each suspender elastic is transmitted into the counterpart boning case above. This stops the facing and lining from over-rucking which always leads to the ends of the steels abrading the fabric and pushing out at inconvenient moments! c) understanding that ones back suspenders should be at the back, which is close to the flat pair of back steels near the eyelet line. Yes I know how annoying most wearers found back suspenders to be but, in the case of this owner (and myself), that problem was/is partially obviated by the provision of the very long elastic and no doubt, as I have done, the owner found, by trial and error I am sure, the most prudent moment in her corset fitting process at which to clip her back suspenders to her stockings. Some of the details above would have been worked out over time by the owner herself, but many of the details result from the fact that corsetieres, like Diana Medeq, the late Iris Norris (La Guepiere) and the late Michael Garrod of True Grace, were able to draw on the requirements made by their many discerning clients. This knowledge and experience was put to good purpose, first in counselling customers and reconciling sometimes impossible demands at consultations, then in incorporating their great knowledge in every detail as the corset was made. Finally, a satisfied client would leave the salon corseted to perfection.
The Roscoe Catalogue

Frangard 2 kindly sent us some pages from a 'exotic wear' catalogue that illustrate Diana's considerable and diverse skills and also reinforce a comment made by the late John Sutcliffe that her professionalism and integrity were matched only by her prices!!
Barcley
the renegade from Spencer
It is necessary when giving a rsum of the formation of Barcley Corsets Ltd. to go back to the end of the last century: the year 1899, and the country America, for it was then and there that this company was founded. Harry W. Barcley was a master tailor. It was he who conceived the idea of making made-to-measure foundations for women, and so commenced the world-renowned Barcley Corset Co. (Incorporated), with its ultimate home in Newark, New Jersey, and its recent acquirement of a capacious manufacturing plant in Florida, California, under the guidance of its President, Gaylord A. Barcley, son of the founder. The present British company was established in Welwyn Garden City in June of 1927, this being the outcome of the success attending the efforts over some years in building up a sales organisation in this country. Previously Barcley foundations were supplied direct from the U.S.A. It is largely due to the recognition of the medical profession that specialist corsetry could be successfully applied to relieve and correct bodily affliction and suffering in both women and men, that encouraged the Barcley Company to create specially designed supports to alleviate distress in cases of particular diseases of both spine and abdomen. Today our own National Health Service includes facilities for surgical supports to be obtained by those in need through all hospitals, and today the Barcley organisation numbers many hundreds of fully-trained women, known as Barcley Registered Corsetieres, whose work is to meet the requirements, both surgical and non-surgical, of the women of this country for specialised corsetry. The fashion experts rightly contend that no matter how costly is the ensemble of the modern woman, it can only be worn to advantage over a perfectly fitting foundation. During the late war, the whole production of the company was turned over to the supply of surgical supports, and these were given high priority as a national requirement. For the ambitious female juveniles of this locality, Barcley Corsets Limited provide a useful training on work that is highly skilled, and incidentally its value can be turned to good account throughout the future life of the trainee.
The beautiful rotunda of the Barcley factory in Welwyn Garden City
The account above was found on the internet, however, exactly how it relates to the text below is not clear - Ivy
Barcley was formed by a corsetiere who left Spencer to form a company with her husband. This company enjoyed success with very similar articles for over six decades. The Barcley company tried to appeal to a more upper crust clientele; however, as any astute businessman will tell you (and corsetry is first and foremost a business), there's more money to be made from a small profit on a large number of articles rather than a big profit margin aimed at a small niche market. However, the intent of Barcley is well illustrated by the late 1920's lithograph above, which graced the covers of their magnificent brochures.
Corsets and corselettes in gorgeous materials from the Barcley catalogue of 1927. Note the corsets on the right, indeed most of the corsets, bear a strong resemblance to their humble Spencer beginnings. To be fair, most corsets look alike, and it is the subtle differences in cut and material that can make all the difference. One would have to get two examples side by side to make a fair comparison. That is unlikely ever to happen now.
The 1927 catalogue has possibly the best quality photographs of real models wearing real corsets that we have ever seen. For decades, corsets were drawn onto the models, quite skillfully it is true, but these photographs are superb. It gave
my husband the idea of making a calendar. He found that the period dates for 1923 match those for 2007 and the results are shown below.
The 1957 American Catalogue
Corsets could still be made in a superb choice of materials and with internal or external straps (sacro-iliac) and, that style for the truly vain, with concealed lacing "at no extra cost!" Their corselettes and even a fairly standard looking girdle could be ordered with laced or buckled underbelts.
Of course, these garments were aimed more for the charming lady just above rather than her daughters. The anomalous throw-back to the 1930's on the right is Barcley's 'sports belt'; a must for the aspiring golfer or tennis player.
Barcley certainly had a way with words (all emphasis marks are Barcley's very own:"Large Women Love This Magnificent All-in-One by ... BARCLEY" "If You Have Considerable Flesh Which Needs to be Controlled ... Here is the Ideal Garment for YOU !" "A Perfect Garment for the Woman of Slightly More Than Average Proportions" "If Your Abdomen Needs Control ... and Your Thighs Are Rather Large ... Here Is the Garment for You !" The corsetiere simply had to 1) bring down the customer's confidence by convincing her that she was deficient in all these respects, then 2) boost her confidence by showing what she might look like wearing a Barcley. After that, step 3) was to persuade her that extra boning, suspenders, inner-belts, outer belts and the most expensive material were something that she truly owed herself. After all, wasn't hubby footing the bill?
Barcleys in Britain
Between the wars, Barcley expanded its business across the Atlantic to Britain. I don't know when this occurred but the beautiful Art Deco building in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordahire, was built in the 1930's. The factory closed along with Barcley in the 1970's (?) and lay slowly decomposing. In 1998, a local company took over the building. It was assumed that the council would only allow a restoration is keeping with the original building, but sadly the building ended up with metal cladding and PVC double glazing in the rotunda. This firm went bust and had to sell the building. Attempts to have the building listed failed as the metal cladding and PVC windows had 'destroyed the character of the building'. Even a last ditch suggestion to allow the building to go but keep the rotunda as part of the new building failed. It is very ironic that the very changes the planner had approved previously was the excuse to demolish the building! It was a sad end to a company that probably produced the most stylish (and sometimes complex) made-to-measure foundations in Britain. We have a number of post-War girdles and corsets in our collection that were manufactured in Welwyn Garden City (see below).
The Barcley Building with the wonderful Rotunda in 1952
We recently acquired two corsets at an auction. They were labelled 'Barcley' of Welwyn Garden City, Britain (just down the Great North Road from Spirella's Letchworth headquarters). They bear all the hallmarks of those above. The material of the first corset ( left ) is an exquisite silk/satin, however, the suspender tags appear to be late 1950's and the elastic is pristine. Nevertheless, the metal work is 1940's and has rusted somewhat. The garment is irritatingly difficult to date, but is definitely post-war. The label also boasts 'individually designed', just as a Spencer would have done. Was this Spencer using an old (rival) brand name to promote a superior version of their corsets, just as British Leyland re-invented the Riley and MG brands? The second corset ( below) has an amazing four sets of lacing (front, back and both sides). It is also finished in a quality brocade and even has front suspenders, however, the satin loops sewn around the garments at hip level are a giveaway. This was no everyday corset, but a rather up-market measuring garment. The lack of use of both garments suggests that Barcley began to suffer, as would Spirella and Spencer, from the move towards tights and the panty-girdle. Unlike the latter two companies, Barcley never made a pantygirdle and thus ceased to exist in the 1970's.
The only girdle we have even seen that eases the problem of 'toileting' in a tight foundation.
Another example of a multi-laced corset, but in this instance, it is Barcley's maternity corset.
Having made some assumptions about Barley in Britain, we found another piece of late 1950's memorabilia in May 2006. The accurate date of manufacture comes from the wearer's son-in-law who, displaying unusual, foresight, saved the garment as a period piece. The girdle was made by Barcley in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire and was purchased from a corsetiere in 1959. The lady in question had many girdles, and the Barcley was rarely used for a couple of years, and after the lady lost weight, not at all. It is exquisitely constructed, and displays a pattern unknown to Spencer. Even the inside of the front panel is made of satin, and contains a series of 'chevron' bones; a style I had hitherto seen only in France.
Chevron Boning
On the right, an amazing 52 years after the girdle was purchased, a model (who would have been 28 years old when the girdle was made) wears the garment and to excellent effect. It goes very well with a matching Spirella brassiere.
The label has been reconstructed (left - since it was folded) and displays the 'individually designed' tag that the made-to-measure houses of Spencer and Spirella used to such good effect. The girdle is definitely a very up-market example of its sort. I wonder how many of these beautiful girdles have been discarded once their wearer had no more use for them?
Ethel Granger - Barcley Corsetiere
Frangard 2 brought to my attention the fact that Ethel Granger of 13-inch waist fame or notoriety, depending on your viewpoint, was at one time a Barcley corsetiere. His account lies below:I was fortunate to get in close touch with a number of people of varying ages who had been friends with the Grangers between about 1958, when they made the headlines, and 1973 when Will Granger died. As a result I got many insights to their respective characters. Will was clearly a very clever, but overbearing and probably argumentative man, a schoolteacher, a political radical but oddly enough, an extremely competent amateur astronomer, whilst Ethel was a pliant partner and participant in his body modification interests. Both Iris Norris and Diana Symes (Madame Medeq) who I knew, dealt with the Grangers and made corsets for them. Both liked Ethel, but not Will. The biography shows that the Grangers, rather Will with Ethel in tow I suspect, also went the rounds of tight-lacing corset specialists between 1930 and 1956. Lenton, Mme Lorette, Ethel Kayne, Mme Vermeuil/eau (spelling varies) and Overett (Elliot?). In 1956 when Madame Marie (Stafford) offended them by making an ill fitting corset, Will arranged for Ethel to become a Barcley corsetiere in the late 1950s. Reading between the lines, this was probably a scheme to procure corsets at cost for Ethel, and it was probably a poor deal for Barcley. (I know of several corsetieres for Spirella and Jenyns who adopted the same strategy! - Ivy) Will admits in his memoirs that Barcley employed Ethel before they saw the size of her remarkable waist, and were obliged to make corsets for her as part of the contractual agreement. However, tight-lacing was anathema to their principles and they really wanted rid of the couple! (Personally, I find Ethels waist remarkable, but not anything I would want to achieve, although chance would be a fine thing! - Ivy) The Sad Demise of Ethel's Daughter In June 2001, several weeks after her death, the body of the Grangers extremely reclusive and eccentric daughter, Wilhelmina, was discovered in the family home in Peterborough. Initially it was thought she had died with no known kin but as a result of articles in the local newspaper stirred local memories, a relative was found and she was accorded a proper funeral. Exploits of her father, an FRAS, in the realm of Astronomy and of their joint effort in cultivating Ethels Guinness Record Book waist were recounted and the unhappy premises were visited. There, as noted in the Evening Telegraph of Peterborough, June 14, 2001, they noted the plaque Barcley Corsetry Service still remains screwed to the wall outside the houses front door today This is part of the piece as it appeared in the paper of June 14, 2001: A distant relative of Miss Granger has been discovered by officers working for Peterborough s coroner. Mr Ryall said: We haven t been able to find Wilhelmina s will, despite discovering a relative. But she doesn't wish to be named and we must respect her wishes. The parents of Wilhelmina Granger, William and Ethel, were colourful characters whose fame attracted attention not just in Peterborough, but across the world. Astronomer William Granger was well-known for appearing everywhere with his pet cat Treacle Pudding sitting on his shoulder. In his search to discover more about the night sky, Mr. Granger, who also worked as a woodwork teacher at a city school, travelled around the world. In 1973 he was a leading light in an expedition to catch the first glimpse of one of last century s total eclipses of the sun. He watched it from a ship anchored off Mauritania, West Africa. He died suddenly in 1974, aged 72, in the workshop of his home in Priory Road, Peterborough. His wife first appeared in the Guinness Book of Records in 1967 for her remarkable 13-inch waist. Her record described the smallest waist ever for a person of normal build still exists today. She carefully crafted her perfect hour-glass figure using steel-boned corsets after her husband complained she was too chubby. It took her 10 years to lose nine inches by gradually pulling her specially made-to-measure corsets slightly tighter every day. She was also president of the Peterborough, Oundle and District Bee-keepers Society. The house in which their daughter has been found dead, was one they had specially-built. A Meeting with Ethel Granger - 19th November 1972 We received this informative epistle in 2007. I remember this date because it is my mothers birthday. I can remember everything about the visit to Peterborough with my parents, when I met Ethel Granger and her husband. My dad was an engineering teacher in the technical college in Kings Lynn, Norfolk from the year I was born (1960) until his retirement in 1992. My mother was a typical British housewife of the 1950s and 60s except for her hobby of photography. In particular, she took pictures of famous people whenever she could get close enough. She now has thousands of pictures of famous (and some notorious) people who you would see on TV or in the newspapers. She took her camera everywhere she went. On a Saturday in the Autumn of 1972, my dad was invited to visit the college at Peterborough because his college teacher from the 1950s was being honoured. That was William Granger, who my dad called Bill. We drove to Peterborough for the presentation at 1.30 pm but arrived early. As we walked in the main entrance of the college, Mr Granger and his wife met us, and recognised my dad. They both came across to us and all I could see were two elderly people in winter clothes, because it was a cold day. Mr Granger was tall and fat, and did not walk very well, but Mrs Granger was about my height (at age 12), and seemed very petite in every way. She wore a fur coat and I saw that she had had very large ear-rings pierced into her lobes about the size of a sixpence, about inch across, or the new metric half-penny that was introduced a year before. Also, she wore very high heels. Much higher than my mothers or any others I
had seen. Nothing special happened until after the ceremony. Mr Granger as presented with a plaque and Mrs Granger got some flowers. There were speeches that I do not remember and there was food afterwards. As the crowd began to break up and leave, r Granger asked my mum and dad to join them for tea at their house. We followed them in our car. I remember that the Grangers had an old Rover and ours was a Ford. When we got to their house, the Grangers disappeared to the back part, where I think there must have been bedrooms. We sat down and a girl came in a few minutes, and brought a tray with tea things. I do not know who she was and assumed at the time that she was their daughter. But, looking back, she was too young so maybe she was a maid, or their granddaughter. We started to drink our teas before the Grangers came back and wondered what to do. I noticed that there was no cake or biscuits, and that was unusual then, but we had just eaten sandwiches at the college, so maybe they thought we would not eat any more. After about 15 minutes, the Grangers came in together, with him leading the way. My dad stood up but Mr Granger motioned him to sit down again. Then he led Mrs Granger in front of us. She was still fully dressed in her outside clothes. Mr Granger untied the fur coat and lifted it off her shoulders. She had on a white dress with dark blue flowers all over it a flower every three inches and as big as your palm. She wore a belt at her waist and it showed a very small figure. With nothing being said by anyone, Mr Granger went behind her and put his hands on her waist. We could see that his fingers overlapped at the front so he was holding her completely in his hands. He lifted her slightly, not off the floor but high onto her toes and I could see her high heels again. Then he let her down and brought a high-back chair for her to sit down. For the rest of the afternoon, they talked to my mum and dad, and I just listened. Mr Granger talked about his work and my dads career. Mrs Granger talked about her family and Mr Grangers health, which seemed to worry her. Then for about 10 minutes before we left, both the Grangers talked about her waist. She had trained her figure since 1935, which was the year my dad was born, and still wore tight laced corsets to keep her waist tiny. Mrs Granger said that it was not always comfortable but she was used to it and Mr Granger liked her figure, so she kept to the corsets. She told us that Mr Granger laced her into her day corsets after breakfast each day, and gradually tightened them until late morning. In the evening, he changed her corsets for sleeping and she got accustomed to those for some hours before going to bed. She said they were tighter in her waist but not so long. She said that had been their routine for over thirty years. Mr Granger then sent out and brought in one of her corsets, for us to see. It was pink in colour and was quite rigid even as a bundle in his hands. He laid it out on the sofa and my mum ran her hands over it. I did not touch it but I could see that it was boned and had a metal fastener at the front. My mum had her camera and took some photographs of the Grangers and one of Mrs Granger holding up the white corset. She still has them. Shortly after that, we left. On the drive home, in the dark, my mum kept saying that she thought Mrs Granger was weak to allow her husband to do that to her. My dad did not want to criticise Mr Granger, his teacher, but I could tell that he did not like the domineering way that Mr Granger treated his wife. Now for the curious part of my story. At the age of 20, I met an older man and he asked me to wear girdles and later corsets, so I did. Other girls were giving up on those sorts of clothes about then but I loved him very much. For the next few years, I wore a corset every night for him and all the time at weekends. I got to like them but really they were his idea and his liking. So you see, I got to know how Mrs Granger felt. My relationship broke up and I stopped wearing corsets for some years. It is a long story, but I am now 45 years old and I still wear a corset or a firm girdle every day. My husband is very happy and so am I. The Grangers experience is almost the same as mine and I understand them now very well indeed. Except that my husband is not fat and treats me very well, and we never show off my corseted figure not like Mr Granger did with his wife. In 1993, I gave an interview to a university person, about my figure training. I was worried that my story would get into the papers but nothing happened and I have wondered ever since if the interview was real. The Grangers seemed to go out of their way to get publicity but I want my corseting to be private for my husband and me.
ILLA KNINA
(llona Kodicek) 1899 - 1990 Until her salon closed in 1970, Madame Illa Knina, was the doyenne of Mayfair corsetires for over 30 years. It is ironic that the name of her erstwhile rival salon, Rigby and Peller lives on, but who today can say they knew or know who Illa Knina was, or that the two salons were then only a few hundred yards apart, each a short walk west from New Bond Street? Illa Knina, already a renowned corsetire in Europe, established her business at 30, Bruton Street in 1939 where it remained util she shut up shop in 1970, at the age of 71. Until the 1960s good corsetry was literally the foundation of high society women of all sizes. Mayfair was where their salons were to be found, Rigby and Peller, at 12 South Molton Street, Rose Lewis at 18 James Street from 1948-1957, after which she moved to the north side of Knightsbridge opposite Harvey Nichols where the business remained until the late 1990s.
For the figure conscious gentlemen waiting for his spouse or partner there was Overett, east of New Bond Street on Hanover Square, to which address they had moved from Knightsbridge in the late 1930's. As well as establishing a renowned corset salon, Illa Knina was a great patron of the arts and in death a notable benefactress of charity. A testament to the beauty of her creations is found in no less a place than the Victoria and Albert Museum. It is not just the wonderful colour but the attention to detail, such the hooks to hold the long line bra on the girdle. The girdle itself is formidably long, completely contains the hips, but the designer, obviously an experienced corset wearer, has fitted an elastic gusset to preclude any compromise on gait. Close at hand is a pair of strong front suspenders attached to the girdle seams to prevent overstretching of the elastic at the hem. The final touches are the satin tabs to give its nervous wearer the reassurance that, if shes wearing a sheath like skirt, her front suspender 'bumps' are safely concealed from roving eyes. (See Appendix Two for more information.)
THE HERITAGE Who was this forgotten lady? As we will see, the woman, Ilona Essig Knina Kodicek was a most remarkable lady. Her story begins on 23 October 1899, when Ilona, the only daughter and second child of five children was born in Budapest to Sabina, a Czech, and Leo Essig a Hungarian. Known by the diminutive Illa, when she was but a year and a half old, the family moved to Vienna where Leo could better supervise the chain of leather goods shops he had established all across the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. (This embraced what are today Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.) She was born into an era when women sought to emulate the waists of the fashion icons of Victorian and Edwardian Europe such as the Empress Elizabeth of Austria and Princess Mary of Teck, later Queen Mary of England. In her teens Illa would no doubt have been corseted in the classic styles of the day as would have been her mother and maidservants.
THE PRAGUE YEARS At an early age and in order to escape the monotony of family life, she married a wealthy Viennese businessman, Erwin Knina, who had fallen in love with the very pretty young girl. The couple then moved to Prague. As Illa had inherited her father's talent for working materials and personally trained as a sculptor it was not long before Erwin realized the potential of converting these talents into a business enterprise and thus was born the House of Illa Knina, a corset salon catering to those women with the means to afford the very best in corsetry. Records show that the idea was a good one for the corsetry salon became famous in pre-war Europe and Illa was established as a very successful corsetire. One can but imagine her producing even sculpting the sewing forms on which she would sew or display her range of corsets. At the thought of sewing forms one is reminded of the 1995 TV adaptation of 'Cold Comfort Farm' in which Joanna Lumley at her over the top best plays the part of West End grande dame Mrs Mary Smiling who is the elegant confidante of orphan Flora Poste (Kate Beckinsale). In one memorable scene elegant Mary, frumpy Flora and friend walk between the sewing forms and mannequins displaying Marys wonderful collection of corsets and lingerie. Although they had a son, the Kninas marriage did not last and they divorced. Erwin returned to Vienna leaving
Illa to run the corsetiere business on her own. It was then that she met and married a man eight years her senior, Josef Kodicek. Not only was he a distinguished Czech writer, philosopher and theatre critic, but he was 'a leading light of his generation' and one who knew Freud, Adler and Jung. In 1957, the late Dr. Otto Radl wrote:He too was talented and was a writer of genius, a critic and a newspaperman, who devoted his life to literature and art, theatre and films. He always stayed faithful to the democratic world outlook, and who represented the greatest influence on two subsequent generations in democratic Czechoslovakia. In Prague, the Kodiceks established themselves at the centre of society and an old acquaintance recalled that, "Before the war Illa presided over the foremost salon in Prague, was wealthy and beautiful, and a young man felt that he had really 'arrived' if he managed to get an invitation to the Kodiceks where the foremost writers and artists of the day would be present. However, her business success was brought to an abrupt halt by the Munich agreement of 1938 because Joseph Kodicek, a high profile intellectual, passionate Jewish Czech nationalist was a sure target for the Nazis who by then were occupying the Sudetenland and only a short drive away from Prague. Heeding the warning signs of the coming Nazi regime, Illa and Josef fled to London where they arrived in those anxious times with few possessions and little money. Nevertheless, they managed to create a new home and carry on the fight against oppression.
LONDON 1939 Undaunted, by the loss of her Prague corset salon Illa quickly found premises on Bruton Street in London's Mayfair, where, as shown by the late 1939 entry on the phone book, she had re-established her corsetry business.
She had shrewdly selected her location. Bond Street was only steps away. How easy it would be for society ladies to complete their shopping for the seasons fashions and pop into a discreet side street and entrust their figures to corsetry of the highest quality and most imaginative designs. Thus in the short period up to the outbreak of war it was recognised that Illa Knina, the premire corsetire in Europe now had the same reputation in England. The Kodiceks first lived in a flat in Chelsea and later moved away form the Blitz to a house in Walton-on-Thames where their celebrated library and burgeoning art collection were displayed. As well as their new house they also found a pied-a-terre in Curzon Street, which served as ready access to their respective places of work. Josef worked initially for the BBC in Langham Place until it was bombed in 1940 and then in Bush house. He broadcast to Europe for the BBC and was editor of the official London paper of the Czechoslovak Foreign Ministry, The Central European Observer The area around Illa's business in Bruton Street has always seen fine art galleries and these must have acted like a magnet to Illa as she walked between her salon and the Curzon Street flat. Josef was no doubt interested in pictures but it appears that it was Illa who initiated the art collecting with the money she made as a corsetire. In that regard one would think that the exigencies of wartime would have affected her business until one recalls that high society women drawn to Bond Street have always been drawn from the wealthy end of the social stratum, where the cost of my ladys corsetry was insignificant even at Madame Kninas prices. POST WAR Whilst Illa and Josef had fled to
London, Erwin Knina had married again and emigrated to Australia. There, along with his new wife he set up Corsetiere Knina importing the very latest designs from Illa in London. From one side of the globe to the other the Kninas were influencing the shape of womens fashion. The words of a paragraph on the fashion page of the Sydney Morning Herald of 5th August 1947 say it all:That very tone of the piece gives a clue as to the outlook of the better off fashion conscious women, be they from Australia or anywhere else for that matter. The war years of austerity were over and Diors 'New Look' had arrived and had taken the world, not just Paris and Sydney, by storm. That short fashion piece tells us that she was highly innovative in her designs and introduced under-wired bras. Inspired perhaps by the Mainbocher corset of 1939, she had produced high waisted styles, which would not just nip the waist but were a subtle modern version of the hour glass figure. She made back-lacing and front-lacing to flatten the figure, surely poetic licence given that the busk of a back lacer is surely the most effective tummy flattener ever invented! By the 1950s her adverts appeared regularly in Vogue and other fashion magazines. These were not just three liners in the classified advertisements, but quarter page or larger accompanied by drawings or photographs of what she offered. Two from 1953 are reproduced here:-
At a time when the average weekly wage was still only about 6, 'belts' (the euphemism for girdle or corset) was priced at six guineas, while a subtly boned corset swimsuit of the type Princess Margaret was reputed to wear could cost 12 guineas or two weeks' wages. That said, the styles were innovative and the plunging neckline, cleavage revealing 'Marquise' in the advert was far ahead of its time and certainly is quite lovely to behold even today. By 1957, Alison Adburgham, in an article in that amusement of the upper classes, 'Punch' from 27th March 1957 issue wrote:"For the pleasure bestowed by the contemplation of pure artistry one must visit Illa Knina. Her clients include princesses, royal duchesses, actresses - all the most famous and flattered figures in London are moulded by her foundations. These are couture corsets; made to measure, made to last, made with dedication and delight; made in nylon brocades, black-and-gold, blue-and-gold, green-and-silver and in magnificently colourful Italian flower prints. They are the costume-museum pieces of the future. She came to London at Munich time without a single client, without a penny for publicity. Yet - and this she cannot explain - from the very first day the clients came and now they come from far and wide." 2010 - RECOGNITION AGAIN As will be shown in the appendix, two of Illas creations have found their way into the fashion artefacts of none other than the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London. Her long-line brassiere in luscious deep blue is featured in a new book and catalogue 'Underwear: Fashion in Detail' (pub. Oct 2010) written by Eleri Lynn, Fashion Curator at the V&A. Ms. Lynn writes:Madame Illa Knina was a famous Mayfair corsetire with prestigious clients that included royalty and Hollywood actresses. She played on her exclusive image to advertise her ready-to-wear and mail-order ranges as the haute couture of corsetry. She also had mass-market ambitions and designed several ranges for Marks and Spencer. She used new fabrics such as nylons and innovative printing techniques and dyes, creating bold and colourful patterns that appealed to the emerging youth market. See Appendix One for more information THE ART COLLECTION The early 1950's were the chief collecting period as she displayed her enthusiasm for the classics of modern art and her keen appreciation for the innovative trends of the young contemporary artists. The work began with her husband but his untimely death at the age of 62 in 1954 left her on her own. No doubt she inherited some money from him which with her own business income enabled her to pursue her art collecting with less restraint, In fact she became a well-known figure in the artistic circles of 1950's London, a factor which no doubt enabled her to overcome the loss of her partner in life. She was a close friend of Victor Musgrove of Gallery One from whom she bought her first Yves Klein. Jimmy McMullan of the Obelisk Gallery was another to benefit from her patronage. She also bought works from The Hanover Gallery, The Lefevre Gallery, Marlborough Fine Art and Arthur Tooth & Sons. By 1960, her collection was by and large complete. Later she was to boast that she never spent more than 1,000 on a work of art and thus she found the rising prices of the 70's and 80's beyond her comprehension. A testimony to the quality of her 'eye' is demonstrated by the fact that her flat at Curzon Street, to which many were invited, was featured in an article in 'House and Garden' of September 1957 entitled 'An Art Patron's Flat in Curzon Street'. The magnificent Braque nude provides the magazine's cover. The fully illustrated article was occasioned by Illa Kodicek commissioning the interior decorator Herman Schrijver to arrange the interior design. Michael Wickham wrote "When arranging the rooms shown here, Herman Schrijver was doubly fortunate, for he had a client who liked modern furniture and who had in his own words, "a strong and well-rounded personality". The flat presented its own challenge, or rather challenges: the considerable personality of the client, the insistent
domination of many of the pictures and, above all, the almost claustrophobic enclosure of the flat itself...In such passive surroundings, the pictures acquire an unexpected domesticity. All these paintings, despite their contrast in size and technique, seem very much at ease in close proximity. In Schrijver's words, his client has 'tamed her possessions'." THE MOVE TO GREEN PARK In 1962, Illa gave up the Curzon street flat and moved to one in Green Park House, Piccadilly, overlooking the park and the avenue of trees leading down to Buckingham Palace. There she could no doubt display her collection more satisfactorily. She used Herman Schrijver to create a no less memorable a setting in the new apartment which, in the words of the Christies catalogue for the auction of her collection of 19931 ,housed a little-known collection of modern and contemporary pictures. RETIREMENT Undaunted by advancing years her business went from strength to strength under Illa Kodicek's inspired and skilful direction until she was to close it down upon her retirement in 1970. It was her interest in the work of young artists that continued to inspire her later activities after she retired. She joined the Contemporary Art Society with which she indulged her love of travel in making a number of art tours. In 1983 she donated a work by the young Czech artist, Stanislav Kolibal, to the Tate Gallery and in 1984 she was International Adviser to the contemporary art exhibition body Rosc (The Poetry of Vision) in Dublin. She continued to visit exhibitions and entertain friends and artists, retaining her independent spirit until the end. Appreciative of Britain providing a new home to her husband and her before the War, she latterly became interested in finding a home for her collection in London. Having been introduced to the activities of the National Association of Boys' Clubs she quickly appreciated the value of their activities and their need for funds. Thus she determined to leave her collection to the Association for the benefit of their comprehensive programme of youth care. She resided at Green Park House from 1962 until her death in 1990 at age 91 and she never lost her passion for visiting art galleries. One can only wonder if it was fond childhood memories of life with her four brothers, some no doubt old enough to have fought and maybe perished in WW1 which prompted her to give to a charity that superficially one would think is far form the interest of such an artist and talented corsetire. For the curious the following were some of the artists whose work found its way into Illas home and heart: Aristide Maillol (1861-1944) Chaim Soutine (1893-1943), Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Louis Marcoussis (1883-1941) Georges Braque (1882-1963) Francis Picabia (1874-1953) Henri Matisse (1869-1954) Jean Souverbie (1891-1981) Jules Pascin (1885-1930)
APPENDIX ONE
THE V&A BRA Illa was in the forefront of new trends in the brassiere as listed below in the V&A catalogue. Rather than paraphrase the V&A catalogue, the pages 184 and 185 record much of Illa Kninas achievements in the 1950s:
Madame Illa Knina was a famous Mayfair corsetire with prestigious clients that included royalty and Hollywood actresses. She played on her exclusive image to advertise her ready-to-wear and mail-order ranges as the haute couture of corsetry.18 She also had mass-market ambitions and designed several ranges for Marks and Spencer. She used new fabrics such as nylons and innovative printing techniques and dyes, creating bold and colourful patterns that appealed to the emerging youth market. This three-quarter-length bra is made of a plain nylon. At the bottom are elastic tabs t o secure it to a matching girdle and to pull it taut. It is lightly boned with spiral steels at the centre-front to separate the breasts. Some of the seams and the shoulder straps are lined with nylon velveteen. The garment is rather simple, creating a plain, sleek foundation for its signature feature: solid foam rubber cones, stitched into each cup. The 1950s trend for pointed breasts meant that a large percentage of bras were shaped with artificial cups like this, known as falsies. Indeed, they were so necessary for the creation of the fashionable silhouette that the Corset Guild of Great Britain noted that three out of every four women were wearing falsies in 1955.19 Falsies were hard inserts worn inside the bra, or stitched into the cups as seen here, and were almost the only way to achieve the exaggerated pointed breast shape that reached its height in the late 1950s, particularly around 1957. Another way to achieve it was with circular or whirlpool stitching around the cup, however this often required further padding at the point to reinforce the shape. Long-line bra Illa Knina Britain (London), late 1950s Nylon, foam rubber covered in knitted nylon, and nylon velveteen V&A: T.852199 The V&A is acknowledged as the source of this information and readers are urged to buy the catalogue itself, no reproduction can equal the original photos, drawings and text.
APPENDIX TWO
THE V&A CORSET This corset set combines modern materials with glamour and celebrates feminine curves. The brightly flowered matching set is made of lightweight nylon and features decorative lacing, satin straps and suspenders. The maker, Madame Illa Knina, had trained as a sculptor. She was a leading corsetire and produced made-to-measure undergarments from her studio in Mayfair, London. * Artist/Maker: Knina, Illa (maker) * Materials and Techniques: Nylon * Credit Line: Given by Miss C. Bellow * Museum number: T.850:1, 2-1994 * Gallery location: In store * Place of origin: United Kingdom (made) Date:1950s (made) The V&A is acknowledged as the source of this information and readers are urged to buy the catalogue itself, no
reproduction can equal the original photos, drawings and text.
1 23
June 1993, London, King Street, THE KODICEK COLLECTION OF MODERN PICTURES
It is with great pleasure that we reproduce below Mariannes Story. We are very grateful for her permission to publish her recollections. What is so appealing to the serious researcher of the foundation garments of this era, is the blunt statement that men tend to romanticize these garments. Beautiful they might be on occasion, very effective too, however, they were never as comfortable as modern foundations. For sure, a women who wears a corset for genuine support may be very uncomfortable without it (as I know from experience), however, such ladies would rather not need that support in the first place. My husband says I am a spoil-sport but Marianne brings us down to earth. Ive taken the liberty of editing the text, but as little as possible. Our own comments are included in green italics.
Mariannes Story
Introduction
I was born in 1939 and probably belong to the last generation of women who grew up with classic foundation wear as a natural ingredient of life. To me they also became an even more important part of life as I worked in the lingerie and foundation-wear business from 1956 until 1973. It was in the late 50s that I started working in my Aunt's corset shop and then trained as a corsetiere ( quite possibly the heyday of that era ) Certainly this era has been very much romanticised by men, and from a womans point-of-view, the advent of tights and the abolition of corsets, belts, girdles, corselettes and what-nots was a blessing and an important stepping stone for the liberation of this half of mankind! Of course all these garments were such a normal part of life when I grew up that we hardly questioned their use. They were what girls and women wore, full stop, and ( by todays standards ) they were not always very comfortable and easy to handle. Materials, such as taffeta, satin and rubber, were stiff, heavy, hot and not very hygienic. The girdles also wore out quite quickly. Colours were rare and limited to white, pink and black. You should not forget either that, at least in the middle and upper classes, good corsetry was also a question of decency! But, they had their charm and value too. One might remember that fitness and body trim were not very common with women in those days, except for the rather rough gymnastics in the 1930's and during the war. Health care and nutrition were neglected during the war and womens bodies were heavier and less well treated in those days, so some help with forming and holding was often welcomed. Also the fashions in those days craved good shaping and building up from underneath.. Not until the miraculous Latex yarns were developed did the garments become somewhat more comfortable, and it was well into the late 50s that some models became somewhat lighter and even smart! The light elastic belt was a blessing to many young ladies in those days, whereas the panty-girdle of the mid-60s was to most a torment until the lighter models turned up around 1967/68. By then the era of corsetry was coming to an end with the rapid spread of tights and a more youthful fashion. Remember, up to the mid-60s a well dressed girl was a little lady, even though the teen-age look had come around with Audrey Hepburn in the 50s. What we would wear was not only a personal choice. It was to a great extent decided by our age, figure, fads of fashion, time of the day, friends, and, not least, mothers and female relatives; so these garments were surrounded with feelings of oppression too. ( Mariannes comments here strike a common chord with both my husband and me. As teenagers, we were smaller carbon-copies of our parents. Even to go out for lunch required a girdle for myself, and a shirt and tie for my husband. )
Foundation Etiquette Let me share some of the etiquette as I remember it from my teens and twenties. Girls of age seven to 14 were expected to wear cotton underwear in white or pink. No girdles, but often a rather stiff bodice, or, in the teens, a narrow to medium width garter belt. Stockings were usually white or black, cotton or (in winter) woolen (oh how they itched!) and definitely no bras. By age 14 or 15, nylons or silks were allowed for more formal occasions and nylon panties could be accepted. The first short, cotton bra (usually AA or A cups and sometimes well padded) was bought, and was a sign of approaching womanhood, a source of pride! Now the bodice was also dropped and garter belts or light open girdles were the rule. White, pink or patterned materials were the norm; never black and
certainly not red! (They were the colours of bad girls). Such colours would only be allowed if they were required by the outer garment, which they rarely were, as slips were universally worn.) From age 17-18, the young body was considered to be blossoming and in need of steady support and a longer, firm, open girdle was recommended. The more formal the occasion, the firmer, more boned and panelled it should be. Now cotton was usually swapped for nylon all through, and the bras increased in size. Light blue, navy blue, yellow (if available, it was hard to find before the 60s) and even red was added to the allowed colours around the age of 20-22. Black was still looked upon as nasty, and so were, curiously enough, garter belts, except for simpler dance parties or in the summertime. In daytime a rather short girdle was accepted if you did not have much of a tummy to grapple with. With marriage came the liberty to wear any colour, including black (except for panties, which should be white or pink. I remember a small scandal in my home-town when a young newly-married neighbourhood wife exposed some five or so little black nylon panties, with frills, on the laundry line in her back-garden!). More mature married women were expected to wear rather heavy armour and, especially after childbirth, a short bra was very uncommon, except for summer dresses. Bras should be long-line and preferably hooked to the long girdles waistband. The combination looked like a corselette, but was more convenient since they could be more easily fitted to most women. Older ladies born in the 1890 - 1920 period still wore the stiff corsets of the 30s and 40s, and it is funny to remember how conservative and old-fashioned they seemed to us younger girls. Rigid fabric, front-lacing corsets
with inner panels, were also in demand from these ladies, and we did sell and fit quite a lot of them. I also remember that they were quite often handed in for repairs and little fixes, so obviously they were loved and also very durable. I think one reason for this was, as I remember it, they usually did not contain any elastic parts.
Mind you, some of us younger women were pretty slow in burning the bra and getting rid of the girdles. I did not, for example, ever accept the panty-girdles, even though I got a few of the early ones in the 50s to wear under slacks. I did wear girdles and stockings occasionally in the mid-70's, but by then it was usually with evening dresses that required some shaping. Today I would never even consider the idea of squeezing myself into a girdle and I was fascinated by Madonnas play with the Vogue type girdles. Working in a corset and lingerie shop in this period, I know of course that all little wives in their late twenties and early thirties did not stick to these rather harsh rules. They got themselves more frivolous things from time to time. At times garments bought abroad were brought in for refitting and filled us with amazement and envy! This was especially true when our married sisters returned from a charter trip by bus to Paris! One brand that we never carried (probably for moral reasons) was Scandale, and many little things that were handed over for alteration wore that label. In the shop we used to refer to them as titbits and had rather mixed feelings towards their owners. The owner of the shop called them plainly whorish things and left the younger colleagues to work on them. Times were changing however, and life became simpler, but perhaps a bit more dull. I remember one young wife in the early 70s who came in to buy two everyday light weight short elastic girdles, which were by then on sale. She remarked, in a whisper, that she maybe was still a bit old-fashioned in sticking to girdles and stockings, but it is so convenient, at least on Friday nights. To relieve younger male readers of their curiosity I might add that panties in those days, as long as it was possible, were worn on top of garters and girdles. ( Much has been discussed on this point.). Perhaps it is worth pointing out that what you see in advertisements from the time is not really the true picture of what girls and women really looked like beneath their clothes. Many wore very worn out garments, patched and
refitted with bad elastics and white that was more yellowish. In the advertisements, the ladies rarely wore stockings and slips so that the garment could be seen. The models also wore their panties underneath their girdles for the same reason. In real life, foundations without panties were never seen in my profession, and I did not even consider it
myself, even though there were rumours about certain girls. I think it would have been judged very harshly and seen as indecent! However, I remember that a female gynaecologist in my home town used to recommend it for health reasons, especially in the warmer parts of the year, but I do not know if many followed that piece of advice. She was, naturally, a stout opponent of panty-girdles, a point where I quietly agreed with all my heart! Panty-girdles were not very popular at
all until somewhere around 1966 when they came over from the US and became very popular with younger girls, just to disappear very soon afterwards as tights came on the market. Most women before that had just one of those, usually to wear under slacks and perhaps for sports and leisure. I always found them rather uncomfortable and never really recommended them to my clients.
Working in the Corset Shop Basically, the job of a corsetiere is to fit girdles and other foundations to the enormous variations in the female body, since a badly fitted girdle will always make problems worse. As a beginner, I mainly worked at the stockings desk, but was required, just like my aunt and the other shop girl, to be well dressed. This also meant wearing good foundations from the shop's range of brands. I always wore white, since black was considered rather risqu, especially for a young girl in those days. It was a very expensive and rather select garment and I remember feeling proud and rather grown-up when I wore it. It was medium strength and not too uncomfortable, nevertheless, as long as girdles were rigid and boned, I used to slip out of them as soon as I got home, but with the softer and shorter girdles that arrived with the late 50s, I often kept them on at home and only took my stockings off! I can still almost feel that funny sensation when the garters were dangling free under skirt and slip! Since I lived in a small countryside town, the attitudes were very conservative in its ways of life and outlooks generally. I think that the styles were different in Copenhagen, perhaps more advanced and modern, and that, for instance, the combination of a girdle and a short bra was more widespread there than in my town ( right). Stockings may appear smart to many a nostalgic man, but were mourned by few girls and ladies. The first nylons, which in my country appeared around 1948, were extremely expensive and very, very fragile. There was a need of small shops for stitching runs, which appeared at the most inconvenient moments. The period with seamed stockings was a horror (check and double check!) and the arrival of seamless stockings and even elastic ones was greeted with great joy by most. It is true though that the first tights were not of best quality, but still they were liberating. Of course the years around 1967/68 when they began to be sold at large to most of us was not the time for the first contact with these. As small girls we had had stocking trousers in wintertime. I really never liked the corselettes, or all-in-ones, myself. The reason was that they were very difficult to fit. ( This is
graphically described in Alisons Story. It's always amazed my husband that a fundamentally simple garment like a corselette can arouse such passionate debate in women. ) If they were bought in department stores, only the average woman could get a good fit. It is also true that they were very hard to get into, toileting was a problem ( certainly in the panty- version ), and it often felt like wearing a very stiff and hot bathing suit under your clothes. ( Like Alison, Marianne goes on at some length about the corselette.) They were just as difficult to get out of as they were difficult to get into. And as for the panty-corselette (a corselette with legs), I never even heard of one in those days, and I still find it an unbelievable item. I really cannot see any use for it at all. The combination of a high-rise girdle and a long-line bra was so much more comfortable and easy to fit. There was also the freedom to unhook your girdle from your bra on getting home, and still wear your bra.
Choosing a corselette is a delicate thing, as you have to be of quite 'normal' build. For instance, if you had a bust size well above average, and hip and waist measures below, you had a hard time finding a corselette that would fit well. In my active days (late 1950's and 60's), I very rarely recommended this type of garment. The combination of a girdle and a long-line bra hooked to the girdle was usually a better solution, as you could find perfect sizing and make nice adjustments. Miss Mary of Sweden (www.missmary.se), however, made some excellent corselettes. The factory used to be located in the textile town of Bors, Sweden, where over 10 corset, girdle and bra factories were active up until the 1970's. The company has been around at least since the 1960's and has a good reputation for everyday foundation wear. I think the production has moved to Estonia or some other Baltic country, but as far as I know they have kept their good reputation. (They have indeed kept a good
reputation, although, in common with most other successfully marketed brands today, their main emphasis is on 'uppers' and 'bodies' rather than 'lowers'. )
I do not think that a corselette was ever normally considered for a woman under 30, unless she had given birth several times. The softer roll-ons were a blessing to girls in the age group 15 to 30, but in the 1950s they were often boned and zipped. A girl that was of slender build could wear a short bra without any problem, and that was to become the normal outfit from the mid-60s. As to wide garters, I think they very much belonged to a time before mine. They were around until the early 1950s, but modern girdles were fitted with much thinner garters. Throughout my time as an active corsetiere, elderly ladies, of course, still demanded corsets or substantial girdles, and these were usually fitted with wide garters. Whether to fit the garment with four or six garters was not much of an issue in Denmark. Only for a short period did we see girdles fitted with six garters, and that I think was under American influence. The rule was four garters, and that was tricky enough. It took time to fasten and unfasten them, a task that needed to be performed with precision in order to keep the seams straight. ( This is another male pre-occupation. Most women were delighted to banish the seams in the mid-60s. ) On a girdle with a rather long skirt, it seemed not so necessary to have six garters since the stockings would not rotate anyway, if they were fitted close to the rim of the girdle. With shorter skirts you would wear longer stockings and shorten the garters and achieve the same end. Men have often asked me if the suspenders and stockings were the worst part of wearing a girdle. Personally, I think it might be a problem to some, but far from all. You got used to it quite quickly. Still, I think that most women in those days would either get out of their stockings as soon as they got home and were on their own. Quite a lot also removed their girdles whenever they had the opportunity, so it was not always comfortable. The cinema stereotype of "Let me just slip into something more comfortable" did not grow out of nothing! Most women used to be bit ashamed of their foundations, especially tight and heavy corsetry, even in front of their husbands, and usually wanted to get out of them if they felt intimacies were approaching.
Trying to remember if garter bumps were a problem in those days, I cannot really find that I personally worried about it, nor did our customers. When everybody wore them, they were not really an issue. Materials were usually somewhat heavier in those days and the wearing of a full or a half slip was the usual thing. Fashionable dresses those days were often lined, so I think the bumps caused by the garters would very rarely show. Today young girls seem to wear dresses and skirts that are much thinner, almost never lined, and slips are gone. This is in a way a pity because they tend to stick to the body and the nice fall is lost. And, in bright light, you can see through the dresses. That's not something I like. Thinking hard, I do remember however, that very tight wool dresses could make a problem, so that I became aware of the 'see-through' effect. Then I would take care to place something on my lap when sitting, such as a handbag or a newspaper.
The non-elastic corsets and girdles, especially the longer ones, restricted the wearers ability to take long steps. This could be fixed, to some degree at least, by cutting a small triangle out of the mid front panel and substituting it with a piece of elastic. Some models were already fashioned in this way, but not all. Boning (and stiffened side panels in general) had to be carefully watched so they did not go too low down over the hip as this would cause
considerable problems when sitting down ( read the Cautionary Tale of the Vain Lady). So, some of the trying on and fitting was made with the customer sitting in a chair. Sitting and rising still could cause considerable problems if back garters were too tightly fastened. They should always be somewhat looser than front (and side) ones. Bending forwards could put too much strain on either the garters or the stockings, with slipping of the garters, breaking loose of garters, or even ruptures to the stockings as a result. If the girdle was not fastened to the bra it could also, after kneeling or bending, slide down, so that it had to be pulled up. Very awkward indeed! Bones, particularly the very stiff kind, were used when strong non-stretch material alone was no longer able to produce a flat tummy. Certainly, we had to move more slowly and upright in these garments. Bones were essential to strapless bras of course, and as I remember it, almost all bras, even shorter ones, had some boning in the side panels or side elastics. I do remember poor young girls accompanied by their conservative mothers or aunts. Often these elderly ladies required makes and models that they were used to, and that at the time seemed old fashioned to us girls. As an assistant in the corset shop I could not very often influence these women to make a more modern choice, and I even remember girls crying during fitting. As I became a fully trained corsetiere I always tried to dissuade their parents from forcing the issue, since the young body almost never needs boning. Partly this was because I experienced that myself as a young girl, since the owner of the corset shop was my very conservative aunt. She and my mother would decide on the most strict girdling already from my 15th year. As an assistant I was also expected to be extremely well girdled in the eyes of the customers. And you should know that in these days, women really did have X-ray eyes for foundation wear!
Thinking back on it, most mothers actually were quite empathetic with their daughters when it came to foundations, as they knew themselves what torments it might inflict if too rigid. If girls considered their mothers a bit 'sadistic', it was usually due to the fact that they were conservative in their choice, just like the older generation always is. So, the question "Shouldn't you consider something more firm?", which was not uncommon, usually came out of conservatism. The usual quarrels in the shop were over style and type. This was particularly so in the second half of the 1960's, when the industry settled for special lines for teenagers and younger women. These were often seen as 'flimsy', or too slack by many mothers.
The better foundations are fitted, the less you notice them, but of course they were always there. Still, stockings should almost never be felt as pulling. But the more formally you dressed, the harder the garments would hold you, and some ill-fitted garments would always make their presence felt! To me the long panty-girdles were extremely difficult to fit, and as they appeared rather late (at least in Denmark), the days of the corset shop were almost gone, and most were purchased in department stores, so they would not be fitted at all. They really could hurt you, and of course, were much of a nuisance when you went to the bathroom. For these wretched garments, you had to have a very special technique. It was so much easier with the short elastic girdle, which in Denmark was usually was referred to as a roll-on. The panty-girdles were more of a tug-on-and-grapple. As the garters moved from below or outside on these garments to inside the leg in the years 1958 - 1962, you had the added problem of, after having tugged them on, sitting down on your bed-side, rolling up the cuffs to get hold of the garters, fastening the stockings and then rolling and tugging down the cuffs, which quite often would still ride up, so that a ring of bare flesh between stocking top and girdle rim would appear after an hour or so. The thigh would bulge out and a quick rush to the bathroom for another 'pull-down' was your only chance! Rolling up the cuff created a strong band that would obstruct your blood flow, so you had to be quick with it. No; they were horrible things and we were amazed that they became so popular in the US. (We read quite a lot of magazines in those days, and knew that habits differed quite a lot between US, UK and the Continent.) Adjusting shape-wear (as the modern term goes) in public and at work was always a nuisance and the focus of many jokes among men. You had to be discrete and quick, but someone usually noticed. The worst thing that could happen was a broken or loosened garter. A bit simpler was the loss of the garter button. It could always be replaced by a one oere coin!
The Triumph girdle (it was not a corset really) was not an actual rubber girdle, but you must understand, that before
Lycra arrived, the elastics were usually made up of rubber. The Playtex rubber girdles were around for a while (the one that was sold in a tube). As they could not be fitted and were mainly sold in department stores, they were not an interesting article in a specialised lingerie and foundation store like my aunts. We did hold a few in stock and they sold out slowly, mainly I think out of curiosity as they were not widely marketed in Denmark. I got one for myself and tried it on and did not particularly like it as it was rather uncomfortable and also carried a faint, rather unpleasant smell of rubber. My aunt expected me to try out 'novelties', especially if they were intended for a younger audience, so that is one reason why I have rather good knowledge of all the new things that appeared in the late 50's and early 60's. Some of them really were dead ends and I think the rubber girdles actually were.
I think the most tormenting effect of the garments of that era was the feeling of being locked in, of being too heavily dressed and of being hot and sweaty. Despite that, many professions, not least my own, required sensible foundations as part of the 'uniform'. I remember the two air stewardesses who worked for Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). They both were regular customers and preferred rather high rise and firm girdles (I wonder how they managed through long flights, poor girls!). One of them was very fond of a type called 'Splendide' manufactured by a Swedish company called Svegmarks. It was similar to the model on the right from around 1956. This style was around for many years, late 40's until the mid-60's. Of course the materials varied, but the basic design remained the same. I remember that she liked the high waist for never rolling and the short skirt that did not inhibit her walking. In my eyes this was more of a corset than a girdle and I was amazed that such a young woman (27) did not choose something more modern. My aunt said it may have been company regulations, but I doubt that. Nurses in those days would buy what they called 'nurses stockings'. They were
support stockings of a type that was required by head nurses and the matron. They were not very attractive, but actually were a boon to women who spent all day on their feet.!
Corsetiere and Attitudes It is quite strange when talking to younger women and mentioning my occupation as a corsetiere. Many havent even heard of the word, and even less have the slightest idea about how women actually had to dress in those days. To them it may sounds like something out of the middle ages. If I ask them if they ever wear a garter belt, most of them have tried out of curiosity in their teens, but if they still use them it is usually only on special occasions, and very often on their boyfriends request. That may be OK for fun, but a woman or girl should never wear anything that she does not really like herself, I believe! The closest you would ever get today, is more elderly women wearing soft panty-girdles, because they need some tummy or bottom trimming. ( There are still some well-corsetted matrons in Britain, and I suspect many other countries, but they are a minute percentage of the market - Il) Regard the following comment Like most women of my age, I have no intention of going to a corsetiere to be properly fitted with a girdle. The places where I buy girdles don't offer that service. It's simply too off-putting for words to let another woman scrutinise my figure and try to sell me a heavy-duty girdle that I neither need nor want." I feel that this summarises the modern attitude of women towards foundations.
I went to a 60-year celebration last Saturday here in Denmark and overheard a piece of conversation in the Ladies Room that I would like to share with all of you. Dress code was dinner-jacket, and, as is the habit here for birthdays, the ladies were all in their most smashing evening gowns. On 'powdering my nose' I heard two ladies in their later 50's as one of them came out of the cabinet. "It took you some time in there. Everything all right?" "(Giggles) Oh, yes, it was just this body that I bought for this occasion. I couldn't unhook it down there with these nails, so I had to take the whole dress off and pull the thing down. Quite acrobatic!"
"You have got a what!?" "A body, one of these modern shapers, you know." "Not a horrible Spirella? I remember when I had to help Mum hook up her terrible thing. You dont say you are wearing one of these?" "No, it's modern one. A soft thing. Look!" (She lifted her gown to her breasts). "Oh, that looks different! I know what you mean. Is it any good?" "Oh yes, it keeps the bulges in and it really is good for your figure. I would never have got into this dress without it, but it is really a bit too soft. I think I will look for something stronger in future." "But, Heavens, you dont wear that everyday do you?" "No, are you mad. I only wear it when I need it." "But do they come without garters as well? I would never think of wearing stockings again." "Oh, this one does not have garters really. I had to put on a belt below to hold up stockings. I do prefer tights too, but I could not get a thin pair with seems in the hurry I was in, so thats why I had to do it this silly way. But I think there are some with detachable garters." "Oh, you would not buy them with garters, would you?" "Well, it isn't so bad. Feels rather nice and I had forgotten what it was like. I could you know." "Where did you get it?" "(Mentions a shop)" "Is that where you are going to get the stronger one?" "Mm, I think so." "Do you mind if I come along?" "Not at all!"
Male Attitudes to Girdles Our rural Danish town was quite idyllic and probably naive by todays standards, but of course, there was some whispering around. In general we heard that men disliked corsetry intensely when it was worn by girl friends and wives. Still, there were a few of our customers who would make remarks about what their husbands did like, or about them requiring their wives to wear certain garments. (In those days, most married women obeyed their husbands, I am sorry to say). We also knew, either from our own experience or from customers stories, that garments were stolen from laundry lines and drying rooms in apartment buildings, and we did not believe that this was done by women. Rather we suspected school-boys, but never knew for certain, except for a few cases when the thieves were caught in action. I remember one scandal from the early 60s vividly. It became known among most of my friends, even though it was officially hushed up. In an apartment house there had been extensive disappearances of panties, slips, girdles, bras and stockings from the laundry drying room for over a year. It was then found out that a little gang of four or five boys around 13 - 15 had been stealing, and then wearing the items! I think you could imagine the gossip around this in our little town! I do not think that it reached the ears of fathers and husbands though. Personally, I find it strange that men would want to wear female under-garments, but I am not at my age in any way condemning or moralistic about it. That many men also take a nostalgic interest in what girls and women used to wear in their youth seems also quite obvious and may, I think, be explained by rather simple psychology!
My experience from the period 1955 - 1970 in a small Danish town is that we never had a man came to my aunt's shop to buy for himself (or certainly to admit it ) . It did occur that men would drop in and buy something for their fiancees or wives, but the most common item was a pair of stockings. In those days they were considered quite appropriate gifts. To give other intimate articles of clothing would have been most inappropriate in those days.
Conclusion Those days are gone and very few women, if any, miss them. In those day a womens position in society was so different from today. So many more were not doing any work outside their homes (as a matter of fact, millions had
to leave working life after the war) and the general attitude was very much more submissive. But, times were changing and we have to accept that. The general life style has changed enormously and so has fashion. Very few dress designs today require any type of girdling. Not that I recollect that any corsetiere that I remember looked upon herself as anything other than a trained women who was there to assist other women. Salespersons, yes, but not of ill will. And certainly we tried to fulfill the needs and wishes of our customers as they expressed them. Added to this was our knowledge of the garments and the way to fit them. But, we could not really critisise the spirit of the times, which was oppressive towards women; no more than the gold fish in the bowl can analyse its water!
I was professionally part of that period, I think the most 'revolutionary' development for over 100 years (perhaps excepting parts of the 1920's) in foundation garments took place in these years, such as the availability of good elastic materials (e.g. Lycra), the new beautiful designs and colours, and mass production of good girdles and bras.
Our trade declined with the decline of the girdle in the late 60s and early 70s and will not return. Having been in the trade, however, I find it nice that some aficionados try to keep the memory and knowledge alive, but there is no reason to become sentimental about this, and no reason to think that younger women would ever, to any great extent, turn back to girdling and corseting. Sometimes, however, I do think that it would be so much better if there were more saleswomen in the general stores' lingerie departments having a better knowledge of women's underwear.
Headquarters and the Models
The 1960 visit showing just under half of the corsetieres who attended.
Professional models and factory workers alike demonstrate the garments. The model on the left, a Miss Topping, was one of Spirella's favourites. One suspects that she had an enviable figure with or without their products! The factory was a very happy place in which to work even if the ladies
employed there struggled to afford their own products. A girdle cost around two weeks wages! The corsetieres themselves fared differently in that they were expected to wear Spirella's products that they could buy at cost, however, they were not salaried and lived on commission.
The Annual Visit to HQ

The relationship of the corsetiere to Headquarters was very strong, particularly after the Second World War, and during this period all corsetieres were given a chance to visit Letchworth each year. This gave the company a chance to say "thank you" to its sales force, and also gave the corsetieres the chance to see the latest models that they would soon be selling.
The latest styles of brassiere and corselette are handed round in 1957 and 1960. Both are far stronger quality than the less successful garments of the 1980's.
Two corsetieres in their 60's in the late 50's meet and discuss the latest styles at Letchworth. Quite obviously, one of these 'elderly' women has adopted one of Spirella's more modern brassiere styles (1958). In the same year, another group of corsetieres discuss the merits of the latest girdle.
In 1957, Spirella puts on an amazing display of their wares at HQ. In 1965, two ladies regard the newest lightweight material that can be incorporated into the 515 lacing girdle. Note how the light colour of the stand shows through the material of the garments to reveal their structure. This is often used to good effect by several vendors on the Ebay auctions.
The Models from HQ

Spirella had a number of favourite models, and these ladies would demonstrate the latest lines to hundreds of keen corsetieres from all over the country. Sometimes, Spirella's favourite 'mature' models would demonstrate the corsets,
but equally, in the catalogues, some remarkably young models are laced into their 305's. What appears quite extraordinary today is that these women would wander around the displays discussing their underpinnings with the corsetieres.
From 1938 (above right), 1948 (above left), 1950 (below) and 1957 (below right), the display of corsetry by professional models both on and off the cat-walk was a regular event.
Not something I could ever do in a million years! It takes courage to parade your girdle in front of 100's of critical spectators!
Some of the most professionally composed Spirella photographs, that, for Spirella, are close to being risqu.
Amateur Shows:
What is quite obvious from the house magazines of the time is that many of the ladies at the Spirella shows were not professional models, but simply corsetieres themselves. This would be good practice for them, since all forms of advertising were used by the company from adverts in the local newspapers to modelling shows where (amazingly for the 1960's) corsetieres and their friends would parade in front of prospective customers in their underwear. These shows took place away from Head Office in local halls and even corsetiere's houses. Daughters and friends were encouraged to
join in. It is noticeable that the women at these shows often wore black underwear, whereas white and tea rose were the most popular colours actually sold. Perhaps wearing black was more like a show, or 'something special' rather than candidly walking around in one's everyday underwear. Notice that Spirella had stockings made with coloured tops to match the foundations being modelled. It certainly photographs better than a standard stocking. It seems that Spirella had these stockings made for the publicity photographs since they appear on the professionally modelled pictures. The longsuffering corsetieres had to pay, which explains the various styles of stocking top in the amateur photographs.
Even the Scottish in 1966 would parade in their intimates, including a Fitters from 1960 model girdles, corsets and a corselette from the Spirella Grandmother with 15 children standing second from the right, next to the range. The models are all corsetieres, friends and somebody's daughter. corsetiere. The ladies are all satisfied customers and really very stylish. The levels of confidence vary considerably, but this was 1960. In fact, they make a very good advertisement for Spirella, and put many modern women to shame.
Spirella was always keen on its wedding photographs. In so many of their magazines, daughters of corsetieres were shown at their weddings. The captions emphasised the fact that all the ladies present wore Spirella, and apart from some marketing exaggeration, the photos are all genuine. But the photo on the left is obviously wrong. They tried hard, but, as is patently obvious, we have a group of amateur friends of the corsetiere in wedding guise. Charming, innovative, quaintly naive, but, one has to admit, less than convincing. ( Spirella 1959). The bridal dresses, all handmade by devoted mothers, aunts and grannies reveal a tendency that will ultimately doom the corsetry firms. Waist and bust are apparent, although not emphasised, but the hips are hidden in layers of tulle and netting. The girdle might be worn, but in such guise it was unnecessary, and ultimately, as we see today, will virtually vanish.
There was no end to the ingenuity of the corsetieres as they transported their samples across the country to various events. From 1961, a Spirella corsetiere poses as she inserts a model for a local fashion show into her car. In 1957, a fitter uses her van as a mobile display unit.
As a charming footnote to this piece, we recently (2010) discovered a picture of two of the ladies that modelled for Spirella in the 1960's. As you would expect they are still stylish and elegant and have done well in their lives, one even having a title!
Spirella Magazines
The Spirella (house) Magazine was published from the inception of the company in 1910 until 1972 and forms a wonderful and illuminating history of the business of the corsetiere. In its pages new products were introduced, letters from satisfied customers praised their products, and the best saleswomen received not just their awards, but pictures of themselves along with the 'new car' that their commissions had purchased. In the early years, a strong moralistic undertone was evident. Discipline, dedication and duty were repeatedly mentioned and the consequences of slovenly behaviour were illustrated as examples unworthy of a Spirella consultant. Of course, the deeper undertone is the American hard-sell at work, after all, corsetry might be extolled as a feminine virtue, but the bottom line was profit, and it was the corsetiere in the field that made that profit. Weddings received much attention. Any corsetiere worth her salt, and with an entree into the family facing an impending wedding, could finance her Summer holidays on the commission. It was not unusual to hear stories of a corsetiere who had sold a dozen lowers (as corsets and girdles were quaintly called) and another dozen uppers (brassieres) to the potential guests and family anticipating a wedding. But let the letters to the Spirella magazine speak for themselves:-
Letters published in the Spirella Magazine

1) From Cottingham, near Hull, comes news of a Spirella client of 101 years of age. Her consultant is Mrs. B., who has just placed a further order on behalf of the client, a Spirella 305 in Sterling. Reports Mrs. B: She has been a Spirella wearer for more than 50 years and systematically, as her five daughters reached the age of 16, introduced them all to Spirella. She has also got many other women to buy Spirella. Jan 1970 This letter written in 1970 means that the old lady was born in 1869 and that she started with Spirella in, say, 1918, some eight years after the company was formed in Britain. 2) My Best Sale by Mrs. McD., Liverpool I completed my training in April 1958, and during the next month, I called at most of the houses in my little road, with the result that I got orders for one strapless bra, two bras, and three 305 corsets. The following week I called at a hospital where my friend is the Matron. Nurses and orderlies were very taken with my own 314 bra and 305 corset and I finished up with orders for nine 314 brassieres and six 305 corsets, and a promise of more orders the following month, which I received. Feb 1960 3) After the birth of her daughter, Jean ordered a 305 to correct and maintain her figure, and has since recommended Spirella to many other young mothers she has met at the baby clinic. During last Summer she had two 305s, a 384, a 321 and a 325. April 1960 Many corsets were sold during and after pregnancy. The 325 was a formidable front and back-laced corset. I'm sure a persuasive saleslady could easily have talked her client into the extra lacing, not to mention stronger bones and extra suspenders. Although Spirella did not manufacture support stockings, they were a fundamental selling element in corset suspenders and were widely worn by women in the 1960's. 4) Convincing the public that a laced foundation was necessary was of concern to Spirella in this article from April 1965. Not every client needs a 305. But often when a client really is in need of support of this excellent laced foundation a corsetiere is faced with resistance from the client. It is generally a resistance towards the wearing of a laced foundation, which is perhaps associated in her mind with heavy garments and grandmother styles. How then do you overcome this problem ? When you are certain that the 305 is the correct choice, how do you set about convincing your client ? This is the question we put to a corsetiere recently. The most important point is to be wearing a 305 myself. I tell them that it is the only garment that will keep their tummies flat, and to prove it I show them the 305 that I am wearing. Then I sit down in it so that they can see my tummy is still flat, and I bend down to demonstrate the 305s flexibility. If necessary I put on my girdle to show the difference." 5) Support without constriction, and for no-one is this principle more apt than a professional concert singer. She needs to look attractive on stage, but any constriction over the diaphragm would be likely to affect her performance and at best be most uncomfortable. Little wonder then when a client of Mrs. O. of Leeds attended a concert at which her daughter was appearing as an amateur, and a professional singer was also on the bill, the professional singer was immediately interested in Spirella. Mrs. O. arranged to have a 305 and 31 made for her, sending special instructions for the 305 to be made not too tight over the diaphragm. Reports Mrs O.: The difference was very marked and she rushed home delighted and determine to get her evening dresses altered to her new shape. I think she will be a very good advert for Spirella. April 1969 6) While fitting a client we were discussing the radio programme Desert Island Disks, writes corsetiere Mrs. A., of Croydon. Said the client: You know, if I were asked what luxury I would take to a desert island it would be a spare 305. May 1965 7) The life expectancy of a corset is quite personal. If worn daily for 16 hours between rising and retiring there is still a great variation in how often the garment is washed, is it rotated with other corsets, is it worn next to the skin and how much does the client perspire? All affect the longevity of the corset; however, the following letter from June 1958 is remarkable. Five years of constant wear in a hot climate is a stiff test for the best of foundations, but a Spirella 305 in Orchid material gave perfect satisfaction under such conditions. The garment belonged to the sister of corsetiere Mrs. L. P. of London. Mrs. P. reports: I supplied my sister with the garment in 1953, when she was in England on holiday from Rhodesia. Soon afterwards she returned home. I heard recently that the stitching on the garment has now gone after five year's wear in a hot climate which meant that the garment was often drenched in perspiration and had to be washed almost daily.
8) Taking a number of St. John nursing cadets to camp is very much a full time job, but Mrs. E. D., of Peterborough, nevertheless found it a profitable exercise. She writes: We travelled to camp on a very hot day, pitched our tents and did the necessary initial chores. It was so hot that I decided, along with most of the other officers, to have a shower and wash my smalls. Being good campers, we had already erected a clothesline, and on this I pegged my newly washed black 325 in Bouquet and white 413 bra. They created such interest that I finished up with five orders for Spirella. December 1959 Indeed, a 325 would draw attention. This formidable device with front and back lacing would be quite a novelty to the nursing cadets, even in 1959. 9) There are many letters extolling the virtues of wearing the correct foundation garment and a little bit of name dropping helps as well. Praise for Spirella comes from last year's Mayoress of Worthing, who is a client of Mrs. H. The office makes great demands on the energy of the Mayoress, who is required to undertake a lot of work which can be very tiring, but, according to our correspondent, the Mayoress found the wearing of Spirella foundations a great help. Corselette style 709 (for evening wear), girdle 205 and bra 31 (for everyday wear) and pantie style 51 (useful to wear with shorter skirts) were all very much in favour with the Mayoress. July 1970 10) A client of Mrs. C of Birmingham, was recently presented to the Queen Mother. "I was wearing a 515 corset and a 384 brassiere and felt as confident and as well corsetted as the Queen Mother herself," remarked the client. July 1960 11) Air hostess who makes heads turn for a second look in Oxford, is pretty, 20-year-old, Penny Bolton. One reason is that Pennys uniform is quite unusual thereabouts she being the only air hostess in the area for Pan American Airways. The other reason is her smart and second glance appearance. This Penny attributes to Spirella foundations, which keep her figure trim. April 1961
12) A client of Mrs. H. of Liverpool, ordered her third set of foundations in three years and when placing the order remarked: They will be ready in time for the football season wont they? As one of Liverpools keenest supporters, this client (who has trouble with her back) apparently never misses a match, home or away, and finds her 325 invaluable because of the many hours standing that her hobby entails. September 1963
Below are two excerpts from the Spirella magazines of 1960 that show what corsetieres had to put up with:-
13) The rewards gained from wearing a good corset were quite diverse. Remember we are back in the 1960's, holidays are now affordable after the end of rationing and the war years. The great British lower-middle class flocked to Butlin's holiday camps. With a tightly-laced 305 and a pointy brassiere ( right), and not a little breath-holding (!), you could even win British's Best Granny award; and doesn't she look good! August 1961.
14) My husband loves to recounts the hoary old story of the four brassiere cup sizes:- "Egg cup, coffee cup, tea cup and challenge cup." Spirella beat my husband to the story by decades (in January 1959) when a shop assistant described three brassiere sizes:- "The
Totalitarian - designed for suppression of the masses; the Salvation Army - to uplift the fallen; and the Political Agitator - to make mountains out of molehills." My husband agreed that Spirella's story was better!
15) One of our favourites that we recently re-discovered in the 1938 Spirella fitters' manual is the story of the American lady who jumped from the blazing wreck of the liner 'Morro Castle'. It prompted us to include a few related articles.
Spirella set great store by their corsets' life-saving properties, although I doubt if any withstood the test that my aunt tried. In a London Hotel (and thank Goodness it was the foyer), she entered the open doors of the lift, and fell into the machinery below, since the lift had stuck one floor above. She was recovered unharmed, although completely filthy and covered in grease. The hotel staff were most solicitous (as well they might be), and provided a room and a doctor in short order. "It's amazing" he said, "she could have been killed." Ever after my aunt claimed that her sturdy corsets were her salvation, although we suspected that the cushioning effect of numerous gin & tonics had something to do with it!
16) Spirella always encouraged their clients to purchase three garments. This expense could be justified (at least by a persuasive corsetiere) to extend the life of the garments. One in the wash, one on the body and one in the drawer was the catchphrase. Imagine our local corsetiere's dismay when trying to push this technique on an elderly lady who resolutely refused to have more than one corset. "Old Mrs. Smith across the road is the same size as me. I borrow one of hers when mine is in the wash!" came the thrifty explanation. The cartoon on the right goes on to show a similar economy and I know of numerous examples of girdle sharing amongst the impecunious. A friend of mine complained throughout her adolescence that all she ever got to wear were her sister's 'hand-me-downs' and this included her girdles that often, by the time they reached the unfortunate girl, were past their elastic prime. One of her first purchases from her first salary was a brand new girdle, all of her own!
Cartoons
These cartoons were published in the Spirella magazines of the 1960's and simply and elegantly reinforce the story of the sales technique.
Spirella played on the exaggerated shape that one might achieve. Not one of Spirella's own (right), but a modification of a card that even my husband remembers from 1969! "As one of your loyal supporters, I just want to say .." The image reappears in numerous cards of that period on both sides of the Atlantic.
The cartoon of the corsetiere in the church analysing a potential client's defects was taken from a true story in 1957, nevertheless, the editor made apologies to the church beside the cartoon.
The style changes over the years. The last three cartoons are older than the others coming from that period between the Wars. The magazines from this period paid far more attention to the morality of hard work and diligence than the frippery of the later years.
Weddings
"The wedding took place in St. John the Baptist Church in Lowestoft on Saturday of Miss Joan Flack, youngest daughter of Major and Mrs. Hugo Flack of The Gunnery, Canon Close, Lowestoft and Mr. Dennis Clam, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Clam of 3, Grey Street, Colchester. The bride, who was given away by her father, wore a long, empire line dress of white slipper satin and carried roses and lily-of-the-valley. Bridesmaids, Joanna Grommet and Davina Wedlock The mid 1960's, by comparison with today, an age of innocence wore pink satin dresses." This report from the provincial weeklies, unchanged in format for decades, was repeated up and down the country. A wedding did not cost a fortune. Mother sewed the dresses, granny made the favours and all the economies that we have forgotten today were pressed into service. There was even the chance that the bride was entilted to wear white! Consider the trouseau that was recommended by a style of book that has all but been forgotten (left). Advice was passed down from generation to generation. Well thumbed tomes would take you from cradle to grave in a world of advice, encouragement and cautionary tales. A woman's world was indeed mapped out for her, and many women appreciated the direction. The liberating force of late 1960's relieved women of the need to follow the map. Sadly, this force provided no guidance for those who lacked a direction of their own, and as a consequence, subsequent generations have wandered in a moral wilderness that only a strident minority ever wanted. We pay the price today.
A shopping list for the bride and her mother. A target for the Spirella corsetiere.
But enough moralising. It simply sets the scene of a time when a forthcoming wedding rang the bells of the cash register in the corsetiere's mind. It is 1965 and the world is changing fast, although nobody quite realises it, and certainly nobody imagines the changes of the next forty years in their wildest dreams. People were very conservative then and men often wore jackets and ties at the weekend.
Weddings were probably the special occasion where women could be persuaded to wear their best foundations. A persuasive corsetiere could have a field day once she got wind of an impending wedding. The Spirella magazines have many charming wedding photographs with detailed descriptions of who is wearing what under the satin dresses and the floral rayon print of the Mother. Typically in the 1960s the mother and older relatives might be wearing a 305 corset or one of the heavier-style girdles, however, there are no references to the bride doing so. Usually the bride would be wearing a 206 girdle, a waist-nipper, or something similar. On a few occasions, the bridesmaid, apparently aged about 25, was described as wearing a 305, however, I doubt if this was a regular habit. The wedding description below comes from November 1969. Note that even at the end of the swinging 60's, two middle-aged women are wearing corsets and amazingly, so is one woman barely into her 30's! An exciting day for the bride and a proud moment for our consultant Mrs. H. of Peterborough. The bride wore Spirelettes 83 and 132 (a desperate attempt by Spirella to attract a younger market with lighter foundations), the bridegroom's mother (on her left), a Coppelia 44 and Modern Line bra;
sister of the bride (extreme right of picture) wore a 305 and Fashion Line bra, and (on the bride's right) her mother in a 325 corset and style 72 bra, and Mrs. H. in Spirella foundations 305 and 30. Reports Mrs. H.: "A guest at the wedding became interested in Spirella and ordered a Coppelia girdle and bra. Another guest had a Coppelia girdle and asked me to get her some support stockings." It was Mrs. H. who, in the August issue, explained how she had secured orders while helping out at a funeral. Is nowhere safe?? At least Mrs. H was wearing the same foundations that she sold. Note that the sister on the right wears a laced foundation, one of Spirella's many euphemisms for corset. The year was 1969 and I could well believe that her Mother was a regular corset wearer. The fact that her Mother wears the complex (and expensive) 325 suggests that this is so; however, a 30-year-old woman? At the end of the 1960's such a garment for the sister I suspect might just be 'for special occasions only', such as this wedding. The reference above to stockings is repeated several times in correspondence from Spirella corsetieres. It was a clever ploy by the corsetiere to gain just a little more commission. What could be easier, having fitted the wedding guest with new brassiere and girdle for the occasion, to persuade her that some support for her legs was required. "There will be so much standing around. You really have to consider your poor legs". This ploy was so successful that Spirella branded their own support stockings ( left ). Spirella provided everything, even rayon directoire knickers for the mother-in-law! In the 1970's Spirella experimented with Matchmakers, a foray in the world of the twin set, however, there were far more experienced fashion retailers out there, and Spirella ignoring it's core strength of corsetry paid a price later.
Spirella's experience with parachute nylon during the war was used to good effect in knicker construction!
From 1959 comes a lovely photograph of a very attractive bride with a keen interest in her appearance as is revealed by her corsetiere's letter to the Spirella magazine. The charming 21-year-old bride is a regular Spirella wearer. Her corsetiere, Mrs. N. of Norwich, tells us she had supplied her with one 700, one 260, one 384, one 423, one 323 and one 206 : and all during 1959. To translate from Spirella's love affair with their
numbering system, the 700 is quite a formidable corselette (and would probably have been worn at the wedding), the 260 and 206 are high-waisted girdles, and the rest are brassieres, two of which are long-line style. By today's standards that is a remarkable trousseau. Weddings, present and future, were a source of vital intelligence for the diligent corsetiere with an eye for future sales. The bride, bride's mother, granny, bridesmaids and a host of relatives, in a time when life was far more parochial than present, represented an untapped vein of commission. How good a corsetiere are you? Let us see if you can spot the potential corset and girdle wearers in these wedding photographs. Look at the photographs below that appeared in the British Spirella Magazines of the mid-1960's. Guess who is wearing the corsets, girdles and pantie-girdles. It isn't very difficult, with a few exceptions. The real task of the corsetiere was to engage all these ladies prior to the wedding, and convince them that a new lower foundation was essential for the occasion. Having sold the idea of the new lower foundation, a matching brassiere would be proposed as an essential complement to the girdle or corset. There is plenty of standing around at these functions, so some support stockings for those aching legs will be required. There are thirteen ladies present, who ages range from 24 to 65. This means that some of the older ladies were born around the turn of the century, whilst the brides and bridesmaids would have been born at the end of the Second World War. Seven are wearing corsets, one is wearing a pantie-girdle and the rest are wearing open-bottom girdles. Click on the picture to find out if you guessed what the lady was wearing. How good a corsetiere are you?
With these ladies you do not have to guess. From left to right:- Coppelia bra and Spirelette 105 panty-girdle; fashion line bra and 234 girdle; type 31 bra and 305 corset, and type 31 bra and 325 corset. This picture could well have come from 1965, a year after the 105 was introduced but when many fashionable women would wear a girdle and the older women a corset. The panty-girdle struggled to make headway until the late 1960's in Britain. Surprisingly, this picture was not taken in 1965, but in 2011, some 46 years later. All the garments are original Spirellas and the clothes come from the same general period. Interestingly, the lady on the left found the panty-girdle quite uncomfortable. She has a longish back and I think it was simply too short above the waist for it kept snagging her long-line Coppelia bra. The lady second on the left loved the girdle. She has had a sensitive back for years and she enjoyed the support sufficiently to ask if she could buy it from us! The third lady liked the corset and commented that once ensconced for a little while, she felt that the laces should be tightened that little bit extra. "It's years since I got into a size 14." On the right, the corset put a dramatic waist on the lady but it really did not fit very well. Whoever ordered the corset originally would have been quite scant in the hips, whereas our model was more shapely or as my corsetiere once discretely put it "she favours a larger hip-spring!"
In practice, however, the majority of brides in the late 1950's and 1960's were looking towards the lighter foundation, and below ( 1958) and right ( 1965), all the girls are wearing Spirella's 'waist nipper'. In 1958 in Britain, a girdle would have been 'de rigueur', however, this was Spirella in a rather warm South Africa.
The text attached to these photographs from the Spirella magazine speak volumes about the aspirations of these young ladies.
Left above 1962:
"Spirella client, Miss F. of Stockport, completes three generations of Spirella wearers. On the day of the wedding, Miss F., her mother and grand-mother all wore Spirellas. All are clients Stockport corsetiere, Mrs. B." Indeed, a good corsetiere could guide generations through their girdles, maternity belts and corsets. "This charming wedding picture shows the daughter of corsetiere Mrs. H. of Colchester, Essex. Her daughter wore a Waist Nipper and short bra style 93 for this most important day of her life. She hopes to follow her mother's example and become a corsetiere when she is twenty-one, later this year. (Note the Sp of the Spirella sign outside the door - IL).
Right above 1964:
In this charming wedding photograph on the left ( Spirella 1958), the girl on the left is reported as wearing a pantie-girdle 610 and the 22 year old on the right wears the traditional 206 girdle. The girl on the right by today's standards needs no support whatsoever, yet in this photograph she epitomises the stylish figure of the late 1950's that has all but been forgotten. This was a period of considerable change. In the earlier part of the century, womanhood, from girls to grannies wore corsets. From the 1970's to the present day, it was feasible for daughters, mothers and grannies to wear the same model of panty-girdle (or shaper as it is euphemistically called these days). But in the two decades post-War, Granny might wear the corset, Mother the girdle, and daughter the panty-girdle, but conceivably, and the evidence is there above, that order could even be reversed as is described below. As the swinging 60's heralded in an era that we yet are struggling to understand, the modern Granny might wear the panty-girdle, and the young (overweight) bridesmaid from a traditional family, the corset. We received an interesting missive on just this point:- "My daughter was getting married and the complex dressing process was attended by myself, my mother and my other daughter who would be the chief bridesmaid. The bride was being laced into a reproduction Victorian corset to further accentuate her (already waif-like) waist. "You must be used to this granny" she volunteered. Granny retorted that she hadn't worn corsets for years and that we all wore girdles now-a-days. My other daughter laughed "So -----'s wearing a corset; I wear one when I ride, so it's mum and granny that are the moderns here!" How we all laughed." One of Spirella's earlier wedding descriptions from 1952:"Another triumph for Mrs. H. of Congleton (left of picture). She sets an example to her clients by wearing a 305 corset. (This seems to be part of the corsetiere's uniform! - Ivy). The six women to the left of Mrs. H. are all wearing Spirella, including three generations of one family. Granny (3rd from right) has worn corsets for six decades and Spirella for the last three, her latest purchase being a 315 corset especially for this occasion. Her daughter (right of picture) wears a 305 corset and the bridesmaid, her grand-daughter, a 205 girdle. The other women all bought corsets and stockings from Mrs. H, helping her to secure the Midlands area award." It's interesting to note the 315 corset on the oldest woman. This back-laced model was, in fact, rarely purchased, even in the 1950's. Granny, probably born around 1880, would have been used to a back-laced corset, whereas her daughter, born around 1910, would have entered a world where you laced your own! Another wedding group from 1963 in which Spirella candidly informs us that there are to be found five corsets (four 305's and a 325) and five girdles (unspecified). Home-made satin is the order of the day, and to my mind, this makes the picture all the more charming. Once again, the 305 is the mainstay of the older women whilst the girdles and panty-girdles predictably work their way down the age range of this charming group. This was the first year that Spirella vigorously marketed their new brand of Spirelette panty-girdles and maybe the bridesmaids have adopted this new style. For sure, their mothers would by the end of the decade. I once attended a wedding in Renfrew where I was introduced to the local corsetiere. She was a mine of information "That's old Mrs. W. She's been with me for years. Orders three 325's each Spring, regular as clockwork! The bride's wearing Coppelia just like her Mum, mind you, the
youngsters can get away with it. Frankly, Mrs. H should be in a corset but she thinks it's so old-fashioned." And so the interesting prattle would continue as each female figure was analysed, dissected and re-built in Spirella's best.
What Lies beneath

The title of this dissertation is a classic double entendre that was provoked by one of the typical Spirella wedding photographs above. As we have shown, Spirella made much advertising mileage from photographs of the females at a wedding, with a caption detailing the sorts of foundations that they were wearing. This intimate knowledge was volunteered by the corsetiere (with her clients permission of course) whose presence in the wedding photograph revealed her status as an adopted member of the family. Often, the bride would be the daughter of the corsetiere. So what really did lie beneath the satins and rayons, and what white lies were told in the interests of marketing. That both Spirella and Spencer took considerable latitude with their before and after photographs, suggests that the wedding descriptions may have been somewhat exaggerated as well. I do not know, but I discussed the matter with a group of elderly friends and, apart from some disagreements, we came to the following conclusions. To be fair, our conclusions do pertain to a standard wedding of the period, rather than the idealistic Spirella wedding where, not only every women from Granny to pre-teenage bridesmaid would be regaled in Spirella's finest foundations, but Spirellas branded stockings as well!
Thompson's Glove Fitting Corset used the technique 100 years ago! Even the Swedes were at it in 1964
This amazing advertisement comes from American Spirella
Even in the 21st century, Ardyss uses the same technique
For over one hundred years, manufacturers have shown us literally what lies beneath! The lies about what lies beneath Granny always seemed to wear the complex, heavy and formidable 325 corset. These still turn up at auction and we have half a dozen in our collection, however, this is probably because they werent that popular and thus were preserved. Mother as least was credited with a standard 305 corset, or, if particularly young and trendy, a 206 or 234 girdle, perhaps even a Coppelia girdle in the late 1960s. These semi-made-to-measure and what really lies beneath
Granny probably did wear a corset in the late 1950s and early 60s when most of these photographs appeared. The Spirella 305 was very common, but not the front- and back-laced 325. Mother would certainly wear a girdle, and, in the hands of a
girdles suffered by comparison with the high street brands, particularly in terms of cost. The Bride never wore a corset*, always a girdle, or at the very least, a special brassiere and waist-nipper. I know of one bride (not mentioned by Spirella) who had a back-laced 315 corset made for the occasion. Her dress was Victorian in style, and she claimed the back-lacing was a nice period touch. *Except in this charming piece of whimsy recently discovered. Did the Bridesmaid, in her 20s, really wear a 305 corset. Admittedly in some of the pictures, the circularity of the torso suggests that this might be so, but this, even in the 1950s would have been rare. The Guest, of course could wear anything that suited her age, and Spirella provided just that. Certainly, their garments were very expensive, but they lasted and fit perfectly (in theory). In the transition period of the late 1960s, a teenager might be wearing a high-waisted, well-boned girdle, whereas her friends mother might be in a panty-girdle. The Corsetiere could be relied on to wear the firms garments. You never knew when a prospective customer might want a quick preview of the latest 305 corset in tea-rose orchid rayon.
persuasive corsetiere, Spirella might be the brand, however, times were changing, and the girdles on offer from Marks and Spencer were, Im afraid to say, the equal of Spirellas offerings; and, much cheaper too! The fact of the Bride comes closest to the fiction, since, on this special day, special foundations would be worn. Spirella did make excellent strapless brassieres and waist-nippers, and for once, could steal a march on the high street. The Bridesmaid almost certainly would wear a girdle, or a pantygirdle as soon as they became more common. In reality, a women (outside of the acting world) rarely laces herself to fit into a dress; she simply buys a larger size. The Guest of the 1950s might well be wearing Spirella, Spencer, Strodex, Alstons or any one of the made-to-measure foundations, but as the concept of long-lasting quality was replaced by the impulse buy of the booming 60s, the off-the-shelf market blossomed. The Corsetiere might be wearing her trade garments, and I know many that did, however, I know an equal number that never wore Spirellas corsets at all, and despite having sold thousands, never ventured beyond Marks and Spencer panty-girdles!
Obviously, these photographs were Spirella weddings, and the women that made it into the pictures would be clients of the corsetiere, and wearing Spirellas best. However, particularly as the 1960s grew to a close, the world had changed. A woman that had grown up with corsets cannot abandon them overnight and Granny would take her corsets to the grave, but the girdled mother would soon become panty-girdled. For a brief period, a well-preserved granny might wear a panty-girdle and the young bridesmaid, a corset, but this was rare. Spirella, although they did not know it, were facing extinction, since the fitting of an elastic garment will never be as critical as that of a non-elastic one. The premium that Spirella charged would ultimately doom them in a world where, if a woman could be bothered to wear foundation at all, it would be, at best, a panty-girdle. I must add, in Spirellas defence, that their Coppelia 51 and Spirelette 105, were extremely powerful and strong garments that could not be purchased on the high street. Alas, not many women appreciated this or even cared.
As we have said, when these photographs were taken, it is right to assume that that some of the older ladies (over 60) would be wearing a corset. Only one woman is wearing a pantie-girdle, however, this garment was not that common in the mid 1960's in Britain. Therefore, all the others are wearing traditional girdles. The two exceptions are the bridesmaids who are wearing corsets despite being in their 20's. One is a little 'chubby' and appears obviously under the influence of some constraining foundation garment. The other looks quite slim, and to be fair, the 515 was described as a girdle and could be ordered without lacing. To any woman of her age
The counters of the department stores groaned under the weight of corsets and girdles, and in Marks and Spencer, girdles of an amazingly high quality could be purchased by the average woman. In 1967, this charming lady of my acquaintance ( left ) displays what the perfect middle class lady in her early 60's would wear to a wedding. Silk twin-set and pearls, hat, gloves, long-line bra from the Triumph Doreen range, zippered high-waisted girdle from Marks and Spencer in Sutton, and support stockings from Figure Foundations in Banstead High street. The flatness of her stomach is a tribute to the power of the Marks and Spencer classic girdle. Some of her
today, however, that garment would be called a corset, assuming that the woman of today knew was a corset might be. In the early 1960's, the girdle was still (literally) the mainstay of the middle-aged woman, and the houses of the corsetieres proudly displayed their professional signs. Unlike any other industry, Spirella and Spencer, anticipating Yellow Pages by more than a decade, bought full pages in the county phone directories to advertise the numbers of their corsetieres.
less generous friends suggested that she wore a corset for such occasions, however, she didn't*. Having no children, an early adulthood on horseback, and proper foundations gave this women an excellent figure. That her figure is elegant, and well-controlled by mass-produced high street items, should have sounded a warning bell to the marketers of the bespoke corset houses. Within three years, this lady's girdles had been consigned to the dustbin as British women followed their American cousins into the panty-girdle. Her figure was never quite the same again.
(*We wrote the above account in 2003, however, in 2006, nearly 40 years after the wedding, we were contradicted by somebody who knew the lady in question.) Indeed, the times were changing, and within a few years those same girdles and corsets would be be permanently 'on sale', the panty-girdle and then the brassiere would overtake the girdle for prime position in the stores, and the generic corset would become a sad object of fun, lying unwanted at jumble sales, and latterly charity shops. Our descriptions of who wore what elicited such a flurry of correspondence from people, both men and women, who remembered what their mothers, sisters or grannies used to wear. After our own account (above), we received the tale of a Mother-in-Law and her expensive Barcley girdles.
Spirella's Attempt
Spirella attempted some charming photographs in the 1950's of what a lady might be expected to wear under her stylish dress of the period. This is similar to several US girdle advertisements from this era that I've shown below.
From the Spirella (UK) house magazines of the mid-1950's, come a good idea of the correct underwear to match the outfit. But just a moment; the two British women are almost certainly wearing their proper foundations beneath their dresses, but the American Spirella lady below gives the strongest impression that she removed her bra and corset before putting on the figure-hugging dress.
From Vogue 1955

Weddings and girdles prominently featured in one of the 1955 editions of British Vogue magazine. In this instance, the model guests at the wedding are not revealed in their underwear, however, the suggestion is that the late 40's mother and early 20's daughter will both be wearing the latest 'hi-waisted' or 'nip-waisted' girdles. Of course, fashion can conceal much, and the bigger-hipped bride can always resort to the crinoline to disguise what no girdle will ever achieve.
From the USA
Permalift, Maidenform and Sears (1958) used 'what lies beneath' to good effect.
If nothing else, these pictures reveal how American womanhood beat her European cousins into the panty-girdle by more than half a decade. The photograph on the right sent in by a reader was taken at a wedding in 2005. The technique still works well!
From Dior
These stills from a well-known newsreel clip show the lengths to which women will go to achieve a desired shape (usually created by a man it has to be said). The model is laced far tighter than had been seen since the Victorian era to satisfy the wasp-waist fantasies of M. Dior. Shoulder pads are then secured to the bra straps and little pads pinned to the hip area. Apart from these artifices, the woman wears a bra to enhance and lift her bosom, stockings to smooth her legs, make-up to render her face flawless and she may even wear a wig or hair-piece. For an older woman, the first step might even be to insert one's dentures (20% of British women were toothless after the War). When one then considers the bloomers or panties and slips that form such a large part of 1940's life (see the Trousseau at the top of this section), getting dressed was not that simple. Indeed, what the young swain saw, was not necessarily what he might get! Let me leave you with some eloquent prose from the pen of Ian McRoberts. "The stout matron grimaces rather than smiles. If you had seen the effort that it took her to lace tight that unaccustomed corset, you would not be surprised at her expression. Her eyes bulge, her bosom is hoisted inches higher than even Howard Hughes intended by the hip-quenching force of her formidably over-tightened stays. Her corsets have removed her feminine hips and she tapers like a female tent-peg into the arrow-head agony of her stilettos. Nevertheless, the agony is not
without effect for she looks very attractive and is well aware of this." Again, later on another matron elicits comment. "Her spectacularly elevated bosom eclipsed the food on the table when she sat down to eat, a feat accomplished not without effort; both sitting and eating that is. Like her friend, her corsets were tightened to life-threatening levels. The groom secretly wondered (as all grooms do) if this was what the future held for his new bride."
The Demise of the Corset
Spirella was sold to Spencer at the end of 1989. Some older women were literally in tears as the mainstay of their existence was wound up. Fortunately, Spencer would continue to make the same corsets until the present day, however, the styles and choices of material are greatly reduced. Even Spencers are now made under the banner of Thamert, and before that, briefly by Remploy, another old established purveyor of surgical supports. The newspapers of the day thought it was vaguely amusing...
cont.,
Spirella and Sport
I do believe that the daughters of today would find it hard to understand that women actually wore foundation garments to play sports, but they did. By the standards of the times, women often possessed a more flexible garment for sporting activities, but in the 1940's ( when the picture on the right was taken ), it was regarded that a women who indulged in athletics without proper 'support', would suffer in later life from a whole list of unpleasant ailments. Spirella went to great lengths, as these publicity shots reveal, to convince the modern, sporting girl, that their garments were flexible. This had been a fundamental part of Spirella's philosophy, ever since 'Pa' Beaman invented the flexible stay. Britain's famous Olympic athlete of the 1960's, Mary Rand, featured several times in Spirella's publicity, mainly in an attempt to dissociate Spirella from the infamous perception that the younger generation tended to foster:To the uninitiated, the word Spirella all too often conjures up a vision of unyielding strong satin, rows of hooks and eyes, yards of lacing, and bones, bones, and more bones
Spirella Magazine January 1958
Right from the beginning of Spirella, the flexibility of their patented spiral stay was used whenever possible in advertising. The Edwardian tennis player ( left ) has been well corseted by the artist, yet is still able to deliver a cracking serve. The photographs of the sporting girls
Spirella 1938
(below), show that the high-waisted girdle was as flexible on the tennis court or golf links, as on the dance floor. The lady on the right appears to be grasping the handle of a wooden tennis racquet, however, it might just be a croquet mallet. "How dare you photograph me in my girdle. Take that, you bounder!" My husband adds that some of the women currently playing at his local golf club might benefit from a decent foundation. He also remembers that his mother used to play tennis (well and vigorously I might add), whilst wearing a firm girdle, although it was from Marks and Spencer, not Spirella. Mind you, it wasn't just Spirella that grabbed the golf club. Spencer had a go as well ( bottom).
Even canoeing gets a look in!
There is one sporting arena where the corset and girdle might be expected to make its appearance, and that is, of course, bowls. The lawns of Britain come alive in summer with the elderly practitioners of this sport. The bending of the torso as the ball is released tightens the blouse and skirt of the player embossing the details of her foundations in embarrassingly candid relief to the spectators. Even swimming in one's foundations was endorsed by Playtex wearer June Earing (US champion swimmer). I presume the latex was easy to dry. In fact, if you consider some swimsuits of
the 1960's, especially those made by Spirella, the structure is basically a coloured corselette complete with bones and a back zip! Just to complete this section on sports, horse-riding is one activity where protection and support of the spine does NOT require flexibity. From girls to Not that different as Spencer ( right) shows! Golf seems to be the sport of choice for these ladies. grandmothers, tightly buckled lumbosacral supports have provided many Possibly the marketing department realised that a golf swing requires a certain degree of freedom that women with that classical erect posture of the equestrienne. potential customers might associate with their garments. As famed Olympian and golfer, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, once commented "It's not just enough to swing at the ball," she replied. "You've got to loosen your girdle and really let the ball have it!"
Other Brands
It wasn't just Spirella and Spencer that extolled the sporting virtues of their foundations. In an age where the unsupported female form was believed to be in imminent danger of collapse, partaking in any sport required special attention to one's underwear, or more frequently, a solicitous mother's concern for her daughter's well-being.
On the golfing picture (above right), the advertiser uses the subtle addition of the ladies two son's looking on in admiration. Whether they are admiring her 200 yard drive or her undoubtedly elegant style is a matter for conjecture. It seemed that archery was popular although I never realised that it was performed on the move; not since Ancient Grecian times anyway. Golf, of course features strongly. This is very cunning marketing. Golf was still something of a novelty for many women and more than anything it expressed freedom and equality; and you could still wear your girdle! How many women of the period declined sporting activity fearing that to do so would mean abandoning one's foundations, and hadn't Mummy warned of the evil consequences of such depravity.
Athletes feature (we have already mentioned Britain's Olympic athlete Mary Rand above) and there is a French cycliste, two daring surfers, and bizarrely, a trumpet playing lady. No doubt the flexibility of her stays allowed her to arch back and nail that top C. As an aside, a colleague of mine played a trumpet in the Salvation Army and found that without a seriously firm girdle, she got backache from standing up too long! Exactly what the French lass on the left is doing, I am not certain. It appears that in the act of hurling a bowling ball down the alley, she has tripped, but those French lasses got up to all sorts of high jinks in their scandalous girdles.
Finally, although not from a corsetry company, on the right, Hollywood proves that is really is possible to do the splits whilst wearing, if not a corset, at least a waist cincher!
The Stereo Viewer

Stereo images have always had a small, but dedicated, cult following. Viewers and images appear frequently at auction and cover an enormous spectrum of subjects from fairly crude 'what the butler saw' images to technical drawings. Amongst this diverse assemblage, we have found two sets of Spirella slides. In the 1930's, and possibly even later, stereo viewers could be purchased by the corsetieres (Spirella rarely gave away anything for free), for the purposes of showing clients their merchandise. Some of the images are really quite extraordinary, and one is left wondering if the stereo concept was purely for advertising. Certainly, some of the models, look rather embarrassed and the poses are, in some cases, awfully contrived. Nevertheless, they represent a curious piece of history.
To save space, we have only included the left-hand example of the stereo pair of slides.
Spirella, Health and the Older Woman

At four o'clock that afternoon, the lazy ship's routine was cut by the whistle blowing 'abandon ship drill' and the passengers came sheepishly up the ladders in their life jackets ... The exception was old Mrs. Lomax who misheard her stewardess's assurances and came screaming on deck, bald, toothless and in her corsets. This passage comes from Richard Gordon's classic book The Captain's Table (1954). The author was a doctor and knew well the sort of woman that typically wore corsets. For sure, in the halcyon days of the 1950's, probably the zenith of the girdle, there were elegant women wearing elegant corsets, however, as Ambrose Wilson's chief corsetiere commented "let's not romance about corsetry". Men, in general, confuse underwear and romance, women never do, other than to use the power of these garments, not just to influence their figures, but their husbands as well. A doctor romances probably the least, since years of seeing all varieties of women in their 'smalls' must surely have eradicated all traces of romance. The title picture was taken only three years after Richard Gordon's book was published and the sight would be familiar to many corsetieres, doctors, and long-suffering husbands. I am not for a second suggesting that this lady is actually bald and toothless, however, a fact of life in the 1950's was that the majority of adults needed dentures from their 30's. Varicose veins also were extremely common and untreated surgically, thus an immovable anchor was required to hold the powerful elastic stockings of the day. That anchor would need to be a corset or a firm girdle at the very least. For many women, the corset might have held in the burgeoning abdomen, but its primary function was to support the stockings. Nevertheless, the effect of the foundations on the women in question is rather pronounced, and her matronly bosom has been raised by at least six inches!
Dramatic postural improvement is seen in many of Spirella's photographs. The elderly lady on the right exhibits the usual Spirella improvements, not least of which is a remarkable elevation of her bosom, however, I doubt that without the application of a serious dorso-lumbar support, would such a military 'shoulders-back' posture be achieved! The abdominal supports below show something rather closer to the truth. The older lady (1930) appears unconcerned by the photographer. However, she would not have worn a black vest and knickers under her corsets. This was simply worm for the modelling session to ensure that the details of the garments could be properly seen. The desperately saggy younger lady (1937) demonstrates in the Spirella modelling
garment, the huge improvement that proper foundations could achieve. Would that some of the 'couch potatoes' of the present day understand the need for adequate corsetry. Forget the modern fad for natural attention to one's figure and adequate exercise. This lady needs all the support she can get.
Far from criticising the corsetiere as was the case in the Victorian days of tight-lacing, doctors were often quoted as praising their efforts. In a passage from the Spirella magazine of November 1931 comes the following testimonial:SPIRELLA and HEALTH -- Miss A. from Northwich, writes:"The doctor saw my Sacro-iliac Belt on me yesterday, and he is very pleased with it. He pulled it in tighter than I had done, and I felt all the better for it. He also said that the belt will do more for me than he can do, and was surprised at the price." The statement above is rather revealing of outmoded (although
by no means incorrect) practices. Firstly, the doctor approves of the corset and even pulls it tighter! Secondly, he commented on the low price. The cost of corsets, and even girdles, that are supplied by quite some reputable manufacturers have gone through the roof in recent years. This is nothing to do with lack of demand, but simply that these garments are now classed as medical supports, and thus qualify under medical insurance. Consequently, since we all now pay (that is the purpose of insurance), rather than the individual, the garments can be sold for two or three times what they used to cost. It grieves me that a simple Spencer girdle costs 150, and that the best back supports from Germany over 300. With pricing like this, the elegant form of the charming older women who flanks this story will become a creature of the past.
"It's no fun growing old"

My mother use to lament this fact. No youngster would even understand what she was talking about, but as we approach and pass Middle Age, these words start to possess an awfully familiar ring. The following letters illustrate the trials and tribulations of growing old. The older woman is prey to many ailments, not the least embarrassing of which is sporadic size changes due to water retention. Alstons, famous manufacturer of rubber corsetry, which was surprisingly popular in Europe in the 1960s (and in Latin America today), marketed a corset with two front panels: a thin one, and a wider one to accommodate weight fluctuations or simply the desires of comfort. One of my Mother-in-laws bridge friends was prone to these fluctuations. My husband recounts meeting this lady on numerous occasions as a child. Large by any standards, her clothes were always a close fit. On one visit, obviously during a water retention episode, he recalls that her blue silk (rayon ?) suit was so tight that it appeared to have been sprayed onto her body. Every hook and eye of her brassiere and the bones of her corsets were embossed on the shiny material. A brooch had been fastened across the top of the jacket to stop it parting, and discreetly hidden safety pins backed up the straining buttons. In such a condition she wheezed constantly and her arms jutted stiffly from her body almost rigid in the confines of the taut silk. Even the heavy perfume that she wore failed to disguise a vague almost pungent odour which my husband remembers to this day. Indeed, growing old gracefully, is not easy. Osteoporosis is another scourge of the elderly. My corsetiere tells me of several clients, whose first act of the day is to don their corsets, and their last act before retiring to take them off again. An old family friend was
such a person. This lady was outstanding in her appearance. Although in her 70s, she possessed a slim and elegant figure. Her clothes were her extravagance, old-fashioned, yet tasteful and expensive confections of patterned chiffons and silks. Her hair was like a spun silver web and her stocking seams ruler straight down to her court shoes. Only the complete rigidity of her torso indicated that she was corseted from shoulders to thigh. She made no secret of the fact, and would jokingly say to younger women how Spencer had looked after her figure tapping her unyielding stomach. Her corsets, as one might suppose, were, within the constraints of their functionality, as beautifully, yet conservatively cut as her clothes. The Corset laces pose a problem for the older lady. Knots corsetieres dream-come-true is the lace overlaid corset, which is extremely and tangles can be frustratingly hard to sort out. expensive, being in effect, two corsets. This lady had two corsets in white overlaid pink satin, and two more in black overlaid purple. The sturdy buckles, straps and bones, almost enhanced the appearance of her stays rather than detracting from it. Presumably these creations were thrown away after she died, as has been the fate of so many collectors items. So many elderly women put a ludicrous value on effectively worthless heirlooms, photographs and nick-nacks picked up from so-called antique shops. If only they knew that they might be wearing their most valuable assets!
Getting Dressed
( Before we begin this section, please let me inform you that the garments below are not my regular wear, simply items that an elderly lady might have worn in the 1950's - 1960's ). After 30 very happy years with my husband, there is one thing that really irritates me (and most other women). Picture the scene; we are going to a formal dinner. We need to leave the house by 7.30. I start preparing the myriad of feminine details that a lady requires, not just hours before the event, but days before in discussion with friends and appointments at the hairdresser. My husband will turn up, 20 minutes before we need to leave. Leap in and out of the shower in a time that it would take me to decide on which shampoo to use, and put on underpants, socks and dinner suit within five minutes. "OK Darling; let's go". Of course, he will then pick up the keys of his tiny sports car, rather than some transport that will accommodate a mature women, complete with expensive dress, expensive, and not necessarily flexible underwear, and a tall hair-do; at HIS request I might add!! "I'm sorry, my Dear. How thoughtless of me" he says as he reluctantly relinquishes the keys of the tiny car for our other car that will at least allow a lady to enter and exit gracefully. To get from neither quick nor easy! THIS to THIS is
The underwear shown in the picture, which incidentally weighs in at an amazing 1200 gr., (over 2 1/2 pounds) and that's without a slip (petticoat), has a total of 18 hooks-and-eyes, three sets of lacing, a zip, eight buckles and (thankfully) only four suspenders. In reality, six suspenders would have been required and, indeed, were even recommended in the instructions on how to don the support stockings. These 'Elbeo' masterpieces are described as regular, however, they are stronger than most modern shapers. An Older Woman's Underwear has been the butt of numerous jokes and 'seaside' postcards. But many of the jokes and scenes are based on fact as the anecdotes below reveal. I forget who once wrote bereavement, complicated by disposal of the mysterious underpinnings of the elderly woman; but the idea is quite correct. Going through Granny's 'smalls' elicits emotions ranging from incomprehension through revulsion to hilarity. "I can't believe that she used to wear these things" is the cry of the ignorant younger generation. Sadly, some beautiful confections of lace and satin are consigned to the dustbin and our tenuous grasp of history is diminished. In Ian MacRobert's memoirs, he recounts his aging wife "strapping and lacing herself into the rigid satin tube that was her underwear". No flight of fancy this, if you consider the devices not uncommonly worn in the 1950's. "Mrs. Dredge pushed open the door ...... gasping with all the vigour of a leviathan that had surged up from several hundred fathoms. She was large-boned, like one of the better varieties of Shire horse, and on this stalwart framework there hung great, soft, voluptuous rolls of avoirdupois. A buttress-work of stays, linen and rubber was required to keep this bulk under control, so Mrs. Dredges body creaked and groaned alarmingly with each breath she took." Gerald Durrell's Rosie is my Relative In Major Hubberd's unpublished notes that would have lead to 'Memoirs of an Indian Army Officer' he recalls his mother's preparations for a formal function. ""Tighter, tighter; now measure me. More, more; measure me again. I need 24 inches" she would encourage her Indian maid. The maid, who I might add was no
weakling, confided to me more than once that English women must surely be insane to subject their bodies to such cruelty." "Lady Mary adjusted the straps of her surgical corset with a vigour that reminded Sir Godber of a race meeting!" Tom Sharpe's Porterhouse Blue It is unlikely that this view of an elderly lady (above right - Spirella 1959) would be seen by anyone other than her doctor or corsetiere. Husbands usually are privy only to the 'final product' and not the engineering involved. In our quests for recollections of one's granny, mother or female relative's under-pinnings, it is often men that give the best responses. Usually, the advice is preceded by a defensive male bluster along the lines of "Strange hobby you fellows have," or "Not really interested in that sort of thing, you know!" The description that then follows is precise in detail as though the gentleman had made a life's study of his wife's underwear. One that comes to mind was from a retired bank manager who was able to describe the corsets that his mother wore so precisely that we could not just identify the brand, Camp, but the model number! Oddly, his recollections of his own wife were far more vague "Some sort of elastic undies I suppose" he huffed. Gerald Durrell wrote about his childhood in Greece. During a house fire one night, his mother ran out of the house in her nightie with a pair of corsets incongruously fastened on top. Like many women used to corsets, even a short time without them would have been uncomfortable. The British Ambassador to Austria before the war recounts sitting for a formal dinner beside an aged Countess. That she was apparently deaf did not help the small talk, but, in a world of heroically corseted diplomatic women, this women was utterly rigid and her high-necked silk dress acted like a collar to prevent any sideways movement at all. Minute pieces of vegetable, delicately speared on her fork and carefully transported towards her thin disapproving mouth, seemed to be the only food that could pass through the vermillion slot in her enamelled face. It was a long evening. I married late and consequently my husband never saw me in my underwear I mean who would want to see a toothless old woman forcing reluctant cellulite into a girdle? I always dressed in the bathroom and by the time my husband stirred, all my real bits and false bits were at least where they should be and decently covered as well! During the resurgence of rubber corsetry after the war, it was not so uncommon for a women to wear a rubber brassiere and corset. Even the stockings could have a high rubber content. As one long-suffering husband was heard to say "The old dear used to pong a bit in the hotter weather!"
Indeed, an older woman's foundations are not simply corset, brassiere and stockings, they are a combination of all three, with the associated tensions and forces connected, and hopefully complementary. Once out of balance, the older woman will end up fighting her foundations. She may even discard them which, of course, is complete folly after a lifetime's habit. It leads us to a question that my husband and I have often discussed, and even ventured to express in these pages: Did stiff, old ladies walk like that because they wore stiff, old corsets? Certainly, the joints stiffen with age, but a woman's locomotion is very dependent upon her underpinnings. Ask any young secretary from the late 1950's clad in tight skirt, heels and panty-girdle of tourniquet strength! The excerpts above recount experiences completely alien to the youth of today. Ideally, brassiere, corset and stockings are well-fitted and act in concert to support the wearer, the tensional forces being distributed over the wear's torso and legs with the concentration of forces occurring exactly where it is needed. Occasionally, particularly in the elderly, weight fluctuations can alter the distribution of these tensions since the cost of new garments is prohibitive. A corsetiere once noted that a client's stockings were stretching the straps of her brassiere, so loose had her corset become. Properly fitted, foundations are the perfect support. My husband commented that they formed an exo-skeleton, not a word I had ever associated with corsetry, but actually not inappropriate. How often at weddings, and even more so at funerals, do the elderly appear in ill-fitting clothes, fashionable possibly two
decades before. I particularly remember one old biddy, an acquaintance of my mother, whose wrinkled face and flaccid neck questing curiously from the collar of her jacket, looked uncommonly like a turtle. Her head was quite animated, yet any movement in her torso was hidden by her suit and skirt that must have been two sizes too large for her. In my regular contacts with the elderly, I have noticed how badly out of shape so many old women have become. Typically, they are hunched, their (remaining) bosom hidden in the stooped concavity of their chests, with their stomachs protruding like footballs. What happened to the ram-rod straight harridan of yesterday? Was she simply a figment of our imagination? No: These women come from a generation that were not used to corsets; they were born too late, but they never benefited from the fitness craze of the last three decades. They are in betweens. I refer to these shapeless women as the 'lost generation' or 'human question marks' on account of their posture. Far from forcing their daughters into uncompromising foundation garments, the opposite was true. Born between about 1920 and 1940, the daughters persuaded their Mothers to burn their bras without offering an acceptable alternative. The results of this postural disaster crowd the Old Peoples Homes of today. Our Grandmothers knew the benefits of a corset, our daughters appreciate the benefits of exercise, but a woman cannot retain her shape without either. The spinal brace (Camp's dorso-lumbar support - right) ensured an almost military posture on the incumbent. Shoulders back, tummy in was the only was to stand when well strapped into this device. I remember seeing one old dear who had been over-tightened into one such corset. She strutted into dinner at an Eastbourne hotel, each step a jerky battle of muscle and elastic. She sat rigid and erect with her less formidably corsetted friends. When the soup came, she could not raise her hands as far as her mouth and in embarrassment left the table. Some while later she returned, less erect with mobility restored. Sadly, her teeth were no match for the meat that some thoughtless friend had ordered. One assumes she went to bed hungry!
Military posture guaranteed, but don't overtighten this device; it can actually pull the shoulder blades into contact with each other. Pull your shoulders back and try to raise your hands to your mouth!
I would like to end this section with another photograph of the charming lady who features at the beginning. She taught us all a lesson and perhaps there is still plenty of fun to had when one grows old!
Indeed, there is a knack to .....
"Growing Old Gracefully"

"I was expecting someone about sixty with tinted hair, an enamelled face, tight corsets, like a sort of toughened up Queen Victoria" quoted the girl in John Wyndam's book, 'The Trouble with Lichen' (1960). Growing old gracefully, comes easily to some, but not to others. Vanity pays a heavy price in later years, and the aging actress may be one of the hardest hit in this respect. Before cosmetic surgery to enhance ones beauty became commonplace, various alternative approaches were used to achieve the same end. Indeed, in the world of the theatre, the heroically corseted diva (to quote Alistair McLean) was
the rule rather than the exception. Mae West (left) and Margaret Dumont (right), amongst many others, both relied heavily on their corsets for most of their careers. I have chosen these two ladies to illustrate a point here, since their approach to corsetry was so dramatically different. To Mae, born in 1893, and Margaret in 1889, corsets were an everyday item. However, Mae, who tended to plumpness, used them to control her waist and present a figure that never changed. As age caught up with Mae West so reality retreated and her corsets, wigs and teeth, once the cream on the cake became the essence of the
cake (see below.) In the picture here, her corsets are struggling to contain her Teutonic waistline and the other appurtenances of beauty are as false as they appear. Margaret Dumont, on the other hand, wore the corsets appropriate to her age and peer group. She was genuinely 'classy', and suffered the outrageous antics of the Marx Brothers with every emotion from stoicism to hysterics. She was ungraciously called 'Old Ironsides' by way of reference to her corsets. The attitude of the Marx Brothers towards Margaret illustrates a not-untypical irreverence for the elderly, combined with a genuine respect. Harpo, in particular, used to hide her wig, and on more than one occasion, the furious actress would chase Harpo, towel around her head, as fast as her corsets would allow. Once Margaret was reduced to tears, the Brothers would re-group and apologise profusely. The stunts would resume soon afterwards. It's a fascinating glimpse into the world of youthful exuberance, elderly restraint and the Mother-figure.
The corseted actress reappeared in the 1970's, courtesy of the amply proportioned Janet Webb, who graced the Morecambe and Wise Show for several years. Her appearance is a testament to the old stage saying, "It's never over 'till the fat lady sings". Calling such a beautiful woman as the late Ms. Webb fat is, of course, very insulting, but required under the conditions of poetic license. She was, however, tightly corseted for the scenes. So we have three instances here. 1) Corsetry used to persuade an audience, and latterly the actress herself, that nothing had changed over the years. 2) Corsetry used simply as a matter of fact by a character actress, and 3) the concept of theatrical corsetry camped up in that quintessentially English style of humour.
The elderly, and particularly, the elderly in the public eye, have resorted to all manner of deceptions to convince their admirers that nothing has changed. The list of artificial appliances is almost endless, and in some cases highly inventive. Books have even been written on the topic that covers nose moulds, latex stockings and some ingenious solutions to that problem. After all, an elderly and tightly corseted woman cannot sit at a formal dinner for five hours without the call of nature becoming completely unbearable. Marlene Dietrich succumbed to old age less than gracefully. In her youth, she as this to say about girdles, "What an unattractive object. Women have immense faith in the miracles a girdle can produce. I believe they are labouring under a false illusion. I don't feel equipped to argue to vehemently about the pros and cons of girdles, except to say that the natural line of a woman's body has its points." A decade later, Marcel Rochas, a designer best known for his invention of the guepiere, or long-line girdle, was called in to fit Miss Dietrich and preserve her hourglass image. Well past her prime but still on stage comes the following report, "By the 1970's, the stage had been strategically darkened to camouflage her age, and she resorted to a number of painful tricks to maintain her glamorous image. These included braiding her hair tightly before donning a wig, and wearing a tight, all-over girdle under her elaborate costumes and gowns. The ironclad garment restricted her movement, however, and she once fell into the orchestra pit and broke her hip at a Washington performance." This girdle was described in her biography as an extraordinary foundation that covered most of her torso and legs. It was used when she wore very tight trousers during stage appearances. Older women lose the flesh from their legs and the muscle tone from all over their bodies. The girdle was exceptionally tight where muscle tone had flagged, and padded where extra shape was required. I remember seeing her on television in a tight blue satin trouser outfit. She still danced well, however, the outfit had the strange appearance of being inflated, so smooth was the surface without any lines showing whatsoever. The poor women had to be laced and constricted into the girdle and then covered in a padded costume to conceal the engineering beneath. Similar comments were made on another Hollywood actress well past her prime:"Special undergarments and corsets were employed to hold her body in shape. She had lost the firmness of youth and looked matronly before her time." The old Norwegian cartoon on the left is sadly perhaps not as far removed from the truth as was supposed! Yet elderly woman are as much a prey to vanity as film stars. The corsetry firms knew this, and in the 50's and 60's advertised extensively and blatantly at the older woman. Forget the frills (right), this was a back-laced girdle available in London. "Oh no, Dear, I don't need to wear a corset you know!" Of course not with a foundation like that. I remember my mother-in-law watching a TV appearance of Hermione Gingold in her later years. "She must be well strapped in to look like that" quoted the normally very polite lady. Indeed, some elderly actresses were 'strapped in', 'laced up', 'buckled tight', painted, pomaded, padded and perfumed. Sadly, some very beautiful women have refused to grow old gracefully, and the end result is sad at best and a caricature at worst. It was said that the gorgon wasn't hideous in absolute terms, but it was the despoiling of a once-beautiful woman that turned those that gazed on her to stone. I have heard talk about neck corsets. Such a device, of course, if it were truly a corset, would throttle the wearer in short order, however, one British actress, far, far beyond her sell-by date, did resort to a false neck. (I had a few comments on this artifice; frankly quite scathing. I was rescued by my husband who remembered a picture of a woman having her back and neck straightened by means of a corset and a celluloid
neck piece - this can be glimpsed on the right. It would take little modification to shorten the under-jaw extension thus rendering the device virtually invisible IL). But I digress. This ancient relic of the British music halls had, as many older women do, developed a turkey skin wattle below her jaw. The false neck, made of stiffened flesh-coloured latex, covered her own neck and was secured beneath her wig at the back. A projecting piece of rubber fitted under her lower jaw, thus forcing the wattle into that convenient cavity from where it had dropped. This also had the effect of stretching the skin across the jaw and removing some of her myriad wrinkles. Her oversized dentures performed a similar stretching on the face. Lastly, and this was, and is, still commonly practiced, her scalp was taped. This requires powerful surgical plaster to be stuck just above the forehead and pulled strongly backwards. It is in effect, a non-surgical facelift. The plaster adheres to the scalp. Such taping can pull the sides of the face taut as well. The base of the plaster in the case of this actress was taped down the back of the false neck, thus securing the whole artificiality of the poor woman. Apparently taping is extremely uncomfortable, let alone the false neck. The make-up girls now had a moderately smooth countenance on which to work, and they could indeed make this actress appear 30 or 40 years younger. The snag was that the wattle would push her tongue high into her mouth and that her face, neck and head were completely immobile. If she wasnt known as a dumb blonde in her acting days, she was truly a dumb blonde at the end of her career, for she could not utter a word thus encumbered. The beautiful woman on the left wears a neck corset. It begs the question, is the corset a fashion accessory or a surgical appliance. Whatever, the lady carries off the restriction of her neck with charm and aplomb. People have asked me if I was referring here to Mae West in her latter days. I was not. However, as the real and the fantasy Mae West blurred in later life, she was described, in embarrassing detail by a reporter who visited her at home. "Her face was almost immobile from make-up and the invasion of her over-sized dentures; the wig perched atop her head was equally motionless. She could barely totter so tightly was she corseted and clothed. She never sat during the interview (for she could not), but simply leant against a piano, cunningly placed so that her movements never required more than a few steps. The smile never changed and questions were answered (with difficulty) in
A devoted Spirella client all her life, and passionately scared of
monosyllables!" In these famous publicity photographs taken when Mae was 70, she looks decades younger, unless that is you are a reporter who gets too close or sees her move. Then the illusion is immediately shattered and one realises that this is indeed an old woman.
hospitals, one suspects that every artifice at the make-up girl's disposal was used for these occasions.
Hip-spring
A feature of the elderly, and well illustrated by Miss West is the loss of hip-spring with age. Hip spring is the difference in inches between the waist and hip measurements and is used when selecting ready-made foundations. On a normal woman, the hip-spring is 10 12 inches with anything outside 8 - 14 inches simply not within the range offered by most manufacturers. Observe the change in Miss West over the 20 years from 1960 to 1980. Despite heavy corsetry, her hip-spring has changed from 14 inches to less than eight, the extremes of the normal spectrum. Janet Webb and famously, Jayne Mansfield in the film 'The girl can't help it" boasted hip-springs of nearly 20 inches and some tight lacers can achieve more, but this is far outside the norm. Conversely, drag artists, that is men who pretend to be women, start with a normal male hipspring of 2 - 6 inches, that must be augmented if the effect is to appear genuine. Only in older women, as flesh is lost from the nether regions and accumulated around the waist does the hipspring reduce to almost male proportions. The corsets of the elderly are far more 'tube-like' than their younger sisters. Corsetieres are occasionally approached by men requesting corsets to be made for their elderly mothers. The similarity in hip-spring between these older ladies and their sons has lead some fitters to wonder for whom the corset was really destined. This topic is, however, best handled elsewhere!
Most definitely a corset for a woman. This example has a hip-spring of 13 inches, close to the limits of normality. (Spirella 305)
"Married to your Corsets"

When the baby boy, who would become Kapitan-Leutnant Walter Schwieger (the U-boat ace that torpedoed the Lusitania), was born, his mother looked at the infant and famously said How nice. Now take it away. Within a day, her once-elegant figure was returned to its prepregnancy glory courtesy of the corsets she had worn half a year before.
This feat would neither have been easy, nor comfortable, but with her attitude towards the birth and plenty of strong maids to dress her, it was quite achievable. This act would ensure that Frau Schwieger would never actually regain her true figure without aid. She, like all her peers, were as firmly married to their corsets as they were to their husbands. This lady would have been born around 1865, however, reliance on corsets was common until the end of the First World War. This meant that even as late as the 1980s there were numerous elderly women who literally could not live uncorsetted, largely due to the post-pregnancy desire to appear as if nothing had happened as quickly as possible. A female inmate of Singapores notorious Changi prison during the Second World War was absolutely distressed, not by the treatment of her jailers, or the loss of freedom, but by the loss of her corsets without which she was excessively uncomfortable. Eventually, she bartered a horde of cigarettes for another ladys corset. A German Thalysia corset from the 1950's designed
for an utterly flat post-partum abdomen
As I mentioned earlier, the corsetiere that I use in Sussex recounts many instances of women whose first act of the day is to don their corsets, and their last act before retiring to remove them. Without this accustomed support, backache would immobilize them within a few hours. This is a physiological condition not really a psychological one, although the latter, and the desire to appear at ones best do, of course, play a part. I should point out that many of these women in no way had medical conditions that required the constant use of a corset, it was simply the life-long habit of wearing one. These women were both a blessing and a curse to their corsetieres. Obviously, the corsetiere lives from the commission on selling corsets, and the more she sells, the more she earns. Maintaining contacts, seeking new clients and net-working (as it is called today) was a very important part of the corsetieres trade. The down side, and I know that this forced many women out of the trade, was the elderly womans perception that, once fitted, every personal problem encountered thereafter could be laid at the corsetieres doorstep. The elegant lady on the right ( 1948) is unmistakably wearing a corset. The erect posture, the tubular shape of the hips are all giveaways to what probably is the style of foundation garment that she has worn since her teenage years.
In Edith Thronton McLeod's excellent book 'Beauty After Forty', she speaks simply and eloquently about how to look your best. Poor Miss McLeod would shudder at the female life forms that one encounters on the streets of Britain today. Certainly no great lover of boned corsets herself, she is, however, adamant about torso control and well-fitted foundations. She illustrates her book quite charmingly with the adjacent pictures. My husband was amused by the picture on the right. "It's sad when grow old and so confused that you wear you corsets over your dress!" Really. What we see on the right is an extreme example of the advertisements showing a lady wearing a girdle over her knickers. It's simply for modesty.
The following account eloquently describes many of the trials of growing old.
The Squires Wife
(Beccles, Britain 1974 - 1977)
The country squire had been married for many years. Mrs. M., was a vigorous and forceful lady, who did not suffer fools gladly (amongst whom she appeared to regard her husband). On this committee and that committee, Mrs. M. was tolerated by the phlegmatic rural community, in the same way that all pestilences had been tolerated for centuries. That was by quiet hope, and prayers for the divine removal of the affliction.
Inevitably, Mrs. M. was also a local magistrate who suffered from none of the modern, socialist, soft approach to criminals. Unfortunately, the length of sentence decreed by this paragon of rectitude was closely controlled by her temper, and her temper was largely controlled by her back. Now this may appear very unprofessional, however, it is a historical fact, that many thousands of soldiers have been sent to their deaths, simply because the General's 'piles' were playing up! Mrs. Ms assault on each new day followed a pattern. Rising at 6.30 am precisely, she would emerge from her bed, a somewhat less than attractive apparition in her voluminous nightie. She would pick up some underclothes and retire to the bathroom. She appeared to have the eyes of an owl, for all this was achieved with merely the glow from the lamp standard outside their house. Emerging after a noisy 10 minutes clad in brassiere and surgical stockings under her house-coat, she would shuffle to her chest of drawers, her abdomen supported by her hands. This gave Mr. M. the first clue as to the potential severity of Mrs. Ms temper. Was she stooping? Would she groan as she bent over to retrieve her Spencer corset from the Ottoman chest at the foot of the bed? The corset would be laid on her bed; she would sit into the corset and fasten the back suspenders and side suspenders. She would then pull her long knickers up to her knees and insert her feet into her shoes (the latter act being impossible once corseted). Lying down, the innumerable hooks and eyes that closed the front of the device would be attached. Occasionally she would mismatch the hooks with the eyes, which would call forth an angry fusillade of tuttutting. Recumbent on the bed (in the Trendelenberg position), and wriggling her abdomen into its proper place, Mrs. M. would attack the laces and work them up from the bottom of the corset, tightening the device inch by inch. The sound track that accompanied this process always amused her husband, as with much puffing and straining, Mrs. M achieved the desired tension, largely proportional to the condition of her back. On regaining the vertical, the final tension was administered, the bow was tied, and the spare lace tucked behind the flap. At last with the lights on, Mr. M. had to admit that the corset certainly did its job well, for his wifes desperately saggy abdomen was now as flat as a board, and her troublesome spine rigidly encased in its steel and brocaded satin cocoon. The sound track continued as Mrs. M. started to complain about her back, the weather and the state of the younger generation. Her corsets would join in the daily tirade, since once tightened beyond some critical tension, they tended to creak alarmingly as she moved around the bedroom. Mr. Ms dilemma was his inside knowledge of his wifes temper. If she was sitting on the bench at the magistrates sessions that day, he knew how she would behave, and it seemed rather unfair that some hapless felon should be parted from his family for an extra three months, simply because his wifes back was playing up. What to do? Mr. M. was a popular figure at the local towns Conservative club, where he played snooker with several colleagues, coincidentally, most of them lawyers. He felt that he could not possibly interfere in the process of law, however, he also felt that his wifes decision-making process was unreasonably erratic; a fact well known to his legal friends at the snooker table. It was at one of the clubs social functions, that Mrs. M. unreasonably snapped at one of the lawyers. Mr. M. later apologised or her behalf, and seeing his chance, added You can always tell when shes going to be bad tempered; you can hear her stays creaking. This apparently light-hearted aside revolutionised the magistrates court, as the court secretary listened for the tell-tale creaking of Mrs. Ms corsets, and informed the lawyers whether to proceed that day or to suspend until a later date!
Mother's Bridge Friends
(Winchester, Britain 1958)
Every other Wednesday, Mother liked to play Bridge and this usually provided a pleasant distraction for me during the holidays. Mother's Bridge friends were all older than her, I think in their late fifties and sixties, and I would position myself by the landing window to watch them arrive. Mrs. P., a large and well dressed lady, was normally quite prompt and she usually gave Mrs. L. a lift. These two were always good value. First of all there would be the performance of Mrs. P. attempting to get out of the car. First the door would open followed by one monstrous leg in its fitted stocking and sensible shoes. The next leg would emerge and then grasping the door frame in both hands, the magnificent bosom of the woman would emerge, closely followed by the rest of her body which could then be levered up to the vertical. I often wondered how she could ever get behind the wheel of her car so vast was her bosom. She carried this prodigious bust like the ram of an ironclad. Indeed, ironclad she might have been since I saw no flexibility in her figure at all. In contrast, Mrs. L. was slim, tall and extremely elegant for somebody well into their sixties. It was only when she walked that the restrictions of her surgical corset became apparent. I learnt that she suffered periodically with that bane of the elderly, a bad back. I had overheard from Mother that during these spells, she enlisted the help of Mrs. P. who had been a nurse, to help her into her corsets on a Monday. Release from her tea-rose brocaded prison depended on the expert eye and good offices of her friend. Her periodic incarcerations could last a week, so poorly was her back and so helpless was the old
lady when thus afflicted. She was often heard to say "Agatha's awfully strong you know, but it's good for my back; not to mention my figure!" She was a delightful lady who I imagined resented the embarrassing indignity of her weekly ritual with her formidable partner. I frequently wondered how these corseted old women ever were allowed to drive, for surely there was no earthly way that they would have the flexibility to drive properly.
Whats in a Name ? (Bexhill, Britain 1962)

My father had an irreverent way with names and frequently the butt of his unkind inventions were mothers bridge cronies, or crones as father would remark. Juniper was a singularly appropriate name for a stout lady called June. This jolly old soul kept her spirits high on a daily ration of gin, the calorific consequences of which were controlled by an old-fashioned laced corselette. Of course I never saw the garment, but the tell-tale bulges under the armpits gave away her secret. Her powerful foundation ensured that her clothes fitted perfectly over the corset, but her unfettered arms and legs had grown to fill her sleeves and skirt to the point where her very locomotion was impeded. Pollys years overseas had played havoc with her complexion which had deteriorated into a myriad of fine wrinkles on a distinctly yellow base, a consequence of anti-malarial prophylaxis. Heavy make-up (polyfilla) filled the cracks and restored an approximation of English Rose colouration. My father used to tease me and suggested that she used to spread her make-up with a trowel. This wasnt so far from the truth and her heavy make-up rendered her expression curiously immobile. Bendy Wendy was a tall, thin woman whose height had engendered a stooping posture. My mother always said that her poor posture would give her back problems and ultimately this was the case. Sometimes she would appear stooped, and other times she would be ramrod straight depending on whether her condition necessitated the wearing of her corsets. Its a lumbo-sacral support she once announced proudly although indistinctly since her neck was held immobile in a collar (not a modern spongy thing I might add but one of those perforated leather devices that can pull apart vertebrae, or so the old woman claimed). Varicose Vera had alarmingly knobbly legs that even the power of her heavy-duty surgical stocking could not conceal. She always wore two sets of stockings, with more fashionable support stockings over the elastic ones. Supporting all this hosiery caused her quite some trouble until she came on the solution of wearing a corselette over her corset (that must have been a good commission - Ivy). In this way, both sets of stockings were secured and the engineering of the corset concealed, or so she believed; incorrectly. At least she was happy, even if the click of neighbouring suspenders accompanied her every move. Father once said I think shes got the four musketeers under there! One poor lady to whom my fathers warped humour never had to be applied was unfortunately called Miss Mellon. A completely average woman in all regards she possessed the most disproportionately enormous bosom. This can be remedied these days, but in the 1960s, she simply had to live with it. Convention and comfort demanded that she wore a bra and whatever corsetiere she frequented (for no off the shelf model would have fitted, Im sure), ensured that her breasts were hoisted into place. This feast of engineering left the women with a serious blind-spot and she had to hold her cards well up to see over her bust. As all heavy-breasted women know, back and neck-ache are constant companions, and like the unfortunate Wendy, Miss Mellon occasionally sported a collar. When she partnered Bendy Wendy thus encumbered, the difficulties of articulating clearly and even seeing the cards properly resulted in some very strange bids indeed. Not one of these women could move as nature intended, whether it was tightly confined thighs and legs, an immobile visage, hair or neck, I was often reminded of a group of puppets. With nylon commonly being worn and meaty stockingclad thighs acting like a generator, to attempt a hand-shake was to risk electrocution! My mother, in such company, seemed almost boringly normal and average, but even she was a victim of 1960s fashion and sported a hurricane-proof hairstyle completely lacquered to immobility. Her girdle held her in but limited her flexibility. As Vivian Vance once said before meeting the Queen, If I wear a girdle to fit into my dress, I cant curtsey!
Confinement and Locomotion

The comments above caused me to search our web-site for articles on similar subjects. I've grouped them together with a view to expanding on this topic in the future. It took me ages to help my friend dress, the process being complicated by the corset and the back fastening of the dress which was covered by at least 30 buttons. There was no way that my friend could release herself from the dress and corset without help. In fact, I remember having great difficulty in removing my own dress that evening since my arms filled the sleeves so tightly that reaching behind my head to undo the zip was nigh on impossible. The bride needs bridesmaids to control the flowing train. She needs help to alight from car, even to sit down, and undressing by herself is impossible. Her mother, heroically girdled to fit a dress two sizes too small barely dares to breathe. Her feet ache in unaccustomed shoes and any attempt to sit causes her thighs to spring open alarmingly. Granny totters around, the rubber, elastic and steel contraption that is her foundation confining her locomotion to that of a marionette. Even the gorgeous young thing in the modern twin set is reduced by her panty-girdle, pencil skirt and heels to a ludicrous mincing gait. Not one of the ladies can sit in comfort, going to the loo is a nightmare, and nobody walks in the way that nature intended. An extreme example perhaps? I don't think so, and that's why everybody stands at weddings! Did stiff, old ladies walk like that because they wore stiff, old corsets? Certainly, the joints stiffen with age, but a woman's locomotion is very dependent upon her underpinnings. Ask any young secretary from the late 1950's clad in tight skirt, heels and panty-girdle of tourniquet strength! She strutted into dinner at an Eastbourne hotel, each step a jerky battle of muscle and elastic. She sat rigid and erect with her less formidably corsetted friends. When the soup came, she could not raise her hands as far as her mouth and in embarrassment left the table. Some while later she returned, less erect, but with mobility restored.
The Husbands' Education

I had very little to do with my wife's underwear, other than foot the bills I suppose. I was quite shocked at one bill from a corsetry emporium in London (Rigby & Peller at a guess - Ivy) but let it pass. A few weeks later my wife was dressing for dinner and I heard unusually strong language emanating from the dressing room. My wife was tugging at her girdle that seemed stuck around her thighs. I watched the spectacle with fascination as she crossed her legs, grabbed the garment and with a convulsive heave jerked the girdle an inch at a time up her hips. Her contortions jumped her off the ground in what looked like a potentially dangerous fashion. My rapt attention was not appreciated, however, once the girdle was properly located she turned round and to my astonishment said "Well do something useful. Lace me up!" I realised that this girdle laced half way down the back; in fact it was the only method of entry hence the heroic struggle. I courted an elegant older lady for years before we wed. Marrying late in life is a steep learning curve. She was surprised that my teeth were my own (hers were not), and I was surprised at the complexity of her corsets. My first wife had worn a girdle all the time I knew her, but this long, unyielding structure with its intricate lacings and buckles that my new wife wore was quite alien to me. "It's good for my back and it keeps my tummy flat!" she said the first time I saw her thus attired; "Haven't you seen a woman in corsets before?" I wisely refrained from saying "Not since my Granny" so I had to admit that I hadn't. The device certainly gave her a fine figure of which she was proud and I, in turn, was proud of my new wife despite her complicated underpinnings.
AN ALTERNATIVE SOCIAL HISTORY OF SPIRELLAS CORSETIERES

Reconstructed from Telephone Directories, 1910-1984 By Researcher
PREFACE
We have read much about what the Spirella corsetieres did in other parts of the Tribute web site but learning even a little about WHO they were and WHERE they were, is not so easy. Thanks to the marvels of the Internet, the initiative of the Ancestry web site www.ancestry.co.uk, and the BT telephone archive, this is now possible. Directories of telephone of the UK are available for review. They cover the period from the inception of the telephone in Britain in 1882 right up to1984, covering the entire rise of Spirella. It is still listed in 1984, the last year of available records and not long before its final demise. This social history of Spirella is based on a selective study of those directory records. Lest there are any concerns relating to privacy, this is a statement from the BT Archive web site
BT Archives preserves the historical information of British Telecommunications plc and its predecessors from the early part of the nineteenth century up to the present day, effectively the history of telecommunications services in the United Kingdom and from the UK to overseas. Records produced before the date of privatisation (1984 Ed.) are classed as public records under the Public Records Acts, 1958 and 1967. BT Archives undertakes the company's statutory responsibilities under these acts to preserve and make available public records to members of the public after 30 years, and for this purpose has been appointed an "official place of deposit for public records" by the Lord Chancellor.
1 BACKGROUND
This history of a long forgotten aspect of Spirella has been written as a consequence of a totally unanticipated discovery. It began when our researcher was reviewing the on-line British phone books for the address of one Madame Marie Stafford that former customers of hers were never able to remember. Madame Marie had been a renowned corsetiere in her own right and had been patronised by Ethel Granger in the 1950s. Madame Stafford had been trained by Laurence Lenton in the 1930s and after his death she had set up as a corsetiere in her own right. Many of Lentons customers left bereft by his untimely death either encouraged her to do so or she realised that she was equal to filling the void he left. Tracking her down using the directories was one possibility. Certain facts were vaguely remembered. Her husband had been a newsagent and tobacconist - a classical small shopkeeper - in the inter-war and post war years. Together they had moved to a number of locations in and around the London area after the Second World War up until the late 1950s. Memories recalled places such as Luton, Catford - SE London, Beckenham - Kent, Sunbury Cross, near the old clock and even Staines both in Middlesex. At each place Madame Marie operated her salon in their living quarters above the shop. With the advent of on-line availability of the BT phone books would this be a way to resolve the matter?
2 DISAPPOINTMENT, BUT AN UNANTICIPATED REWARD

The search for Madame Stafford sadly proved fruitless but every cloud has a silver lining. Our researcher had found that the search engine was not as sensitive as was hoped. Often one had to search by hit and miss so that if a directory were 300 pages long, the letters "s" and "t" would be at about page 250. Using this method In looking at the 1955 directory for the Staines, Middlesex area after zeroing in methodically quite by chance page 482, a full page advertisement placed by Spirella appeared and the Stafford entries were just two pages away on Page 484 - and there was no Stafford listed for Staines, Sunbury or Feltham in 1955 nor anyone who might fit the bill. The advertisement listed all the Spirella corsetieres in the West Middlesex area covered by the directory. Not surprisingly, when a selected search was made of directories in other regions of Britain it was found that Spirella literally covered the map with its corsetieres. This set off a number of questions in our inquiring researchers mind, which are answered in the following paragraphs. Going back in time he found that such advertisements originated in the 1935 series of directories. As best as can be ascertained, Spirella was one of very few commercial organisations which took full-page advertisements in the phone books. Oddly before Spirella advertising campaign, many more adverts appeared especially in the London directories.
When the campaign began the directories were divided into about 50 areas, covering the United Kingdom, and each areas directory was issued to all subscribers in that area. Each areas directory was also divided into two to eight Sections covering smaller areas. In each Section, in the alphabetical list of names, was an entry for local Spirella Corsetieres who had telephones, but a note also referred the reader to the full page Spirella advertisement and the Section in which it appeared. Each advertisement gave the names of the Spirella ladies in the area and their telephone number if applicable. What is amazing is how few of the corsetieres had telephones and those who did were clearly a reflection of the relatively affluent area of a country emerging from a severe decade long depression and just embarking on the Second World War In selecting a year to study, the decision was made that 1939 just before the second war was best. Later when the researchers technique had improved it was found that perhaps 1953 after post war recovery there might have been a few more listings, though the year 1939 is regarded as representative After painstaking effort, over 50 whole pages of advertisements, which had appeared in the 1939 editions of the Post Office Telephone directories, were identified. In the end it was felt that 35 of them were representative of the entire country and were used to carry out the research.
3 SPIRELLAS LONDON OFFICES AND EARLY COLUMN ENTRIES

It is known that Spirella did not set up business in Letchworth on their arrival in Britain in 1909. There is no phone entry there until the 1920s, when the number Letchworth 149 was first installed. However Spirella was first listed in London directory for 1910. Listed as The Spirella Company, corsets, bustforms, belts with premises at 37, New Bond Street in London; telephone Gerrard 9741. Unfortunately the two Spirella entries are split by the advertisement for Spillman's, but note below the box is an entry for Spirellas first corsetiere with a telephone, Spirella Corset Parlours (Madame Stone), Croydon 1422. For more see Section 11. Even In the dark days of 1916, Spirella was expanding and the listing for that year gives a second address at the fashionably named Paris House, Regent Street;" phone Mayfair 6483.
That listing of two addresses and Madame Stone was to remain essentially the same until 1923 when her name was joined by two more corsetieres, a Nurse Aldrick in Streatham and a Madame Janira at 98a, Kensington High Street, of whom more is written in Section 12 of this account. In 1925, Paris House was given a street number, No 270 Regent Street. By 1926 the New Bond Street premises were no longer listed, while the Regent Street address was listed with new phone number GER 6303. By1930, 270 Regent Street was listed as having Corset Parlours and Offices, while in 1931, Madame Janira was the first individual Spirella corsetiere ever to have her own box advertisement, see Section 12 below. By 1933, Spirellas London address was Paris house, Oxford Circus (Service, Parlours, Offices) and the phone had changed to Regent 3742 and its first box advertisement appeared, a one inch deep masthead over three columns offering Spirella Corset Service. Qualified corsetieres in all districts." Phone REGent 3742 for a name and address. That year there were nine London listings for Spirella corsetieres or parlours with phones. Lingerie And Hosiery In 1934, more information was given in the three-column masthead. Paris house had been renamed Spirella House. In which were located Offices and Corset Parlours and offering Individual corset Service and Made-to-Measure Lingerie and Hosiery, etc and Qualified corsetieres and lingerie and hosiery representatives in all districts"
In the column entries the company is called the Spirella Co. Of Great Britain the office address and phone number is listed and so for the first time is the Lingerie factory at 134, Shropshire house, Pancras road, WC2. Phone MUSeum 1254. National Full Page Advertisements
Ten Spirella corsetieres, with phones were listed.
By 1935, the first full page adverts were issued nationally. The phone number changed to REG 3742 and later the information five lines was added. Included on the page was a sketch image of the wellremembered premises designed by Sir Henry Tanner and built at the south-east corner of the Circus as part of the development of Oxford Circus between 1913 and 1928 and still known as Spirella House today. The words Spirella House emblazoned on the entablature of the colonnaded front have of course gone.
These full-page advertisements continued with the exception of the Second World War years, 1940-46, until 1972 when they were no longer placed and the Spirella entry in London was in the columns only. By 1975 London only five consultants were listed along with Letchworth Bridge house, phone Letchworth 6161. From 1968, the London office was simply called the Service sales office. It is not known when Spirella gave up its window display at that address. Can any reader advise?
4 SPIRELLAS IMAGE
Ivy Leaf has related in detail elsewhere how Spirella sought to maintain its business by projecting an image in keeping with changes in outerwear fashion, which demanded different underwear, including corsetry and how the word corset, that was associated with old age, was deliberately changed to foundation. Spirella originated in the USA and entered the British corset market when corset and stay makers were individual businesses. By adopting mass production methods to service individual orders they were successful in diverting business towards them. Half a century before the Avon Lady and Tupperware parties they had successfully identified that private moments such as the fitting of a womans corset were rendered acceptable if the corsetiere visited the potential customer in the customers own sitting room. For close to 50 years it proved an unbeatable formula. It successfully resisted the problems of the flapper era. Its target clientele were more staid (no pun intended) that young women were. The young were not impervious to the blandishments of garments knitted from the new man-made yarns such as Lycra and nylon beginning in the 1940s, which saw the rise of girdles made of elasticised material. The die of demise was cast. All this can be demonstrated by analysis of how the Spirella entries in the British phone books changed over the years. The entries took two forms: 1 The regular column entry from 1910 to 1934. 2 Full-page advertisements in every region listing every corsetiere in each area. The change in emphasis is best illustrated with the information given on the full-page advert for the years, 1939, 1953,1955, 1959, 1961,1965 and 1968. This is discussed in the next section.
5 SPIRELLAS FIRST FULL PAGE ADVERTS ANALYSED

Much has been written of the change in the way society perceived the corset and what image it engendered in a persons mind has been reflected in the way corsets were marketed and advertised. In the earliest days Spirella offered corsets, bust forms and belts and their agents were corsetieres". In the early days the term Corset Parlour had a certain cachet and the term was even used in its London office listing and was used by some of its agents. It clearly surmounted the anti-corset challenge of the flapper days. The term corset parlour was used in the head office advertisement from the earliest days and in most of the individual corsetiere entries of the 1920s. In this sense the use of the term parlour was to quote one dictionary definition, "a room or rooms specially equipped for a certain kind of business which would apply perfectly to the needs of a corsetiere required to greet a customer who could then sit and discuss, disrobe and be either measured for or fitted with her new corsets. The term salon appears never to have been used. From the outset, Spirella sought to create an image of gentility, hence in early phone listings the majority of the corsetieres are called Madame" and there is a Nurse" presumably for the surgical corsets. In the 1947 masthead it adds Well Known and Endorsed by Medical Men. Note men and not women! The term Corset Parlour was also encouraged in the 1920s but by 1939 only one such Parlour was found.
6 EVOLUTION OF THE SPIRELLA ADVERTISING STRATEGY.

In 1935, the full-page advertisements first appeared. In the masthead on individual pages of advertisements were signpost fingers to previous and next pages in the directory. In 1935, Spirella suggested that one use the knowledge of the SPIRELLA CORSETIERE to solve your Corsetry problems. Clearly Spirella felt it had trained it agents in the hard sell and confidently stated, Ask the Spirella Corsetiere in your district (listed below) to explain the Spirella service - without any obligation to purchase (right). Over time the tenor of the advertisements changed but by 1939 Spirella was confident enough to say:
There is a trained Spirella Corsetiere resident in every town and district, ready to call at your convenience. She will measure and fit you in the privacy of your own home Emphasis was given in large bold letters to the Spirella Plane of Control to which the accompanying illustration referred and showed the side silhouette of a woman in bra and corset, with arms raised high, exhibiting a corseted form that would be the dream of every customer - a modest derriere and an all but flat abdomen. A thick black dotted line crosses her form diagonally from mid-derriere to the bottom of the busk - representing the plane of control clearly demonstrating that wearing a Spirella corset would control the points of the figure of most concern to the customers who sought its help When the full-page advertisements returned in 1947 the British public was in the midst of the dark days of post-war clothes coupons and fuel rationing. Knowing the public mood Spirella, gave full play to the idea that its intended customers yearned for the escapism portrayed by the likes of Jean Harlow in the glamorous days of the late 1930s. The Spirella image is that of such a woman. Of middle age, she is standing at the foot of the elegant, curving staircase of the ballroom of a country mansion or hotel. She is in a full-length evening dress and the beholder is left to think that she owes her elegantly nipped waist to her Spirella corsetry (above). By 1953, a total of 580 corsetieres were listed in Greater London reflecting the post war recovery and the impending end of clothes rationing. In that year it noted that Spirella made to measure foundations, swimsuits, separates, dresses, suits. The drawing in the advertisement was more informative and direct than it was in 1947, for all is revealed. It shows the front view of a slim customer, arms raised to shoulder height who is standing in a corselette with suspenders clipped to her stockings. Kneeling on her left, with her NewLook length skirt still modestly covering her knees, is her Spirella corsetiere. She is concentrating on clipping her customers left side suspender onto her stocking. That suspender is probably the side one of a set of six suspenders rather than four that the corsetieres were encouraged to offer to customers as worthwhile extras. The corsetiere herself is still wearing her hat, the jacket of her costume and high heels. Intentionally no doubt, this was to give the impression to potential customers that the Spirella lady was simply making a quick call to deliver and check the fitting of her customers latest corselette, and all in the comfort and privacy of her customers own home.
Depending on the number of corsetieres listed on the page, more information might be given in the masthead, as was the case in some areas. In 1955 Youth was emphasised as was Poise Glamour and Grace accompanied by a drawing of a youthful woman in her bra and a corset, suspenders and stockings. The 1959 entry said:A date with your local Spirella corsetiere (her name appears below,) is a first step towards the figure youve always wanted. Modern made to measure foundations give perfect comfort, excellent support, lasting wear - and are not expensive. Get in touch with your nearest corsetiere she will be delighted to explain what Spirella can do for you.
In 1961 in the column entries, the London office was called the Service sales office Interestingly the entry belied the patchy progress being made in improving the phone system. The advert still referred to Letchworth 159, which was still not automated. First Garden City it might have been but Letchworth was some miles outside the Greater London Telecommunications Region (LTR) and remained so for most of the time of the company was in Letchworth. This had its drawbacks for in 1953, a 3-minute phone call would have cost 1/6, (7.5p). Because it was outside the LTR and over 30 miles from London, while Harpenden or Welwyn (Home of Barcley corsets) although almost 25 miles out, were eligible for an unlimited duration call for just 6 old pence (2.5p). However, it is difficult to imagine that Spirella did not have dedicated lines between its Regent Street office and Letchworth.
Corsets or Foundations? Up until the mid 1950s the term corsetiere, still set in large type, was widely used, but along with the demands of the younger generation first seen in the flapper era of the 1920s, thoughts of the tyranny of the corset were being espoused by younger more educated women of the 1950s. By 1955 the term foundation began to replace corset. Youll look and feel your best in a Spirella foundation. However, you would still be fitted for one by a corsetiere. The term was still used but the C was not always capitalised. Moreover, she might not be measuring you for a made to measure corset, for the pitch was Ask her to let you see her range of ready to wear Spirelettes for youth and the youthful figure. By 1965, we get the first intimation of a change of emphasis in the products for sale with reference to "learning how your new shape is moulded and the product range would allow you dress and go to the beach entirely dressed in Spirella made clothes. Happily, Spirella only gave up on the term corsetiere was when it was well past its peak. The term was still used in 1966 and 1967. In 1967, would-be customers were told to Ask her about made-to-measure swimsuits and Spirella Matchmakers. Ring now. The term Consultant replaced Corsetiere for the first time in the land mark year of 1968 when hemlines had soared, European students were rioting and protests against the Vietnam war were in full spate. However Spirella still offered corsetry and fashionwear. In 1968 there were still 195 consultants (corsetieres) in the London area. No reference was made to corsets, simply "Swimsuits Dresses Separates & Suits". By now almost every corsetiere had a telephone and the factory phone had become Letchworth 6161; at last the exchange had been automated. In that year there was just one entry in the column listing Spirella Co. of GB (service, sales office) and a new Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) phone 01-734-3832.
7 SEARCHING FOR SPIRELLAS CORSETIERES - HOW IT WAS DONE

As noted in the previous sections, the advertisements as they stood were well crafted but unhelpful as regards detailed research. In all, 50 records (whole page advertisements) had been found, listing Spirella corsetieres in all four corners of the United Kingdom. What could the pages tell us?
It was concluded that the only way to find out would be to record the data methodically. This meant transcribing each page by typing each town into the cells of a spreadsheet type programme. To do this for each area page, or pages, the town name, the county name and the number of corsetieres in each town was recorded. In the end 35 records were used to cover the United Kingdom. It was quickly realised that without a tag it could be daunting to go back and find the page on which a town was listed. The area in which each page had been found was labelled with a prefix from 01 to 38. This meant that after sorting, the actual page on which each town could be determined. 1 The spreadsheet programme was then used:To sort the towns alphabetically. At this stage it was found in sparely populated rural areas on either side of the Welsh border that Spirella had produced lists which resulted in some places being repeated. To sort the towns by county of location. It was found that this was the most useful first step The county sorting was used to extract the counties for each of the four countries in the UK plus Greater London. For each of the four countries and London, The data within each county was then sorted to present it alphabetically At this stage one only needed to know the county to find out the town and the record containing then names of corsetieres in that town Summary tables were then prepared for each of the five national or regional groups as follows: A B C D E England including Isle of Man and Isle of Wight Greater London, Northern Ireland, Scotland Wales
Within each summary table, the information is given in four columns, which are: Column 1 Area Column 2 County Column 3 Town/City Column 4 Number of Corsetieres Records the area corresponding to the directory in which the Spirella advert appeared. Lists the county Lists the towns within the county alphabetically Gives the number of corsets in that town or city
Tables were prepared for each of the five areas - England, Greater London, N. Ireland, Scotland and Wales. To access them first check you have Acrobat Reader in your computer. Then Press on the location to access the appropriate table. England Greater London Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
8 SPIRELLA COVERS THE MAP - WHERE WERE THE CORSETIERES?

Using the 1939 advertisements it was found that Spirella had about 2900 corsetieres around Britain, located as shown in the table below:
Every county was represented with the exceptions of Kinross, population 7,500 and Nairn, population 8,500, both in Scotland. While the average number of people served by a corsetiere is of interest, consider the potential customer. Assuming that women over 25 years of age were representative of the potential market, this corresponded to about 35% of the population at that time. Thus, nationally Spirella provided a corsetiere for every 6,000 potential women customers, one per 4,000 in N. Ireland, one per 6,000 in Scotland and England, while the Welsh sisters had one per 5,500 of their number and in Greater London there was a potential 6,600 customers per corsetiere. Where estimates were possible, the figure of about 5,000 customers per salon is usual in the larger cities. Of towns over 100,000 people, on average at least 10 corsetieres would be found. Estimates for the country are difficult but a population of 1000 might be served by a single corsetiere with a potential clientele of only 300 to 350. Even if only10% were customers and those customers bought two corsets a year her gross income at 1 per corset would only be 70-100 giving at 10% commission only an income of 10 a year when in pre war UK average household incomes were over 100 per year. This was "Pin money" for a married woman but little more. In the greater London area including the Home Counties, there were another 470 worthy ladies ready to serve the denizens of that area. Assuming eight million people lived in Greater London, the average there was about 6,700 customers per corsetiere. In the counties, Yorkshire had the most and so won the Spirella battle of the Roses (would they all be in tea-rose pink?), with 125 corsetieres to the 115 in Lancashire. Lancastrian city rivalry was won by Liverpool with 7,000/corsetiere to 9,000 in Manchester. In the university rivalry, Oxford lost the tale of the tape with 7,000 women per corsetiere, whilst Cambridge boasted one per 4,000; almost twice the choice. Could it have been the anti-corset influence of the dark blue stockings, or more likely the industrial nature of the Oxford environs? Spirella covered Lands End to John OGroats, from Penzance to Thurso, their line of control" extending to the Orkney Isles as well as the Shetlands. One wonders if the lonely isle of St. Kilda had not been evacuated a decade or so earlier whether Spirellas tape measure would have seen action there too! The study was not exhaustive and there are some pockets of population not found in this survey. Closer scrutiny will show that Middlesex is not represented in England. It is however included in the numbers for the Greater London area, along with the majority of entries for the counties of Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey. In the London area, not surprisingly, the more affluent suburbs had most corsetieres, with a high of 13 in Ilford with a population of 150,000, under 4,000 potential customers per corsetiere. The only city not covered in the study is Hull since it had a private exchange separate from the Post Office, and its directories were not available for review.
9 THE RISE AND FALL OF SPIRELLA - THE STATISTICAL EVIDENCE

Evidence of the rise and fall of Spirella is best demonstrated by analysis of the lists for the London area. These are the results: 1913 1916 1922 1935 1939 1953 1954 First listing of Spirella and one corsetiere with a telephone. Second office address and one corsetiere with a telephone. Five corsetieres with telephones. 245 corsetieres the first year of full-page listings mainly in the numbered London Postal Districts (LPD). 470 corsetieres, but few with telephones. There are 357 corsetieres in the LPD and 113 in the outer LTR. 580 corsetieres and the majority had phones, this was the last year the London books listed all corsetieres in the LTR of which over 400 corsetieres were in the LPD. 440 corsetieres in the had addresses were in the LPD
1961 1968 1971 1975
291 corsetieres in the LPD. 195 corsetieres in the LPD. The last year of full-page advertisements. 90 corsetieres listed, with only two full-pages for the LPD. Only five corsetieres listed in the column entries. The Oxford Circus Store is no longer listed and Spirella office is now located in more prosaic Denmark Hill.
One of these corsetieres still practices today! - Ivy
Between 1935 and 1939 it is estimated that, for comparable areas, the number of corsetieres grew by about 50%. The second World War not withstanding, the number increased again by about 25% by 1953, Between 1953 and 1960 it is estimated that the number in comparable areas fell by a third in eight years. The fall continued at about the same pace throughout the 1960s. The full-page advertisements continued until the 1971 books, which was the last year, and there were still two pages in the London book. By then the number in the London Phone Book was down to 90. In the three preceding years close to 60% fewer names were given. The end was near. Over 100 were lost after 1968 which itself was close to a 100 down on 1961. This is all demonstrated in the accompanying graph:-
Care must be taken, as not all are directly comparable as boundaries covered by the books changed.
10 WHO WERE SPIRELLAS CORSETIERES?

What can one draw from a review of the names? Obviously all were women. Most worked alone, some worked in pairs. Thus the majority were listed as Mrs and a few as Madame. Partnerships were almost always Mesdames and most of those were two sisters, occasionally two women with different surnames. Usually initials were used but where first names were used they reflected the preferences of late Victorian and Edwardian times, Bessie, Peggy, Marjorie, Winifred and Mabel. A few had double-barrelled surnames, generally in what one would recognise as the more genteel regions of Britain at that time. Most addresses were clearly private homes, but one stands out Miss A Humphris, Spirella Corset Parlours, over Co-operative Store, Ewell Road, Cheam, Surrey; Phone Vigilant 3616. In 1939, Miss Humphris had one of the last Corset Parlours It may be there but the term salon was not noted in a cursory review of the corsetieres names.
The majority of the corsetieres were married women working alone although there were some partnerships of either sisters, sisters-in-law or separate married women in 1939 such as Mesdames Harrison and Turner, 30 Ashburn Road Stockport, Cheshire, but by the 1960s there arrangements were rare. In 1930 before Spirella began its advertising, five London entries operated from Corset Parlours the term preferred by Spirella, three of the women were listed as Madame, one as Mrs. and the fifth as Nurse. One not only chose the moniker Madame but also used the title of the head office premises, Madame Julie, Paris House, Parkstone Dorset. Ever fashionable Beauchamp Place, a stones throw from Hans Place the new home of Rigby and Peller in the 1990s, had its own Spirella corsetiere in Mme G Solly, 21 Beauchamp Place, Chelsea SW3" while the forebears of the Sloane Rangers had recourse to SW3. Madame Moira / Moira Milne, 7 Cheltenham Terrace, Sloane Sq, Chelsea, and earlier at 8, Buckingham Palace Road. Even Banbury in Oxfordshire, headquarters of rival Spencer, had no fewer than three predators from Spirella right on its doorstep. Another exotic name was Madame E.R. Bougnague, 129, Browning Rd., Enfield, Phone ENFIELD 4329" while more prosaic was Mrs Mabel Roberts of Chorlton, Lancs Not surprisingly in 1939 when phones were uncommon in private homes, they were most common in Greater London. In the review of Greater London, two ladies stand out and their long individual histories are given in the next two sections.
11 MADAME STONE - SPIRELLAS FIRST LISTED CORSETIERE

In the optimistic days before First World War, Mrs Wright might have been Britains first Spirella corsetiere but the first corsetiere recorded as having a telephone was Madame Lucy Stone of Croydon, Surrey. She was listed in the 1913 London telephone book as Spirella Corset Parlours (Madame Stone). No initial nor first name, nor street address was given though her phone was Croydon 1422. That number was to remain the same through two world wars right up until 1954, 42 years in all and even then her successor used the same number. In 1913, businesses had the vast majority of telephones. Only the most affluent had a phone in their home and it is not surprising that very few of Spirella Corsetieres would have had a phone number. This social division was to be maintained until the better times that came after the Second World War. In 1914, Madame Stone was still the lone entry and was then listed at 34 North End, Croydon. According to Clunns The Face of London" "North End, which is half a mile long,,is a handsome shopping street and on a Saturday afternoon when it is crowded with shoppers it presents a scene of life and animation unexcelled even by that of Oxford Street in its busiest hours. So large and varied are its shops that no Croydon resident need ever go to the West End of London to find anything he may require In 1913, North End boasted not one but two corsetieres, Madame Stone was at No 34 while No. 83 was home to the more well remembered Madame Lorette. She was much patronised by discriminating tight lacers for many years and was listed as Stay, Corset Maker phone Croydon, 1747". Madame Lorette had been on the telephone since 1906/7 both in Croydon and at her other salon at 187/8 Upper Street, Islington, N1, just north of the Angel, where her customers in the 1930s included Will and Ethel Granger. If one had only the 1913 listing one might speculate whether Madame Stone of Croydon and Madame Lucy Stone, listed at 2 The Exchange, Purley, phone Purley 484 were one and the same person. In 1939 one gets the first clue to her identity when the initial L' was added to her name. In reviewing her history, for close to 20 years she was listed simply as Madame Stone. Only twenty years later in WW2 was she accorded an initial. But it was not be until 1947, when Spirella gave up making parachutes and coding machines for the war effort and resumed full-page adverts, that the speculation could be confirmed when the entry of that year revealed that she was indeed Madame Lucy Stone. Could it be that back in 1912 she had been persuaded to give up her independent corsetieres salon in Purley and become
an early Spirella corsetiere, Whilst she always kept the same phone number she did not remain in the North end. By 1 925 she had moved her Parlour to 7a, Mint Walk a few hundred yards to the south, while by 1939 she was at 14a, George Street (First Floor). She is last listed in 1954, So up to 1954, Mme Lucy Stone was Spirellas longest serving corsetiere and probably remained so and one can but speculate on her age, for to have called herself Madame in 1913 she would surely have had to be in her mid-30s at that time, so that she probably did not retire until her mid-70s. In 1955 she was succeeded by Madame Meryl Vaux, who continued to use 14a, George Street and its old phone number for daytime and CRO 1435 for the evening. This was in response to customers who worked and could only visit her at home in the evening. Her name however only appeared for a single year and one is left to wonder if the Miss M Vaux listed as Ironmonger in Walton-on-theHill, Tadworth was unsuccessful in changing the type of fabricated steel she sold!
12 MADAME JANIRAS SPIRELLA CORSET PARLOUR - NEXT TO PONTINGS

Madame Stone may have been Spirella first corsetiere with a telephone but the accolade of most charismatic, in advertising terms at least, has to be given to the exotically named Madame Janira. Janira appears to be a fairly common first name in Spain even today. As noted from her 1923 listing, Madame Js salon was at 98a Kensington High Street, phone number PARk 2329 was strategically located on one of Londons most fashionable shopping streets on which were located next door to one another, some of the largest department stores of Barkers, Derry & Toms and Pontings. Madame Janira undoubted had a flourishing agency for in 1931 she took out a masthead over two of the three columns of the directory for that year. In doing so she was one year ahead of Spirella in taking out a masthead advertisement. That same year she also moved her to premises to 44, Cheniston Gardens, in all probability a luxury flat in a luxury building, then as now, and her phone number had changed to a new exchange WES 1611. The advert says it was located by Pontings. That information may have been true of her first recorded location but at her new address it was slightly misleading. Anyone tempted to find the street will discover that, to reach Cheniston Gardens from the side corner of Pontings at Wrights Lane would have to go several hundred yards down that street, past Iverna Gardens which was the first turn on the right and proceed to the second right turn which was Cheniston Gardens. It was a street so small that it was not shown in Geographia Ltds Atlas and Guide to London c.1935. No doubt established customers would soon have been advised verbally how to get there and any new customer would have been given directions over the phone by Madame Janira and hopefully the more affluent would go by taxi and in so doing tested the proverbial London cabbies' knowledge.
According to Clunn, earlier buildings were pulled down in 1892 and the extensive ground was covered by the huge blocks of flats in Iverna Gardens and no doubt Cheniston Gardens too. Nevertheless a quick search using Google revealed that the property still stands. It is built in fine red brick with cream brick detailing, seven floors high and clearly a mansion housing luxury flats. As for Mme Janira, she continued to advertise alone until Spirella took over mass listings with full-page listings in 1935. In addition to her Spirella listing Madame Js individual column listing under the letter J, was as a corset specialist, at the same address and telephone number. No mention was made of Spirella and she continued under that listing as well as in the Spirella pages until the Nov 1940 directory after which she is no longer listed, probably at an age to retire and perhaps escape the many privations that would have accompanied living in London through the blitz and after, for we were never privy to her family name to search further.
Comments on Spirella in the Telephone Directories

In the 1960 Birmingham Area Telephone Directory, Spirella had two display pages listing 141 corsetieres. Spencer did not bother with a display page but listed 52 'Registered, Retailer Fitters'. The population of the area covered would have been about one million. By 1972 Spirella had one display page (plus eight names in a small display at the foot of the facing page) and includes 'swimsuits, dresses and suits'. The list totals 72 'consultants'. Spencer lists 21 'Figure Foundations & Surg Supports, Registered Retailer, Dispenser Fitters'. The 1980 Directory has no Spirella display merely an office or showroom under 'Spirella Company (GB) Ltd, Fash Conslts' at an out of town address in an area I am told more likely to be commercial than residential. 'Spencer Couture & Surgical Foundations' lists six. For my immediate purposes I needed only the 1960 statistics to give an idea of size to my audiences. I intended to check also 1970 and 1980 to see what happened but had to settle for 1972 for the middle year as the library doesn't have a Directory for every year. Looking at the 1960 figures again if we assume this means Spirella had 140 corsetieres for every million population and the total UK population was about 55 million then they would have had 7700 corsetieres. Assuming 50 per million for Spencer gives them a total of 2750. These figures are undoubtedly too high as they also assume an even coverage of the UK population for both companies which is unlikely.
Spencer
Spencer pre-War Spencer post-War Spencer 1962 The Spen-All Barcley
Rather than lay out this page in the same format as the Spirella page, I have decided to travel with Spencer through time from the 1920's to the 1990's. This is not so much to show how corsetry has progressed, but to demonstrate that within the subject of corsetry, the corset did not progress except in detail. In a world where change has become an almost reckless business principle, the unchanging style of the corset would, like the steady tortoise, ultimately win over the reactive hare of the girdle. The corset is sold by Spencer today exactly as it was a hundred years ago albeit to a hugely diminished clientele. The girdle has come and gone, the pantie-girdle remains a flimsy remnant of a once proud garment. Only the brassiere, an upper foundation, and therefore not as serious as the 'lowers', has become a marketing phenomenon. As my husband said dispiritedly in the Hague branch of Marks and Spencer in 1994 when we were searching for a real girdle "This place is just a sea of bras". He was right. In 2005, one of Spencer's few remaining corsetieres informed me that they had ceased to make brassieres and corselettes. Only the corset remains. But let us return to this fascinating and changing era and look at the picture below which displays a garment that would be a mystery to most modern women. If a picture could describe how the whole concept of corsetry has changed over the last 40 years, regard the image below kindly supplied by TP. In the 1960's a genuine supporting garment could also be a fashionable item and some lovely examples are shown on the fan-lacing pages, however, Spencer have created a masterpiece here.
In this particular example, the lady has forgone the pre-shape surgical steels in lieu of five sets of double boning. This could be ordered in various strengths. Perhaps the lady in question would wear this corset under a evening gown and Heaven forbid that the boning should show!
This is a corset of very serious intent. The back could have been boned with wide pre-shaped 'steels' (usually made of Aluminium) and the buckles would have held the garment closely against the wearer. Despite its serious function, the black lace overlay on the mauve satin was a Spencer option for their materials (and by no means cheap). What a gorgeous garment for the lady who had to wear it. These days, a beige coutil wrap-around with Velcro fastenings would be the accepted article. I know which one I would prefer!
A corsetiere with whom many people have enjoyed a lively correspondence is Alison Perry who trained with Spencer (USA) in the 1950's. She's been kind enough to share her memories with us and given me permission to include them at the end of this article. We both understand that the era of the corsetiere has virtually (but not quite) vanished and that the memories of these days should be preserved. Alison's recollections are enclosed in italics. I've taken the liberty of adding my own comments so as not to dilute Alison's words and to remind me of interesting points for future discussion and research. Occasionally, I have merged some of her correspondence and put the letters that she wrote in chronological order.
During this account, it becomes obvious that Alison is American whereas I am English. Ive not corrected any spelling variations and the reader will have to understand that a corselet is the same as a corselette. Suspenders and garters may be a little more confusing but thats about as far as it goes. Women's fashion does however vary across the Atlantic and when Americans were well into panty-girdles, their English sisters were still wearing the open bottom girdles of their mothers generation. Treatment of this topic will require a full article in itself.
Spencer through the Decades

Throughout this article you will find that the garment worn by the woman in her 50's born in 1870 is repeated each decade almost unchanged. The examples below are taken from a corsetiere instructor's fill-chart from the 1960, and define the basic styles available:From left to right, the corselet (note the spelling), the Spencer All (referred to as the Spen-All), Spencerette (girdle), corset, supporting corset, lumbar corset*, belt and Spencer Form. The term belt is used quite in a different context from other companies.
* This corset was called dorso-lumbar or lumbo-sacral dependent upon the arrangement of the ancillary strap. Although elastics improved, the quality of corsetry materials hardly changed and the designs even less. Simple modifications to the basic patterns were all that was required to accommodate the larger frame of the post-War woman (the second world war, that is). Amazingly, the woman from 1870 can still be fitted for and purchase a
corset that she would recognise. She might be surprised at the lightweight material and wouldn't even begin to understand the nylon zip, but the boning, the cut and the suspenders would all be familiar. The detail finish would disappoint her and the fact that the cost of the corset had increased by a factor of nearly 200 would make her realise that if corsets hadn't changed much much in eight decades, other things had ! Let us travel back to the 1920's, a couple of decades after the original formation of the Spencer Corset Company.
Pre-War Spencers Post-War Spencers Spencer Catalogue US 1962
Pre-War Spencers
The Spencer corset company was formed in the USA at about the same time as Spirella; we have no exact date. In Britain, however, the Spencer company was formed, as an offshoot of the American company, by the exotic, yet latterly reclusive, Dorothea Allen and her husband. They became fabulously wealthy from the proceeds of the corset business. On Dorothea's death, so reclusive had she become, that her estate lay unclaimed for years. She never wore a Spencer corset!
Spencer's Beginnings in Britain (Our thanks to Paul Jones and Alf Woodward (author of Banbury Spencer and the Dorothea Allen mystery) who contacted the Berger family of New Haven, Connecticut.) On Thursday, January 27, 1927, the Banbury Guardian included a significant item of news within its pages. We are pleased to announce that during the last few days Lucas's Factory (in Britannia Road) has been sold through the joint agency of Messrs Douglas Young and Co of London and Mr F.J. Wise of Banbury to the Spencer Corset Company of America and Manchester. The key figure in the preparations for the operation of this factory was Darwin Spencer Berger who arrived in Banbury from America in February, 1927. He and his brother George Wendell Berger represented the Berger Corporation and became joint directors of Spencer Banbury Ltd alongside Robert and Dorothea Allen, who had previously run the Gaylord corset factory in Manchester. Within a month of his appearance in the town, Darwin Spencer Berger was making confident predictions about the future of the company.We are starting in a small way and we have every confidence that the future will witness a big growth here. This was what people locally wanted to hear, especially in the light of the unemployment situation. Significantly from early on there were only two members of the company's American staff, Frank Howlett and Philip Grillow. The intention was to train English people to hold responsible positions within the firm.
Spencer in the 1920's

The photographs here are so tastefully composed, and this was a hall-mark of Spencer for several of the earlier decades. Even the corset catalogues are beautifully bound with coloured prints on the front cover. A guide to dress-making of this era quotes that a corset is designed for three purposes:- 1) to support the figure; 2) to generate an outline on which the dress may be hung; and 3) to hold up the stockings. The last point should not be forgotten and explains the design of the corset and girdle for years before tights became fashionable in the 1960's and the consequent advent of the pantie-girdle. By today's standards, the stockings are very short coming about halfway up the thighs. I have often been asked why the two front sets of suspenders are mounted so close to each other. There may be a number of reasons. Stockings were thicker then and two suspenders offered a back-up should one fail to grasp the stocking. Women with 'tired legs', the euphemism for varicose veins, often wore two sets of stockings, and the parallel suspenders were a convenient solution.
Even as early as the 1920's the Spenall makes its appearance. Note how the bosom has not yet been invented! (Right) Above right are shown three almost identical frontlacing corsets from the Spencer catalogue of 1927, the differences being the under-belt on the right corset secured by three buckled straps on each side. The corsets in the centre and bottom left have the lumbo-sacral exterior strapping. The lady in the middle below sports a maternity corset. In addition to the other trials of pregnancy, Spencer added four sets of lacing, six buckles and the mandatory six suspenders (at least). We may mock from the perspective of 2009, but 80 years ago, women had far harder lifestyles, and the support of such a complicated device was very welcome.
In 1932 ( above ), the same styles are echoed as in the 1920's. The differences are in hairstyle and the important fact that the brassiere has come of age. Little did the corsetieres of those days realise that the brassiere would become in the 1990's the only foundation that 99 percent of women would wear. Despite the up-market move by Barcley (a breakway from Spencer), these girdles from 1932, with the famous Spen-all (right of centre) are beautifully finished, and although Spencer hasn't gone to the expense of an antique chair, they have retained the bunch of flowers. In 1934, the models and poses are still quite beautifully photographed and posed, however, there is an oddity here. The 'vamps' below could have come straight out of Herman Wouk's 'Marjorie Morningstar' in which "Those divorcees in their tight corsets" look to snare another husband. The innocent flower on the right, however, wears a sacro-illiac corset that suggests that pregnancy is not unfamiliar to her!
The gorgeous cover of the American Spencer catalogue of 1934
The Style Corset, the Spencerette and the Spen-all are still there in 1934.

In the 1940's catalogues, a pink tint is added to the other wise black & white photographs. This lends an air of class and comfort to these products. The brassiere has developed further, although is not strongly advertised. The flowers remain part of the picture, as does the strange Spencer option of four front suspenders. Perhaps it represents a subliminal reminder to both corsetieres and clients that there was no limit to the extent of available options (and of course, the corsetiere's commission).
The Spen-all from 1941 and a well-disguised maternity corset. Notice the subtle half length side-lacers. Not only could these be adjusted, but they were made of elastic.
We've seen these corsets for the last three decades now, and the two on the right will be around for another amazing five decades, although by then selling only a minute fraction of their number in 1941.
These advertising pictures were quite expensive to make and some were used for several decades, particularly those portraying the less fashionable 'support' garments, whose wearers would be of an age where their own styles of hair would also come from a previous decade. In reality, neither the models nor the garments were quite as alluring (although they could be). Below is a series of pictures of a mid-1940's Spencer corset. It is a type that has been worn by thousands of women. The material is relatively plain, the busk front fastening and large hooks date it pre-1950, as do the elaborate suspender clasps. Busk fastenings on conventional corsets lasted until the 1970's, however, the large hooks are largely pre-war or early post-war.
This corset has a number of interesting features. Busk front and large bottom hooks as mentioned previously. The underbelt is secured by four straps on each side; however, the photographer has not placed the belt under the front lacing. All too often the belt is imagined today as some sort of back support. The creases in the lower part of the garment indicate that it has been used as do the bending of the bones at the top of the back. These bones were normally bent before use by the corsetiere. In another photograph, the suspenders clasps are unevenly adjusted, again suggesting use. Oddly, the laces have no spare length for tying. Either the photographer re-arranged them to make the garment appear neater, or the original wearer had lost weight and found that the garment could be opened and closed with the busk alone, obviating the need for daily re-tightening of the garment..
Continued post-War ....
This page has moved to Barcley.
Post-War Spencers
These catalogues from the 1950's (four are represented from both the USA and UK) contain the essential foundation garments of the era. A light corset for the fashionable lady, a corselette and a maternity support (top row). On the bottom are a stronger corset, also in combination with a long-line brassiere (this might be a Spen-all; it's hard to tell) and a high-waisted fashionable girdle.
Advertising costs are rising and even the pre-War bunch of flowers has gone, leaving but one symbolic rose.
Corset Length A feature that may surprise some modern readers was the sheer length of some of these corsets. Certainly, in the 1920's, the corset occasionally came so low on the thigh as to preclude ease of walking, but here, postWar, are some corsets, albeit of 'corrective intent', that are at least 20 inches long! (We have several corsets over 21" long in our collection and know of one Danish lady whose corset must have been close on 23" in the back. A friend has recently ordered a Spencer of the same length). The construction and position of the underbelt is shown clearly on the left and featured in many of Spencer's corsets.
It can safely be assumed that the target age of the potential buyer was somewhat less than the models.
These pictures all come from the late 194's to late 1950's and are excellent examples of Spencer's lumbosacral corset.

The 1960's were perhaps the greatest decade of the foundation garment. Corsets were still widely worn, the girdle was at its height selling over six million a year in Britain alone, and the pantie-girdle became fashionable as tights were worn more often. It was the time of the Beatles and a massive social change, the ramifications of which we are only beginning to comprehend. One could attend a wedding where a 25-year-old woman might be wearing a corset and a 55-year-old might be in the latest pantie-girdle. Change was rapid and inconsistent, not least between the two sides of the Atlantic. I have no experience of America before 1980 and have relied on my research and hearsay; however, it does appear that pantie-girdles caught on much quicker in America than they did in Britain. Spencer's offerings from both sides of the Atlantic are on show below, and whilst following the trend that one might expect, there are some surprises in store.
Of course the good old faithfuls remain (Spencer UK 1960), the model on the right centre being unchanged for four decades (and nary a rose in sight). One marked difference between the American and British Spencers is seen on the right above. In deference to the warmer climates available to, let us say, the 'Miami Matron', far sheerer fabrics were available in America. The engineering involved here is remarkable, where such a gossamer thin creation can have sufficient strength to mould a predatory widow into the shape of something far younger.
Spencer's corsets (above) come into the realm of the surgical corset, and by today's standards these garments are formidably
complex, however, compared to some of the surgical corsets of the 1950's, they were a wonderful alternative and could be fashioned in attractive materials as well. The contraption, no less complex on the right, is nothing more than Spencer's standard measuring garment!
Brassieres
In the 1950's, brassieres reached their peak. Sadly, four decades later, Spencer would unbelievably lose the patterns for their standard brassieres. They seemed to lose the plot as well, since the death-knell of the made-to-measure foundation had been ringing loudly since the 1970's. Spencer catered for the sporting woman, and also for the party in the evening. The lacing on the 'health' brassiere (top right) is no decoration, it is real, and one could adjust the separation of one's breasts, perhaps as a tactic to confuse the opposition in a game of mixed doubles. For the party in the evening, the mandatory strapless brassiere was available.
Brassieres are tricky to fit. The options shown above are just a small fraction of the styles available. Conservative, moderate in Britain; ice cream cones and bullets in America!
In common with Spirella, when Spencer wanted the advertisement to concentrate on the brassiere, no girdle was shown, and the lower part of
the model's body disappears in flounces of nylon and tulle.
Spencer In America
But what is this below? Can this image of the ideal American woman of the 1960's come from the same planet as the models above? She does, but from the other side of 'the pond'.
From the US Spencer advertising of 1963, we see a character who would be alien to Britain for another decade.
In Ian Fleming's James Bond novel Thunderball, the English female agent, Mary Goodnight, is advised by some Americans "Don't split your stays". An accurate reference to the difference in foundations across the divide of the Atlantic Ocean. (In the film of the novel, I doubt that Britt Ekland, who played Mary Goodnight, would have appreciated the irony). Not that the British were complete 'fuddy duddies', as the elegant garments below indicate. For years corsetieres had been selling the basic garments, and then, building on a successful relationship with a client, would suggest something for a 'special occasion'. The black lace overlays were beautiful but not cheap. I wonder how many husbands persuaded their wives to buy these garments. In the 1960's, it would usually be the husband footing the bill.
A strapless brassiere (obviously for a special occasion), and a matching brassiere and Spencerette girdle in the expensive but elegant lace overlay (Spencer UK 1963). The actual girdle was shown at auction and is a US Spencer from the 1970's.
But back to basics (below). The mirror is used to good effect and the reflection for once is real. Some women may bemoan the lack of rear suspenders. These suspenders were the subject of much grief and humiliation. They are really necessary to keep the stockings under control, particularly seamed stockings, and let us not forget the third purpose of the foundation garment:-- to hold up the stockings. But rear suspenders are difficult to adjust and attach, one sits on them, and, all too often, an incorrectly attached stocking will come adrift when you least expect it.
The pictures above show that the corset was alive and well in the 1960's. On the left from Spencer UK in 1962 and on the right, from Spencer Canada in 1963. Even the North American matron expected decent support.
What is really interesting above is that the garment on the right, although marketed as a Spencer, is called a '325', which is the Spirella designation for a front and back-laced posture corset. Spirella and Spencer got together in Canada in 1959, nearly three decades before they merged in Britain. This is shown clearly in two adjacent pages from the Spencer Canada catalogue of 1959. On the left page are the classic Spencer corsets and modelling garment, and on the right page the Spirella 300 series of corsets. In small print it states that the Spencer guarantee did not apply to Spirella! In American catalogues of the same era (1962), Spencer and Spirella garments appear together.
Both sides of the Atlantic marketed their own versions of girdles and corselettes which the majority of women would have been wearing in these days.
Spencer shows their versatility here by displaying a girdle blatantly designed to minimise the waist.. Spirella, on the other hand, put the emphasis strongly on support without constriction, and 95% of their corsets echoed this philosophy. Spencer could do likewise, but also made corsets for the ultimate in tight-lacing, right through to fiendishly complex surgical devices that would force the wearer into the shape of a women, despite the afflictions of poor posture, lordosis and even pregnancy.
Corselettes from Britain in 1962 and the US in 1966. Atight-fitting US Spencer girdle from 1971.
Long-line brassiere, model 180 (US 1986) and a girdle from the same year and the same professional model, who seems to have been rather busy in this photographic session.
All corsetry companies had their favourite models. Mae West's mother was such a lady. The model need not have the currently fashionable look, but instead, a good figure and quite some patience to get in and out of 20 to 30 garments per session. But change was coming and the third use of the foundation garment was about to be challenged. With the invention of tights, the need for a garment to hold up the stockings became redundant. The pantie-girdle was born. The garment might be boned, heavy and furnished with a zip entry, but the writing was on the wall for the girdle. The pantie-girdle never affected the sales of the corset. The damage to those sales was done by the open-bottom girdle and when the pantie-girdle came along, the generation that had decided to stay with corsets would do so until they passed away. It is interesting to note that Spencer in Britain today supplies a few brassieres and corselettes, but the majority of their work is to provide corsets for an aging but loyal clientele.
In the 1970's, Spencer's policies began to diverge strongly on either side of the Atlantic. In fact, so disparate become their wares, that I wonder if the two companies had separated, the only throw-back to the early years being in name only. This girdle above would never had come from Spencer in Britain. The front may be pretty with a rather neat, although purely cosmetic, double curve on the top edge, but that back is hideous! Boned elastic to hold in the waist is simply so uncomfortable.
The garment is called a 'Spencer Le Gant'. Whether a deal or merger with Warners (who marketed a Le Gant) had been struck, I do not know.
Pantie-girdles, models 220 and 280 from the US in 1963 herald the decline of the girdle and a new age of liberation.
Spencer US Catalogue 1962 Spencer in the 1970's

Amazingly, the end of this tale is still four decades away, and it may be that there is no end. In the 1970's in Britain, the names and addresses of Spirella and Spencer corsetieres were published in one large page in the telephone directory (this was before yellow pages). It was the only industry that did that. There were thousands of corsetieres attending to millions of clients and the old favourites were still being bought.
The posture corset from 1972 (UK) was still the mainstay of the older lady, however, her daughter was catered for as well; witness the pantiegirdle.
and the lace overlaid girdle and elegant brassiere still found places in the drawers of the fashion conscious (1972)
Spencer from the 1980's to the Present Day

It may come as a surprise to many people that Spencer still operates in Britain in the year 2008. There are a few corsetieres to be found, although their clientele is aging, as are the corsetieres themselves. I have no photographs of this period except for the garments themselves, and this is simply symptomatic of the decline of the whole industry. Advertising of these garments basically died at the end of the 1980's and corsetieres had to struggle on with poor photocopies and old brochures from the 1970's. The beautiful swathes of materials vanished, as did the materials themselves. The last lace overlaid girdle was made in the 1980's as lace and satin was replaced by the hard wearing coutil. The primary garment was now a surgical support, shunned by the young but vital to the few remaining ladies who had been wearing corsets since the early decades of the last century. As Spirella was taken over by Spencer in the late 1980's, so Spencer succumbed to Remploy and latterly to Thamert. By now, the purchasers of corsets were all elderly traditional women, to whom the idea of a Remploy tag in their 'lowers' meant nothing to them. Bowing to pressure, the garments were labelled for a while as Remploy and Spencer, and eventually under the Thamert dynasty, the Spencer label was returned to its proper place.
One of my corsets from the 1990's with the little regarded Remploy label, although to be fair, Remploy did make some rather sturdy garments in the 1950's (below)
I'm quite sure that this model hasn't been wearing corsets all her life. I suspect, in fact, that the photographic session was her first experience. Nevertheless, this is the last example of Spencer corsetry advertising that I can find. It comes from 1990. Details of the 'posture corset' and 'Spencerette' are linked and describe exactly what can be ordered today.
How times have changed! Above we see girdles from the 1950's on the left and a Spencerette from the 1970's. Lustrous satins and brocades from the 1950's, and pink nylon backed black lace from the 1970's speak of something more than quality. On the left is a Spencerette from 2003. The latter model is still an excellent and firm girdle with many of the classic
details (right). Note the 'vestigial lacing' that sows together the front panel, the flap to accommodate a brassiere hook, and the individual number to identify the order. No sizes are on the label since all these girdles were, and still are, made-to-measure. But gone is the satin, albeit replaced by a long lasting and tough orchid nylon-satin. Sadly, this garment is now classed as a surgical support and thus is unaffordable without a Doctor's prescription to claim the ludicrous costs back from medical insurance. I received a charming letter from a lady who wanted to procure a corset for her 102-year-old mother. The lady in question must first have worn a corset in about 1914 and considered herself "undressed" without one. There is still a supply, but every corsetiere whom I know will retire within a few years, and then the era may well be over.
Spencer in the USA 1962

This is a fascinating era in the history of corsetry. The post-Vietnam liberation, and the age of the 'Swinging Sixties' had yet to begin, yet a change was evident in the underwear of the average American woman. This was the pinnacle of foundation garment retail with Warners, for example, selling six million girdles alone each year. For decades, America and Europe had proceeded apace in the development of their foundation garments, but for the first time, the Americans stole a decade's march on their European sisters as the pantygirdle became well and truly established. From now on, although corsets and still girdles featured strongly, the panty-girdle would soon dominate the mail-order brochures. In Britain, the panty-girdle only really replaced the girdle at the end of the 1960's. The bespoke houses of Spencer and Spirella (whose products appear together in this catalogue) suffered here since their forte was made-tomeasure. To be honest, most panty-girdles do not need this facility.
Brassieres
As any corsetiere will tell you, a brassiere is far harder to fit that any other foundation. It is indeed, a feat of engineering, but Spencer could offer you any shape of breast from pointed (coarsely referred to as 'bullet'), through rounded to matronly, but whatever the shape or age of the wearer, the breasts would be lifted dramatically to the height dictated by the current fashion. This was very much the male ideal of the female figure. No woman actually wants to wear her bosom up by her shoulders, nevertheless the matron on the right cuts a fine figure. Her waist was not just reduced by the long-line brassiere either, a firm corset was at work here.
The 130 bra (left) but in a far more exotic material. The boned bodice that can cause acute discomfort unless properly fitted and, a new word in the lexicon, 'torsolet', because 'Merry Widow' was Warner's trademarked name, and no one had thought to call it a 'basque' yet.
A quirk of many foundation garment catalogues is that when a brassiere is advertised, the model almost invariably wears a slip or petticoat. Presumably the marketing department does not want the 'lower' to distract from the 'upper'. The converse does not apply since an unsupported bosom looks somewhat unflattering and might even put the customer off the girdle in question.
Panty-girdles
The panty-girdle is represented by four styles in the catalogue, three of which are shown here. This does not appear to represent the domination of the market to which I alluded above, however, this is more a function of Spencers core business of bespoke foundations. The mail order catalogues were becoming full of panty-girdles at this time. An interesting observation is that the panty-girdle on the left has no suspenders. Was this a summer garment where stockings would not be worn or was it an indication that tights would soon dominate the market? As an aside, it is interesting to follow the evolution of the panty-girdle at this point. For decades, stockings were far shorter than latterly was the case as skirts became worn higher and higher above the knee. As the panty-girdle came into prominence, it started with rather short legs. Suspenders fitted to the bottom rim matched the short stockings perfectly. The panty-girdle started to evolve longer legs, providing the thigh control that so many women required. For a while, the suspenders remained attached to the bottom rim, however, this brought the suspender / stocking connection perilously close to the casual observers eye. The solution was to move the suspenders up the garment away from the rim. This occurred both inside and outside the garment. Inside was less comfortable, but minimised the dreaded suspender bump and this became more popular than the external suspenders, where flashes were used to conceal the bump. The candid photograph of a Hollywood actress ( right), shows the extreme length of the hem-gartered girdle. From then on, the suspenders would move inside the garment. This shot was neither for publicity nor advertising, otherwise the stockings would have been attached 'properly' i.e. without bunching the nylon. It's nice to know that even Hollywood actresses are normal when not on display!
Girdles
What is interesting is that all the girdles here come from Spencer's 'Instant Glamour' range. The more standard fare comes from Spirella that seems to imply a slightly older style. Perhaps Mother wore the Spirella and daughter chose the 'Instant Glamour' if she wasn't already into panty-girdles.
Spencer's 200, 210 and 275 from Spencer's 'Instant Glamour' range.
The other fashion arm of Spencer was the Spencerette (left). Note that despite the dramatically different materials, the cut is identical. The Spirella 234 girdles (right), albeit in the Spencer brochure, have quite a different cut that would appeal to Spirella's traditional clientele.
The 260 corselette (corselet in the USA) in exotic material and white (left) and the famous Spenall.
Corsets
Although Spencer made a perfectly serviceable trumpet called the posture trumpet, their thrust was to the fashionable end of the market and to the surgical end. The middle ground of plainer everyday corsets and foundations was left to the Spirella range of their products. Thus it is that in one catalogue, one sees elegant panty-girdles and torsolet from the instant glamour range alongside Spencers old faithfuls the belt, the lumbosacral and other surgical appliances. Spirellas 305 and 335 make up the missing link.
It is surprising to a British corsetiere, but Spencer marketed the Spirella 305, possibly one of the best selling bespoke corsets of
all time.
Spencer's posture corset and 'belt' (above) and spinal, spencerform and lumbosacral (below).
These garments remained essentially unchanged for five decades. Only the models' hairstyles give away the date.
The Spencer-All
The Spen-All was so popular that, from its inception in the 1930's, it lasted right through until the 1980's. In these times of change for the sake of change, such longevity seems almost infinite; however, as is mentioned many times in these pages, a corset design that lasted more than half a century was not uncommon.
A vintage Spen-All manufactured just after the War. Note the lustrous satin material and the cup-less brassiere that pre-dated the shaping that would become a feature of the 1950's and 60's. In 1972 (right) the style is the same, with the V-front of the brassiere hooked onto the girdles laces. The brassiere has developed proper cups here.
The property that made these garments classics was that the foundation was in one piece at the back and two pieces at the front. A girdle-hook attached the two frontal portions through which one donned the garment, whilst the back was in one piece. The latter feature allowed for full-length boning to support the tired back, and prevented any unwelcome riding-up of the girdle over the brassiere during incautious bending, a highly embarrassing moment as I can testify! As Alison so eloquently describes, the Spen-All could be, and often was, fitted with an under-belt (below left). In order to don such a garment, the wearer had to adjust no less than eight buckles, 33 hooks-and-eyes, and a set of lacing. The garment could also be ordered with back-lacing; but one supposes a maid would have taken care of adjusting that!
The Spirella company also realised the sales potential of this sort of garment (not least because of the many optional extras that could be ordereda bit like a Mercedes motor car, my husband adds). The Spirella on the right from the 1960's has all the hallmarks of the Spen-All. Which company invented the garment first is open to debate, but Spencer incorporated its name into the garment and thus identified itself with it. The beautiful construction and materials used in these garments are rarely seen these days outside vintageundergarment auction-sites and reproductions of Victoriana. The idea of the one piece back and two-piece front was so popular, that famous makes such as Charis, Gossard and the less well-known British Strodex ( below left ) used the concept., but it was Spencer that produced the best of all.
Spencer US 1963
Spencer in 1941 emphasised the smooth, unbroken line and how it might be achieved using a one piece garment (the Spen-All) or properly matching corset and long-line brassiere.
Surgical Corsets
Surgical corsets cover a huge spectrum, however, the topic described here is the more complex corset that could still be recommended and fitted by a corsetiere, albeit with some extra training. Often, a doctor's recommendation would be required, however, this was usually to secure a contribution to the costs from the NHS or latterly, insurance company. Many women wore what were sometimes referred to as 'surgical corsets'. Indeed, corsetieres could gain extra qualifications in this field that opened a large and potentially lucrative market. This was a point of some pride to the fitters that achieved this level "I can fit surgicals, you know!" To what extent gullible women were persuaded to wear unnecessarily complex (and thus expensive) corsets will probably never be known, but it certainly did occur. This is not to diminish the sterling work of most fitters who bought relief to thousands of women over many decades of service. The subject of surgical corsetry originally appeared under Spirella in the contents page since this is the way the web-site grew, however, Spencer probably was the bastion of surgical corsetry in Britain in the post-war years. The remaining corsets of the type described below are still made these days by Spencer, with whom Spirella merged in Britain in 1985 and, as I have said before, many of these corsets are derived from the basis of the standard Spirella 305 corset. What is the definition of a surgical corset? To some extent it is a matter of degree. A conventional Spirella 305 is not a surgical corset (although by the standards of 2008 it may be considered as such) although it may well control a wayward back or support a sagging abdomen. A surgical corset will have extras, such as spinal steels, buckles, an under-belt, or lacing constructed for ease of tightening the garment so that its form can be impressed upon the wearer. To this end, Camp was pre-eminent for never was there a lacing system so easy and effective to adjust. The down-side of Camps were the inevitable (and hard to disguise) bulk of the garment. Many manufacturers made what could be generically referred to as 'surgical corsets'. At many points within this web site, we have referred to surgical corsets and the most popular references are included below.
Spirella's Surgical Corsets

At its minimum the surgical corset was a basic 305 with stiffer boning. At its most supportive it could be fitted with up to four wide steels bones at the back curved to hold the shape of the spine, front and back lacing (the 325 model), with
under-belt to support the abdomen and occasionally shoulder straps to prevent the upper back from leaving the support of the corset. Inner and outer belts were not uncommon to hold the corset fixed against the correct part of the spine. Often, straps and buckles were used at the front rather than laces. It was not unusual to prescribe for a woman with back problems, a garment containing between 14 and 20 adjustable straps. I have shown an example from Mrs. I, a corsetiere of Worthing, of a 305 corset with an under-belt controlled by four buckles on each side. This posture corset with buckled under-belt ( 1994) shows the characteristic high back and well defined waist.
The next corset, a Spirella 305 with the double-laced under-belt, was ordered in 1986, just a few years before the demise of Spirella in Britain. It required at least one seamstress to come out of retirement to advise on the construction of the garment, since nobody at the factory knew how to make it! It has the double lacing for the under-belt that the front fly, folded back, reveals. The horizontal creases at the waist of the corset shows that it has been used and laced quite tightly. The painted suspenders and the thin attaching straps (a latter day - 1990's - giveaway) are adjusted at their highest setting. A complaint from many older customers is that modern stockings are far too long.
Below we see the 325 corset (a modern example from 2001). Note again the high back, but less well defined waist for this customer. Whatever, there would be little chance of one's tummy bulging in a garment like this.
The variation on the 305 theme is quite enormous. Like all good Spirella corsets, the top lacing bow defines the waist and both these corsets rise some three to four
inches above this; the longer measurement being at the back. The corset had only been tried on a few times before it was returned for some minor alteration. The front- and back-laced 325 was made in 2001 (!) for a lady in her late 40's. The horizontal creases on the back of the 305 corset indicate that the corset has been worn quite tightly, but not often, since the back-lacing has yet to be personally re-adjusted from the corsetiere's original lacing. This unassuming lady is by far Mrs. I's youngest client and has been ordering the 325 for over a decade. Mrs. I. explained that the lady in question suffers from no back problems, but that she simply feels 'better' wearing the corset. Inevitably, the lady has lead a rather sheltered life and was introduced to Mrs. I by her Mother, however, it is encouraging to know that in this day and age, there remains at least one lady who wears a corset because of the feeling of 'well-being'. Adjusting the laces of the 325 is a daily task and quite simple once learned. My Mother wore a 325 with the front and back lacing. The front was adjusted daily to make the garment easier to don, whilst the back-lacing was only touched periodically to cope with weight fluctuations or perhaps a tighter fitting evening gown. I did suspect that the pattern of the back-lacing was sometimes visible through evening wear, and I preferred the 305 which I still normally wear.
It is, of course, wrong to call these corsets made since 1986 by their Spirella designations, since they were made by Spencer, however, they are the original design fabricated under another name and so I make no apology for using outdated terminology. Both these examples are made from the Orchid material that has been available since the 1950's. This is a shiny satin-like material of great durability despite its relative lightness.
Spirella always advocated the use of back-lacing for women with back problems but this was normally in addition to the front-lacing as well. These back support corsets often were furnished with aluminum or steel bones running either side of the spine. I have a beautiful Canadian Spencer front and back-lacing corset (the equivalent of the Spirella 325 which, when this corset was made, had merged with Spencer in Canada) is the heaviest corset I have found weighing well over two pounds and reinforced by no less than 26 bones. It is finished in a gorgeous satin material yet is extraordinarily strong. The garment possesses eight rows of double boning, two flat steels at the front, four thin bones to control the lacers and four full-length, heavy surgical steels running either side of the spine. The back length of this corset is 21 inches. It permits the wearer to sit, to stand and to walk with comfort yet no movement of the lower spine can occur; for this was its designed intent. Canadian 325 from 1975
Until the 1980's, there was never any need for a woman who required such a support to have anything less than an elegant garment. The garment has exterior loops through which a spinal support belt would have passed, however, the lady has had this removed. These lumbo-sacral belts could be mounted internally or externally (as in this case). underbelts fulfilled another similar purpose by hoisting the internal organs into the correct position before the corset was laced tight to pull the steels against the back thereby supporting the spine. (The story of these corsets' acquisition and owner can be found in the Ivy Leaf archive section.) Another complex corset with an amazing 14 buckles is from Spencer itself. It is the standard posture corset with underbelt (three buckles on each side), a hip strap and instead of front lacing, seven more buckles to secure the garment. Much less bulky than many of its competitors, it is still a major exercise to get into the corset. The Spirella abdominal corset (1994) is another formidable garment requiring the adjustment of 16 buckles (six on each side plus another four to control the abdomen). If this werent enough, it laces at the back as well. The garment carries 17 single bones, 10 in the back panel and 7 in the deeply dished front panel.
The garment on the left with 14 buckles is a Spencer from 1995, and on the right, no less than 16 buckles in the Spirella abdominal corset from 1988. In addition to the straps, the corset has back-lacing as well.
All the corsets above are made from satiny materials, however, when you heft the Canadian corset you can feel an entire quality difference that two decades of decreasing choice of materials have wrought. Observe the brassiere of the lady on the right. Like so many traditional Spirella wearers, she has forsaken the Spirella brassiere for the cheaper and frankly just as good Triumph 'Doreen'. The middle corset carries the Spencer label, but also that of Remploy who bought the patterns and the name in the early 1990's. The name, I believe was bought again by Thamert in the late 1990's, however, the Spencer label is still carried since it appeals to the older traditional clientele.
Under-belts
On this web page at the top there is a picture of the 305 with an under-belt adjusted by four buckles on each side. These were reasonably common from the 1920s right through the era of modern corsetry. Indeed, their main purpose was to hold the sagging postpregnancy or obese abdomen into its correct location before the final layer of the corset was applied. The following sentiment is not untypical:I did wear one briefly after pregnancy but the struggle each morning of adjusting the buckles, then the effort of putting on my surgical stockings (standard wear for the young mother) followed by the front-lacing was too much and I reverted to the conventional 305. Perhaps if Id been wearing a corset longer at the time I would have handled it all, however, coming from a girdle it was quite daunting. As regards the under-belt, Spirella made (at least) two sorts. The first has lacing on both sides and the second fastens with several buckles on each side which can be adjusted from outside the corset unlike the
lacers. My mother used to wear such a garment and with ten individual buckles and a full front lacing, it was quite time consuming to put on, particularly with six suspenders as well. She was very adept at this however, and only in her 80's did she go without the under-belt and the back suspenders which were too tricky for an old lady to fasten by herself.
Spencer US in 1947 displays a style that remaining unchanged for five decades
My corsetiere talks highly of under-belts although shes sold no corset with one for the last decade. In fact she suspects that theres nobody left in the Spirella (now Spencer) factory who would know how to cut and sew one correctly any more. The under-belt, apart from its supportive role, was an additional item that the corsetiere could persuade a client to order. Every extra item meant extra commission and if you could sell a client a fourbuckle under-belt, why not a five-buckle one ? Cunningly, Spirella was adamant that the depth of the under-belt, which was determined from the client's measurements, would determine the number of straps and buckles. Mrs. I. told me of so many little marketing ploys that some of her acquaintances used. The extra suspenders, plush lining, rigid steels at the back could be increased from the normal two to four and if a corset comes above the waist, where does it stop ? Every extra inch in length is more commission. I imagine that very few corsetieres were so mercenary as to force their clients into unnecessarily complicated garments but there were certainly some that did. Note (right) how the webbing from the four starboard under-belt straps on this classic Spirella 305 were tucked away. This was a standard method taught to all corsetieres.
I have seen under-belts that range from a small 'three-belter' to what can only be described as a second corset underneath the outer garment. Corsetieres that I have spoken too conclude that the latter device was simply a means of doubling the cost of the garment. My record garment, an utterly lovely satin Spenall, boasts a total of 33 hooks-andeyes! Below is a typical under-belted Spencer corset.
Why do we need under-belts ?

Q: The late Victorian corset was complex in its cut and boning, but essentially was simply two pieces, left and right, fastening at the front with the busk and at the back with the lacing. The Spirella and other makes of corset so beautifully described on your site are complex. They have under belts, additional lacing etc., to make a much more complex garment. Why the complexity? The Victorian version seemed to work well? A: Corset designs of Victorian times and earlier were indeed complex but symmetrical. Once the shape of the panels and gores had been drawn, two of each could be cut and two symmetrical pieces sewn. The bone casings were subsequently attached to the joins thus ensuring a perfectly symmetrical garment. With a busk-fastening (and that is such an easy fastener), and back-lacing tightened by a maid, the garment would force the wearers body into the shape determined by the corset. The corsetiere was frequently the maker of the corset and simplicity was the key to success. With the advent of more sophistication in sewing machines, automated cutters and materials, companies like Spirella and Spencer could provide an individual corsetry service to millions of women all over the world via the medium of their corsetieres. At last the asymmetrical women (and we all are) could achieve a perfect fit. The garment could now be designed to support rather than constrict. Sophistication of the asymmetrical design, lead to comfort for millions of women.
Another fundamental reason for the asymmetric corset was front-lacing. As personal maids vanished from the household, front-lacing necessitated an offset fastening. The busk became a bit stiff and heavy to be offset and so the hook-and-eye came into fashion (although frankly, its nothing like as convenient). Complexities were not unknown in Victorian times, particularly designing corsets for the pregnant women where the changing and expanding curves could be accommodated by arrangements of straps and buckles. These could be incorporated much more successfully and subtly as time went on.
A disadvantage of the more supporting, comfortable garment was that the pregnant, obese or simply flaccid abdomen could sag within the support of the looser more modern corset. The under-belt was designed originally to prevent this. The corset could donned, the under-belt positioned and the laces of the outer garment secured to the desired tension. The external straps to the belt could then be finally adjusted to provide that feeling of security as demonstrated by the charming Spencer caricature from 1920 ( above ). Of course, the under-belt was an addition to the basic corset and only came at a price. Unscrupulous corsetieres, with an eye on their commission, could and did recommend unnecessary additions and complexities. A good saleswomen could sell a corset based on price X, and then persuade the client to add extra suspenders, an under-belt, felt trim, lace, extra straps and high-quality materials. The garment would now cost 2X and the fitter would have twice the commission. The corsetieres that I know say that the under-belt was rare, even four decades ago. They maintain that a well-cut corset does not need one. So, in brief, the complexities of modern corsetry were precipitated by the increasing sophistication of machines and materials, that is, they COULD be more complex. The rogue corsetiere benefited from this, but I doubt if it was ever really that common.
A stunning example from Gilo49 of an under-belted American Spencer corset. It is made from a light-weight material for those steamy Florida summers, however, one suspects that this was never a cool garment.
Maternity Corsets
Both Spencer and Spirella made a point that they would cater for you throughout your life, and indeed many women wore their products for as much as nine decades. Of course, this would encompass several pregnancies, and it gave the designers in the surgical corset division a chance to exercise their complexities.
Spencer's post-partum corsets from 1931
Once the child was born, your Spencer corset would supply all the support required to return one's figure to its former glory. In practice, if one pulled the straps and laces tight enough, this could, and not infrequently would, be achieved overnight!
Heavier Corsets for Heavier Women

Spencer, in particular, attended to the need of the seriously pendulous abdomen and brought tremendous relief to these women. These pictures are slightly more graphic than others on this website and despite the pictures being somewhat pixelated, we leave it to the reader to click on the thumbnail. Some of the photographs in the Spencer fitter's manual were not for the faint-hearted.
Spencer shows how the sway-back and bulging abdomen should be controlled in 1936.
Pul-Front
The Pul-front corset which has its origins in the beginning of the 20th century, disposed of lacings and used buckles instead. This certainly provided for a strong controlling garment, however, buckles will always be slightly bulkier than lacers. In the early 1990's, Spencer either bought the Pul-front name or agreed to manufacture their designs under licence. It was not a success ! The garment illustrated was ordered from Spencer in the early 1990s. It is fully lined and has the traditional overlapping double under-belts. Each under-belt is secured by three buckles and the overlapping front by another six buckles and a hip strap. Four lined layers of material therefore cover the abdomen and quite frankly any reduction in size of the wearer is completely negated by the bulk of the garment which needed 13 buckles to be adjusted each time the garment was put on. Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see a name that was mildly famous in the corsetry world in the 1930's struggle on into its seventh decade with a virtually unchanged design.
Pul-front advertisements from 1935 (top), 1975 (above) and an actual corset from 1978 (right). The corset is effective once the seven straps have been mastered. The Spencer acquired right to the Pulfront design has resulted in this garment below. Heavy, largely due to the felt lining, the construction of this garment was faulty, and the women who paid over one hundred pounds for the corset never wore it.
The double under-belt itself requires six straps, and the fold over front, another seven. The felt lining of the orchid (nylon satin)garment means that the wearer's abdomen is covered by sic layers of fabric, fourteen bones and 13 straps. Overkill, surely?
"I've got a
Bad Back, you know"
How often have we heard this complaint ? I suffer from one and so do many of my friends. By no means confined to women, it is, however, women that suffer most. One cannot bear children and carry around pounds and pounds of mammary tissue without putting a dreadful strain on one's vertebrae. Spirella, Spencer and a host of surgical appliance shops in the Charing Cross Road had the answer to this problem, however, it was Spencer that probably provided more relief to the aching back than any other make. Their bespoke service ensured that the corrective corset would fit properly. There is nothing more painful, or potentially damaging than a poorly fitted garment. Should the client resent the fact that she needed to be strapped and laced into her rigid tube (as several husbands described their wives' armour), then at least there would be a choice of the most feminine materials available. The pictures that head our Spencer page show how a surgical corset can become an object of beauty. As my husband said "Amour doesn't necessarily have to turn to armour". Sarah Ann Jenyns of Australia provided similar support to many antipodean women. The 3690/9 'long abdominal' (right) featured four spinal steels, and with a good fit as shown in the pictures provided excellent support and relief.
The steels of a Modart back-support corset pulled out of their casings (right). These steels were the intimate partners of countless women (and men) who suffered from 'bad backs'.
The corsets below are excellent, and terrifyingly sturdy contraptions. At least even back steels have some flexibility in the Modart example, but if immobilisation was required, then a steel frame was the alternative. The corsets below were the daily wear for ladies who sought relief from the pain of trapped nerves and weak discs. As with any corset of course, one has to tread a careful line between temporary support, and a permanent necessity. Pity the poor elderly woman of last decades, brought up to wear corsets, utterly dependent on them yet in despair at finding a corsetiere.
If the spinal support required more length or rigidity, then shoulder straps had to be employed to prevent the back steels parting company with the spine. It wasn't just the elderly or overweight that wore these devices as shown by the slim Spencer model from 1938 below. All these women know what a bad back is all about. One of the poor ladies (and this is no model) even has her neck supported by a celluloid addition to the top of the corset.
Norwegian corset 1953
Formidable garments all, however, they performed their task and many women who would have been rendered otherwise helpless, were able to carry out their 'household duties' (as Spirella quoted in the chauvinistic language of the 1930's). Often, as seen above, the corsets are fabricated from corset-grade satin. This tough material is sufficiently 'slippery' to allow free passage of ones' outer garments over the corset. Although the shoulders-back posture necessitated by these corsets was a 'give-away' to the corsetiere's eagle eye, there was no need for the lady's support to evidence itself in any other way, such as creaking or snagging. I knew a lady who wore such a device for several years and found it comfortable, although restrictive. The major complaint was the shoulder-straps, that, due to the intrusion of the bosom, have to be routed painfully underneath the armpits. Copious padding eventually solved this one problem. We have related elsewhere, the perils of over-tightening these straps since, once past a critical tension, the wearer's arms start to loose their mobility and, for example, eating becomes impossible for one's mouth is out of reach!
This current product from Turkey is anchored in place, top, sides and even bottom. If shoulder straps chafe, Goodness knows what the lower straps will do!
The bane of the shoulder straps really can't be avoided, although, as I said above, it can be alleviated. Many manufacturers crossed the straps behind the back, and in others, the straps
would meet at a buckle, centre-back, and then be drawn back to the same side from which they started. This was bulkier and more expensive, but it did maintain the position of the straps and keep them from riding up into the armpits. I well remember one of my Mother's bridge friends. She tended to stoop slightly revealing the tell-tale ridge of her corset top through her blouse. One day she turned up with no stoop at all. The transformation was so pronounced that her friends were moved to comment. She described how she had to wear a longer corset, however, she was obviously uncomfortable and commented "Mind you, I didn't expect to strapped up like this!" with quite some feeling. Of all the varieties of corset ever made, the back-support is still sold in reasonable numbers to women who, quite simply, do have a bad back. Not as common in previous decades, since the concept of corset-wearing is two generations old, nevertheless, I know of several elderly ladies whose day-to-day comfort (and posture) depends upon a corset such as those depicted below and still available from several outlets.
I've dealt with the German back elsewhere, however, at least the elderly hausfrau still has access to a fashionable and well-fitted back support.
The model on the right allows for a 'quick conversion of one's corset into a dorsolumbar support'. www.backbraces.com/pages-products/backsupports5.html
Most probably CAMP sold more of these back supports than any other company. Their sheer experience over eight decades, the familiarity of the name and the range of choices was immense. The models on the left from 1932, and on the right from 1941 show how the same generic garment to be tailored to all shapes and sizes.
The danger of the strapless back support (and many were made with detachable straps), was that on bending forward, the corset would separate from the spine. Obviously this reduces the efficacy of the device, and advertises to whoever is watching, that you are wearing a corset. Not all women like such intimate details to be common knowledge. The corset on the right is so long in the back, and so short in the front that the distinctive scalloped top of the corset will be seen through all but the thickest tweeds.
Many women (and men) wore shorter, firm supports for horse-riding. Camp made an excellent corset with side fan-lacing that pulled two rigid steels into the small of the back. Although not widely advertised (what teenage girl wishes her friends to know that wears a corset), these garments were discretely worn around gymkhanas world-wide.
As a footnote, my husband did a bit of mental arithmetic while he compiled this page.
"If a typical back-support corset were front-fastened by buckles instead of laces, that would be about eight buckles." I agreed. Spencer often used buckles. "If she had an underbelt, that could be another five on each side." Again, quite true. "With the shoulder straps, that's another two. Lumbar belt, another two, and six suspenders." He paused, "That's 22 buckles in all!" I shuddered. I do have a back back and I'm very grateful that I can get away with nothing more than a Spencer corset.
In Support of the German Back

The amazing array and variety of the German abdominal supports, is matched by as many complex corselettes designed to perform a similar function. Many of these models can still be purchased from Figesta corsets. The principle is similar, however, lacing, although it can be employed, tends not to be, since the wearers of the corselettes, apart from requiring firm abdominal support, also suffered from back problems. It is highly likely that the two complaints were strongly interlinked. The sagging abdomen pulls at the muscles of the upper back and the poor posture of the back-sufferer allows the tummy to respond to gravity's inexorable pull. The extra length of the corselette and the requisite shoulder straps served to place rigid back boning exactly where it is required; hard against the spine.
At least there was no need for the wearer to be confined in boring, drab coutils. Satins and laces were also available, and readily so to the German Hausfrau. Strong colours were to be an outstanding feature of continental corsetry. Consider the garments on the left. The contrasting patterns and shades stand out, and the figured brocades and satins lend a femininity and elegance to these powerful foundations. The garment on the left, which is still being made, displays the characteristic German abdominal support, with external bands and under-belt. The satin facing is a lovely touch. The garment on the right is one of extreme contrasts and combines a medium weight figured elastic with a alarmingly heavy duty, virtually solid back of satin covered rigid quadruple steels.
The backs are typically very wellboned with long, rigid steels set in one or two pairs either side of the troublesome spine.
Even the inside of these well-made and complex devices is finished in heavy-duty satin. The picture above shows the garment laid wide open. This would be a familiar sight to the wearers, many of whom would don the garment in the horizontal, or Trendelenburg position.
Above left, we see a steeply angled abdominal support beltperhaps a stronger method of ensuring that the spine and the controlling steels remain firmly together. On the right, another variation on the same theme, but incorporating a longlegged panty portion.
The models are typical examples of these garments. Front-fastening for ease of access, with some controlling band connecting back to front at the hip level. Often an under-belt was included and some sort of crotch-strap, since, without the anchoring of stockings, the garment would inevitably ride up on the wearer. In both cases above, it is the underbelt that has the crotchstrap. Typically, the underbelt is a strong, boned layer, devoid of fripperies that holds the abdomen in place. The outer layer provides both fashion, for all these garments are beautifully finished, but also the additional support, via the hip-bands, for the back. Even CAMPS's adjustaband features here. When one considers that such a garment might have an underbelt and a zip-fastening concealing hooks and eyes underneath (this one has a front zip), the wearer could be confronted by an amazing 48 hooks-and-eyes to connect possibly a warning to the wearer's daughter to avoid the traditional fatty diet of the German countrywoman. (A traditional phrase that justified such feasting was, First stuff, then lace!)
Fan-lacing Corsets
Various authorities refer to both fan-lacing and cluster-lacing corsets. I have used both terms interchangeably.
I: Samuel Higby Camp and his Amazing Corsets

The Development of the Fanlacing Corset The 'Classic' Camp Corset Fashionable Camp Corsetry The Camp Girdle Camp Brassieres Camp Catalogues through the Decades Misconceptions Memories
Pulley Power is still the quickest and most effective way to lace a corset. Against the powerful engineering principles, not even the most
protuberant of abdomens stood a chance!
II: The Scientific Support and the Rivals

The Scientific Support The Jenyns Corset Other Fan-lacers
Acknowledgements: Throughout the text in this article, I had intended to use illustrations from our own archives. However, I soon realised that these archives had completely missed some of the most beautiful and elegant corsets procured by the vendors that sell via Ebay auctions. These garments were quite an education to me and this page would be a far poorer place to visit without them. I would like to thank Cherry-Tomatoe, Lyn Locke, and Trishypoo for their generous permission to use these photographs. I have tried to credit the photographs accordingly using their initials. Their web and auction sites are a wealth of information for a researcher who believed that such garments existed only in her memory and the few remaining catalogues of that period.
I: S.H.Camp and his Amazing Corsets

The Development of the Fan-lacing Corset
Lacing a corset was traditionally the job of the lady's maid. Romantically we may imagine the young woman being eased out of her stays by her ardent lover, but in the cold light of dawn, it was the maid or the Mother who would tighten the laces. The laces were virtually always in the back of the corset since that preserved the tight, clean lines at the front of the dress. With maids to help, there was no reason to mount the lacing anywhere else. At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was realised that not every corset-wearing woman had a maid. In reality, the vast majority didn't, especially after the social upheaval of the First World War, and so front-lacing became more popular. The reason is obvious to anybody who has ever tried it: lacing your own corset at the back is possible, but neither easy nor quick. With a new population of working woman who had to handle their wardrobe without assistance, the front-laced corset was a simple practicality. Simultaneously, various improved methods of tightening the rear-lacings were devised, even in Victorian times.
Victorian pre-cursor (left) to S.H. Camp's brilliant invention (right - TP) and the many generic copies
It was left to Samuel Higby Camp of Jackson, Michigan in 1908 to invent an alternative approach to this problem. At first sight it seems bulky and complex, yet is still in use today, nearly 100 years later. Camp drew out the back-mounted lacings into several fans that could be tightened from the front by means of straps and buckles. It is by far the easiest way to lace a pair of corsets and caught on immediately. The concept was patented in the US on 7th June 1921, and in 1941 S.H. Camp himself was still Managing Director of the company that he founded. Camp's system and the subsequent patent are very clever in that the apex of the fanlacing passes through a metal former so that the lacing still consists of one length and that the angle of pull on the straps is effective over a wide range. This invokes the 'pulley' principle to good effect and renders the garment extremely easy to adjust. However, the patent was easily circumvented by several imitators, who simply stitched the apex of the fan onto the strap. This system is not quite as effective; however, these corsets were also remarkably popular and achieved many decades of success, notably in Australia under the Jenyns label.
The source of much controversy. The genuine Camp system on the left, where a 'pulley system' is employed, contrasts with the Jenyns straight pull on the right. The Jenyns lacks the elegant engineering solution pioneered by Camp. However, it is less bulky and I have heard from one lady who has worn both styles that she had no real preference for one or the other. One could almost say that, like the marsupials of the New World, the fan-laced corset evolved differently from its Old World cousin whilst achieving the same objective. I suspect this last piece of philosophy shows that I know more about corsetry than biology!
A real comparison between the brands as modelled from the Ivy Leaf Collection and displayed in the Calendar of 2010.
Both Camp and Jenyns soldier on into the 21st century, leaving behind others of the same ilk such as Gale's 'famous scientific support' as marketed by Sears, and such ephemeral supports as 'Dr. Wilbur's Abdominal Corset' as sold by Pontin's of Oxford Street, London. With no disrespect to either Pontin's or Dr. Wilbur, an example of the latter's corset split whilst being worn. This is only one of two corsets that I have heard of failing during wearing. The unfortunate wearer of a brand new Dr. Wilbur's corset bent over during a game of bridge to retrieve a fallen pencil and caused much amusement to her friends as the material of her corsets ripped apart quite audibly. Both cases of failure (the other was one of my beloved Spirellas) were due to swathes of defective-quality materials being delivered to the factory. As I mentioned earlier, fan-lacing was developed as the solution to self-lacing, and this factor is what kept the fan-lacers in the shops for so many decades. Isobel mentions this in her recollections. "With regard to fan-laced corsets, we found these to be particularly popular with our older lady customers, especially those whom found it difficult to lace a back lacing garment." For those of you that have worn, or tried to wear, a back-lacing corset, let me tell you that the fan-lacing principle makes the whole task so much easier.
The 'Classic' Camp Corset

The classic Camp corset has some patented and unique features. We have already mentioned the fan-lacing pulley system; however, it is worth noting that the top fan-lacing on the back-laced models has a former with three holes, while the bottom former has five holes to accommodate the extra length of lacing. The top fan was designed to control the waist, and the bottom fan the hips. It thus becomes obvious from the picture comparing the Camp and Jenyns lacing systems (see above) that the Camp former is from the bottom lacing. Another classic feature is the swing (or trolley) suspender mounted on the side. This was hung from a piece of elastic whose two ends were mounted fore and aft, to allow the suspender to travel along the elastic as the wearer walked and sat. Again, this is engineering brilliance. (However, did any woman feel much benefit over the conventional suspender?one wonders.)
The classic Camp corset (CT). Note the twin fan-lacers with three-hole upper former and five-hole lower one on model 944; swing suspenders, relatively thin suspenders at the front (all adjustable of course), and the reinforcement around the hips where the major fan-lacing would put its maximum strain on the garment. The strain must have been considerable since most corsetieres who dealt with Camp will remember repairing the reinforcement from time to time. The picture on the right is the generic Camp model 9143 from a 1970 brochure. The triple lacer (model 241) is one of the most powerful corsets ever made. It will flatten the most protuberant of abdomens. It reminds me a a passage from Tom Sharpe's book 'Porterhouse Blue' - "Lady Mary adjusted the straps of her surgical corset with a vigour that reminded Sir Godber of a race meeting"!
The classic Camp has not changed in principle since its invention nearly 100 years ago, and the final most popular form has remained the same since the Second World War. The most popular model was the 143, and variations on this were being sold in Europe until a year ago. The Camps were never really made-to-measure; they were available in a huge range of sizes, and it was the corsetiere's task to select the combination of measurements that would suit her client. In the section on Camp Catalogues through the Decades it becomes obvious that the products haven't really changed at all. The latest Camp or BaskoCamp or Basko catalogues from Europe now deal exclusively with surgical supports and the engineering mastery of S.H. Camp has been replaced by the practical, ever popular and totally unfeminine Velcro. I'm afraid the fashionable intent of the Camp corset has completely vanished. If anybody ever doubted the fashionable side of Camp corsetry, look at the sheen on the 9143 model above. That would have been a satin brocade material. Now regard some of the images below. I've seen many British Camp brochures and the materials have varied from the plainest of coutil to quite fancy brocades, however, it was CT's incredible finds at latterly unfashionable 'corset shops' that opened a whole new world to me. The world of ......... >>>
Fashionable Camp Corsetry
I have alluded above to the blending of fashion and support that became the Camp post-War hallmark. The easy lacing method invented by S.H. himself had developed into a corsetry icon. I had no idea, however, that the fashionable aspect had gone to the lengths that the corsets below display. Truly, these are some of the most beautiful, yet eminently functional, corsets that I have ever seen. The garment below on the left, although in a fabulous material, reveals one of the shortcomings of the Camp lacing system. Look at the well-defined waist that such a powerful garment could produce on the most recalcitrant of figures. But with it, those wretched buckles stand out. In practice, and it really is a shame when you regard these lovely creations, there is actually not much less than a tweed skirt that would hide the engineering of these remarkable garments.
A satin CAMP corset from the late-1950's
Satin is always a bonus in a good corset (left - IL collection) and despite the heavy backk boning, there is no need to wear a plain garment (middle and right CT).
Another superb example (CT) of a classy and feminine material overcoming the serious intent of the garment. Note on the right that CAMP did produce some corsets with conventional lacing (VGP) but this was not the norm and these garments are now rarities.
This classic triple lacer was one of the most powerful corsets available to 1960's woman. S.H.Camp's pulleys would pull the most recalcitrant of abdomens as flat as a board. There are so many of these corsets around the auctions today that there can be little doubt as to their popularity.
A lovely attempt to beautify a surgical corset by the addition of rather attractive lace.
The corset appears to be vintage but this is unlikely since the suspenders are very 1960's in design. It's a charming attempt either by Camp or by the client to soften the otherwise functional design of the garment. The Side Lacer The fan-lacing principle, and the mechanical advantages involved, were adapted, not just for back-lacing, but side-lacing. When a back support garment needs two or four heavy, rigid steels to be placed securely against the wearer's spine, the side-lacing corset comes into its own.
This example, which was typical of many Camps sold from the 1950's onwards, has no adjustment in the lower third of the garment, relying solely on a good fit and elastic. It is the top part where triple lacers ram four rigid steels into the wearer's back, effectively immobilising the spine. Unlike the beautiful fashion Camps above, this was one of the conventional models, constructed from hard-wearing coutil, but that was what the majority could afford.
The Buckler
I think all Camp wearers will agree, that their claim to fame was the fan-laced corset. Most of these garments are generically called Camps, even those manufactured by others (Hoover is the same). They did make conventionally laced corsets and some sturdy buckled devices ( right) that were sold with limited success, however, as an elderly lady once told me "I wear Camps because they are so easy to adjust, if I wanted a conventional corset, I'd buy a Gossard, or a Spirella if I could afford it." Nevertheless, Camp ensured that whatever one of their products you selected, that troublesome spine would have have been secured, and any protuberance of the tummy completely flattened. The poor sufferer of the poorly back, at least would attain a stunning figure. I pity those today who are proscribed hideously sweaty, and expensive neoprene wrap-arounds for their ailments. A corset should be a corset, not an apology!
The Lightweight
A concept, alien to north Europeans but all too familiar to the Miami matron, is the heat of Summer. British women by and large wore the same foundations summer or winter, however, in tropical climes, the heavy brocades and satins were completely unbearable before the advent of air-conditioning. This lead to the rather strangle looking surgical corset ( right) complete with all the bones and steels necessary for it to achieve its function, the whole contraption held together by a virtually transparent fabric. Spencer used an aertex style of fabric to achieve the same end. Much research (and presumably some embarrassing failures) went into designing a fabric that was light enough to breathe in summer, yet strong enough to withstand the powerful forces generated by Samuel Camp's engineering.
The Camp Girdle
The Camp girdle ( below left ) started life as a lighter type of corset, but in the 1950's, they caught on to what a girdle really meant. The Camp patented Adjustaband control was used on their girdles from the late 1950s until the 1990s, where these girdles still were seen in the European Basko Camp catalogues of the day. Sadly, they are no longer sold.
A genuine CAMP advertisement from the late 1970's (middle) uses the age-old ploy of demonstrating a foundation garment on a figure decades younger the clientele for which it was marketed. Strangely, the advertisement on the right (which is not a CAMP product) shows that in the 1990's, the system is still around, and in this case aimed at a far younger audience.
The Camp orthopaedic panty-girdles were some of the strongest panty-girdles ever made, and combined rigid back boning with the 'Adjustaband Control'. Model 98 (below), an open bottom girdle, even had four of these fasteners. Note how these garments were popular in Europe long after they had vanished from the USA and Britain. Oddly enough, a Dutch corsetiere who has run the Coja business in Rijswijk for over 40 years claimed that the rare customers who bought these girdles were largely English! Like the Camp corset, the Camp girdle employed unique features. Whether these were protected by a patent I have no idea. However, the few companies that copied them found that the Camp 'Adjustaband Control' was not particularly effective and, without the brand name, these products had a limited life. Amazingly, these girdles, under the title Cadenza, that were first marketed after the war were still being sold by Camp in the late 1990's.
The Camp Cadenza 98 from the brochure of 1970 and two beautiful examples auctioned recently (CT). The examples on the right are probably unsold stock items from the 1980's (note the metal suspenders but the plastic zip). The reinforced back boning of the model on the right was a Camp specialty of combining serious support with fashionable intent.
The Camp girdle combined elastic panels with attractive materials and the 'Adjustaband Control'. Again, like the corset, the hooks of the bands stand proud and talking to women who have worn the girdles, the variable positioning of the bands is merely like the rows of eyes on a brassiere. It serves to accommodate the slackness of the elastic with age. However elegant the girdle on the right (above) appears, I doubt if it could ever be as functional as a real corset. Look at the expanse of thin elastic between the rigid back panel and the front.
Panty-girdles
Camp even produced panty-girdles in the 'Adjustaband Control' style which were on sale in the USA, Australia and Holland until the mid-1990's although I suspect that after the mid-1980's, the shops were passing on 'dead stock'. The American model 91245 ( right) rates as one of the strongest panty-girdles ever made despite my criticisms above. If the size said 30", it was a warning to those with a 34" waist not even to think about trying it on. Heavily boned front and back it is a very effective garment, although the expanse of medium-strength elastic on the sides sets a limit to its powers, despite the 'Adjustaband control'. The girdle was briefly marketed by Camp in the USA as the 'Slim Jim', a name that keeps cropping up in the world of girdles. This particular example for a scant 28" waist measures 20" from the top to the bottom of the leg. The examples from Britain and Europe ( below) are no less formidable. The British 9171 on the left has dropped the charming satin panels and uses CAMP's last British material, a star patterned brocade. Suspenders are not even as option. The Dutch models 401 and 402 ( below middle & right) use patterned elastic and virtually bullet-proof, boned front and rear satin panels. The middle girdle is even panelled beneath the crotch piece, a touch I've never encountered on any other garment.
The heroically strong 'Slim-Jim' 91245, oddly enough purchased from Jenyns in Brisbane (1993)
UK 9171
Holland 401
Holland 405
Like all inventions, it was copied by others, notably Grotena of Holland and Germany and Mireille of France. The latter garment is so elastic that it falls into the category of laced girdle rather than corset. Like the laced rubber corsets, the lacing has the interesting effect of stretching the garment rather than reducing the wearer !
A Mireille laced girdle (1978), a Grotena pantie-girdle (1992) and one of the last Camp girdles available from the Basko catalogue of 1996.
I might be critical of the potential support of these garments, but in no way do I criticise their elegance, and to give two final examples:-
The inimitable Lyn Locke wears an American Camp pantie-girdle.
This is probably one of the most beautiful girdles that Camp ever made (CT).
Brassieres
Camp also made brassieres using the same fan-lacing mechanism; however, I have never found any of the brassieres built with the same style and elegance as some of the girdles and corsets.
Both these brassieres are hook front and adjusted with the fan-lacing. Note the metal former so typical of Camp. Such garments would be able to control any size of matronly bosom, and more practically could cope with the figure fluctuations that plague the older woman.
In 'misconceptions' (see below), various incorrect uses of the corset as a brassiere have been demonstrated.
Camp Catalogues through the Decades Misconceptions

I suppose that in today's world, where corsets are virtually unknown, misconceptions will occur as to how these garments were worn. One of the most common errors is for the uninitiated to believe that the Camp corset was worn back to front and upside down, so that the curvature for the derriere becomes the container for the bosom.
I have seen this so often in auction photographs. Having twin one-inch-wide duralumin spinal steels to protect the bosom may be extremely virtuous, but also I fear rather uncomfortable. This excellent, but incorrect use of the corset (above) does illustrate another disadvantage of the fan-lacing system. What do you do with all that spare webbing once the laces have been pulled tight? Yet again an argument for a heavy tweed skirt to disguise the engineering. As for the example on the right, the ingenious photographer has managed to use the back swing suspenders as shoulder straps. Just what they though the suspender clips were for defies imagination. Having had my small rant, I do know of a couple of women who suffered badly from swelling of the arms. They wore surgical 'arm stockings' to contain the oedema. The older of the two women
managed to secure these stockings with suspenders attached to the shoulder straps of her corset. Another misconception is the frequent appearance on the auctions of Camp corsets with press buttons and stud fastenings but no suspenders. Often these are accompanied by a comment such as "poor Granny, having to wear this." In fact, Granny never wore these, but Granddad might have, for these are Camp's male corsets.
Proceed to Part II
Camp Catalogues through the Decades

Camp Catalogue from 1930
Camp corset models from the 1930 catalogue (1081, 2821, 3011, 3061). All the Camp patents are featured including the pull-straps and the rear suspenders.
Further models from 1930 (83, 85, 66 and 19). The model 19 is the generic forerunner of the model 143 that many women agree to call the 'classic' Camp corset. Many devotees of this corset never realised that there were other styles. Yet again my husband felt moved to comment on the lady second from the right wearing the model 66 "You dare to photograph me in my corsets, and I'll throw my dog at you !"
Again the 'classic' Camp on the left and a rather formidable lady in the right. My husband says that she reminds him of something from the old Soviet Union. She certainly is a good example of 'stout'.
The formidable matronly figure makes quite some appearance in corset advertising. Certainly, it is the sort of figure that might genuinely require a corset, however, the matron's appearance amongst the otherwise slim professional models always causes a shock, as though to remind the browser that corsetry is a serious business ! Camp Catalogue from 1970
The 'classic' Camp models 141, 143 and 9143. All classic back fan-lacing corsets with sufficient height to control the waist.
For the fuller, more pendulous figure, styles 38L, B83, B84 and B87 were available as back-lacers or side lacers. In the latter case, rigid bones for spinal support could be inserted. Such corsets would never fully control the waist, they simply pulled the abdomen back where it belonged and left the midriff bulge to the base of the brassiere. The resultant figure aspect could be described as 'matronly'.
The Dutch Basko Camp catalogue of 1992 stills carries the 'classic' model (left and centre). The model (right) has all the patented hallmarks of Samuel Camp's original invention.
In 1992, the models in the catalogues seemed to be coy about wearing what by modern standards is simply a 'surgical corset' with no fashionable intent at all. Reinforcing this intent is the drab beige (not even pink or tea rose) coutil with which the corset is fabricated. Nevertheless, the 'classic' Camp is still a powerful corset and if used for fashion purposes will flatten with ease the most protuberant of abdomens.
The Jenyns Corset

The History of the House of Jenyns The demise of the House of Jenyns
Of all the manufacturers of fan-lacing corsets, the Australian firm of Jenyns, needs a special mention. This company, one of many famous and long-lived Australian corsetry businesses, lasted for just over a century, right up to the end of the 1990's. The factory's last location was in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. My husband comments that any woman who wore one of these corsets in the tropical heat of the Brisbanian summer, required considerable fortitude indeed. Sadly, it seems that in 1999, the last corsets were sold, and so another great name passes into history. We were extremely fortunate to be put in touch with a charming Australian woman, who provided some letter-heads that tell a little of the decline of this famous firm. To this day, she still wears her remaining Jenyns corsets, for there is little to touch them.
But let us look closely at two examples of these powerful and functional garments that were recent acquisitions from an Australian lady. She purchased them at the closing down sale of a corset shop in 1993. The Jenyns Standard Corset (interestingly, the word Bryant is hand-written on the label) Big hip, long meant that the front of the garment measured 15", the sides, 19" and the back, where the fan-lacing was placed, 18". Finished in a pretty brocade, there is no doubt about the serious intention of this corset. It is the antipodean equivalent of the 'standard' 141 series Camp corset.
Tape measure (oddly enough manufactured in London). Jenyns loved the word 'reducing' and used it until their demise.
Jenyns Dorsal Lumbar Support Until I saw this corset, I would never have believed that fan-lacing ever passed across the stomach, but it does here. The reason is to pull the four (!) rigid spinal steels encased in their heavy fabric pockets against the wearer's spine. I tried the corset, which, in all fairness to Jenyns, was not designed for me. However, as somebody who has suffered periodically from a poorly back, I felt qualified to give the corset a 'road test' (as my husband quaintly put it). This corset is very, very supportive, although it failed to flatten my abdomen quite as effectively as the standard version.
I found that that it felt natural to lean back ever so slightly into the steels, however, the very long, rigid back, 20", and the relatively short front of 13", revealed something that has always concerned me about these corsets. If one should one dare to bend forward, even to the extent of getting into a car, for example, the top of the corset comes off the spine and is visible to the onlooker as a distinct ridge. Like many women, I need my underwear, however, I do not want its presence advertised either visibly or audibly. Again, I must add that had the corset been designed for me, I would have had the front cut longer above the waist so that the bending manoeuvre would not be as easy. Oh dear. One's corsets should never draw attention to themselves in this fashion (left).
It's a shame since Jenyns have gone to considerable trouble to disguise the straps and webbing that are always a problem with the fan-lacers. The buckles, and neat little loops ensure that the webbing lies close to the corset. Jenyns' unique way of securing the straps by fitting a lace-hole over a small spigot sewn to the side of the corset was innovative and it works.
Jenyns Side-Lacing Corset This is an incredibly powerful garment. The front length is sufficient to avoid the perils mentioned above. Note the inordinate number of lace holes running the length of the garment. Jenyns lacked the mechanical pulley effect of Camp and compensated by sheer number of laces! No problem with the corset length here. Short corsets were a problem with the latter-day Camps as inexperienced fitters grabbed what was left on the shelves as the British end of the company slowly went broke. Invariably, the remaining corsets were the left-overs, the odd sizes that had resisted a decade or more of uncomfortable fitings. Again, the convergent evolution of disparate corset companies becomes apparent in these Jenyns Orthopaedic supports (below).
In contrast to Camp's mainstream offerings, Jenyns often managed to insert just a touch of femininity. The two gratuitous panels of satin on the 4477 are there, simply to remind the wearer that although she must don the 'contraption' each day (as the old ladies used to call them), at least there were some pretty female touches. Unlike Camp, Jenyns opts for the front fan-lacing. Despite their similarities, Camp never used front fan-lacing. I wonder if there was a Jenyns patent involved? On the outrageous 'special' 2900 (left) that measures an alarming 23 inches long, the under-belt, once again, is trimmed in satin. For this immobilising device, Jenyns reverted to back-lacing.
The Jenyns Fashion Corset

I'm not sure if this was what the corset was actually called; the label reads a more prosaic
however, the corset is one of the most beautiful of its sort that I have ever seen. It showed that Jenyns (and Camp) could produce a serious garment and yet make it in heavy grade corset satin with exquisite little touches of lace, and suspender flashes.
The Jenyns Satin Corset

This surely must be the flagship of the Jenyns corset company. The corset is made from sumptuous, heavy corset satin of a quality unknown to wearers of modern foundation garments. Amazingly, Camp ( below right) had a similar idea, but the Jenyns elevates the style to a higher plane with exquisite lace details, the apron front and the suspender flashes. These are details that Camp overlooked, although their 'top range' corset is another stunning example of the corset-maker's craft. The suspenders on the Jenyns are interesting. The front ones are painted metal with moulded rubber grommets which come from the 70's or 80's, however, the rear suspenders, have the traditional metal pin in the centre of the grommet; a 50's - 60's feature. The garment is completely original and unmodified. I suspect, that in the 1980's, when Jenyns was sadly in terminal
I was corrected here by none other than Ken Jenyns who visited us in 2010. The elastic on this garment is from the 1950's having a high latex content. It may be that the owner replaced the front suspenders for a flusher, newer design.
decline, that the seamstresses used supplies of old stock rather than order afresh. I believe that the corset dates from the mid-1980's. This immaculate, unworn example must have been one of the last ever made.
We are very lucky to have such beautiful pieces in the Ivy Leaf Collection. The Jenyns corset modelled in 2009 by a member of the calendar team.
At the Melbourne cup in the 1960's and 1970's, many a flat stomached matron owed her remarkably good figure to these wonderful corsets. When jet travel to the Antipodes became more common, a number of these corsets found their way back to the old country as Grandma, returning to Bexhill with fond memories of her offspring and a token Koala soft toy for the mantelpiece, would also be carrying a few years' supply of Jenyns, definitely not for display!
The History of Jenyns
The Jenyns corset was developed by Mrs. Sarah Ann Jenyns. A nurse, particularly interested in female welfare, she designed one of the world's first side-lacing corsets. From Queensland in Australia, she had to take a ship to Britain to register the patent on her invention! Such determination, tenacity and business sense saw the foundation of one of Australia's best-known corsetry firms, that remained for decades, a family run business. Even during the World War II, corsets were made from army material, and her son, Herbert,. was canny enough to buy up all the available needles on the outbreak of war! The company flourished for six decades, however, at the end of the 1960's, when corsetry throughout the world suddenly felt the chill wind of change, the German firm Triumph acquired Jenyns as it saw the huge potential of the Australian and Far Eastern markets. Triumph's advertising in the early 1970's, whilst proclaiming its success, spells clearly the beginning of the end:- "now the largest producer of bras in the Australian market." As in Europe, the shelves of the foundation garment shops would cease to groan under the weight of girdles and corset, and ultimately be replaced by an anodyne sea of brassieres.
We recently came across another account of the history of Jenyns which covers more detail. JENYNS, EBENEZER RANDOLPHUS (1865-1958) and SARAH ANN (1865-1952), surgical instrument makers and corset manufacturers, were husband and wife. Ebenezer was born on 27 July 1865 at Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, fourth son of English-born parents Joshua Jenyns, grocer, and his wife Betsy, ne Willis. As a young man he was employed by Guyatt & Co., surgical instrument makers, Sydney. Sarah was born on 1 March 1865 at Largs, New South Wales, fifth child of Charles Thompson, a builder from Scotland, and his nativeborn wife Mary, ne Bluford. Ebenezer and Sarah were married with Baptist forms on 5 October 1887 at the Burton Street Tabernacle, Woolloomooloo; they moved to Brisbane about 1896 and were to have eight children.
The family was poor, at the start. In 1905 Jenyns worked as a cutler, but by 1907 was also calling himself a surgical instrument maker. With his wife assisting, the business prospered, operating in 1909 from two addresses in Brisbane, one at 321 George Street. Yet the marriage and business partnership was shaky. From 1911 Sarah independently conducted her own business in George Street, making surgical instruments, corsets and belts. In 1910-12 she patented a series of corsets and 'improved' abdominal belts, and travelled abroad to expand her business. In England she contracted to have her corsets manufactured under licence by Symington & Co. of Market Harborough, Leicestershire. She also went to Canada, the United States of America and Germany, seeking to sell her products under licence. By 1915, although still running separate businesses, Sarah and Ebenezer formed the Jenyns Patent Corset Pty Co. to market her reducing, surgical and fashion corsets, accredited by the London Institute of Hygiene. In 1922 the firm (also called The House of Jenyns) was registered as a limited company. Family relations became extremely acrimonious in the 1920s and remained so. Ebenezer continued to direct his own business, extended his field to include surgical corsets and lodged a patent for 'A Combination Surgical Substitute Corset' on 24 April 1923. That year his son John acquired Ebenezer's business: he traded as Jenyns Truss & Patent Pty Co. at 355 George Street, still using the trade mark of E. R. Jenyns. The split heralded long-term divisions in the family and its businesses. Ebenezer reactivated his manufacturing in 1925 as the Improved Patent Corset Syndicate. He continued to advertise as a supplier of surgical goods and as a corset-maker in the 1930s and 1940s, though he was not a success in business. An active worker for the Young Women's Christian Association and widely known as an open-air preacher, he was a veritable 'bookworm' and a formidable debater. He eventually retired to Kuraby.
The classic Jenyns fan-lacing corset... ...that appeared within a few years of the Camp surgical corset
In 1916, having recovered from a stroke, Sarah had built three-storey premises at 327 George Street which remained the core of her business. Her son HERBERT, who trained as a surgical instrument maker under Ebenezer during World War I, joined her about 1920. The business was sound and employed fifteen women. She took control of the Jenyns Patent Corset Co. Pty Ltd and in 1925 bought into another building, probably at 309-315 George Street. Sarah continued to patent improvements to her surgical corsets. In 1928 Herbert, by then the manager, branched into the manufacture of foundation garments and underclothing. The firm continued to grow, despite competition in the 1920s from Berlei Ltd (their main rivals), the Gossard Co. and Symington. Jenyns prospered as a protected industry in World War II, receiving large contracts to supply garments to the army and navy. In 1946 Herbert became managing director of a new Jenyns company. Sarah lapsed into senility and was placed under a protection order in 1948. Three years later, in the Supreme Court, it was alleged that Herbert had unduly influenced his mother to transfer 13,655 shares in the company to him. She died on 29 February 1952 at Huntingtower, her home at Annerley, and was buried with Presbyterian forms in South Brisbane cemetery. Her estate was sworn for probate at 51,001. Survived by five of his six sons and by one of his two daughters, Ebenezer died on 13 July 1958 at Rocklea and was buried in Toowong cemetery with the forms of the Churches of Christ. Herbert continued to manage the company which expanded extensively in the 1960s; he became a millionaire and a noted yachtsman. The following articles were kindly sent to us by Pat Jenyns, grand-daughter of the founder.
THE HOUSE OF JENYNS
11-2-1964
Back in 1898 tight lacing was the height of fashion. Corsets were designed to produce hour glass figures and women did not know that in doing so they ignored anatomy, displaced delicate internal organs and caused considerable ill health. But there was in Brisbane one woman who did care. An expert in the making of surgical belts to relieve the conditions the corsets of the time so often caused. Madam Sarah Jenyns decided that foundation garments could be designed to relieve backache, improve posture and alleviate that dragged-down feeling while at the same time smoothing the figure into fashionable contours. Working scientifically from medical principles, she succeeded in designing a corset that gently reproportioned the figure into slimmer, more healthful lines yet had all the supporting virtues of a surgical belt. These new supporting and reducing corsets were endorsed by the London Institue of Hygiene and during the 63 years of continuing research carried out by the Jenyns company they have become universally accepted. Jenyns took pride in the materials they used and the workmanship that went into their garments. They made other important advances in corsetry too that the world was soon to copy such as the method of standardising figure types for the corset trade which is now used the world over. The Jenyns organisation have occupied premises at 321 George Streeet, 327 George Street and 309-315 George Street. In June 1960 they transferred their production to 194-208 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane., with an area of 50,000 square feet. . After negotiations with Leading Lady of U.S.A. and Goddess Co. of New York, licences were established for the manufacture in Australia of a full range of maternity wear and high fashion foundations. These new lines, with the existing Jenyns surgical and fashion production, enabled tremendous growth and increased production area was necessary to meet this rapid expansion, so a new wing comprising another 20,000 square feet was added to the production area. In 1964 the Jenyns organisation has over 500 employees and is planning further extensive expansion to cope with the production and marketing of the worlds largest corsetry manufacturers Triumph International. This includes swimwear, underwear and leisure wear.
This Queensland owned and controlled company with sales over $1,000,000 per annum, has demonstrated that Queensland can market successfully Queensland made products throughout the whole commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand. The Board members of 1964 are: Mr H C Jenyns Mr R G Jenyns Mr K H Jenyns Mr K J Bain Mr G M E Offner
THE CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE JENYNS PATENT CORSET COMPANY HOUSE OF JENYNS
1898 The Jenyns company was founded by Madam Jenyns in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 1908 Patented first improvements in corsets 1910 Added more patents in supporting corsets 1912 sold patent rights to manufacture Jenyns Corsetry in England, Canada, France, Belgium, Germany, U.S.A and New Zealand The English manufacturer was granted rights to sell in South America and Africa 1914/18 These were difficult years because of lost shipments of goods 1916 Moved to new larger building 327 George Street. Increased production 1920 A very good year. Increased staff and production 1924 A difficult year because of the No bra or corset fashion. 1925 A very good year with bras and corsets in great demand 1926 Jenyns Corsetry was being sold in every medium and large size retail draper and salon in Australia 1928 The company appointed Madam Jenyns son, Herbert Jenyns, as Manager of the company 1933 The company moved to a larger building 309-315 George Street, Brisbane. This move enabled increased staff and production and sales 1939/44 The company was declared a protected undertaking, manufacturing 40% corsetry and 60% clothing for the Air Force, Navy and Army 1945 A very good year of corsetry production and sales 1946 Madam Jenyns formed her business into a private limited company. Increased staff, production and sales followed 1948 Sales were expanded to New Zealand, South Africa and Pacific Islands 1951 Mr G M E Offner, B.Com., F.C.A., who had extensive business association with the company became a member of the Board of Directors
1952 Madam Jenyns died. Mr K J Bain, F.C.I.S., A.A.S.A., Company Secretary who joined in 1948 was appointed to the Board of Directors 1957 Mr Ron Jenyns, grandson of the Founder, appointed to the Board of Directors 1958 A licence agreement with Leading Lady Brassiere Co. of U.S.A. enabled our company to launch Materna Lady foundations on to the Australian market 1960 The company moved to much larger premises at 194-208 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane. 50,000 sq.ft. capacity A Licence Agreement with Goddess of New York enabled the company to introduce to Australia Goddess high fashion bras and girdles, with great success 1961 Mr KEN Jenyns, grandson of the Founder was appointed to the Board of Directors 1963/64 Enlarged the building by adding two new floors an extra 20,000 sq.ft. of production area 1964 Signed licence agreement with Triumph International Overseas Ltd of Munich, West Germany Leased Plant 2 and commenced production 1-6-64 8,900 sq.ft. area leased for 5 years with options Leased Stoddarts Building, Sydney and established a large wholesale sales distribution 14-10-64
1965 Purchased 36 perches in Edmonstone Street, South Brisbane for employees car park 31-5-65 Leased Plant 3 and commenced production 1-11-65 7000 sq.ft. area leased for 5 years with options Leased Plant 4 and commenced production 22-11-65 6000 sq.ft. area leased for 5 years with options 1967 May 1967 purchased 35.5 perches adjoining Plant 1 used as car park.
Jenyns' Hey-Day
17.7.67 Leased Plant 5 and commenced production. 6000 sq.ft. area leased for 3 years with options 1968 Leased Plant 6 and commenced production 13-5-68 7100 sq.ft. area leased for 5 years with options Leased Plant 8 and established new warehouse 7-10-68 19000 sq.ft. area leased 5 years with options 1969 Leased Plant 7 and commenced production 11-8-69. 26,300 sq ft area built to our design leased for 5 years with options November 1969 company purchased by Triumph International Overseas Ltd. of Munich, West Germany 1970 Leased Plant 9 Ipswich and commenced production 1-9-70. 40,000 sq.ft. area leased from the Jenyns family for 5 years with options
From the early 1970's.
The upbeat message would not last for much longer...
The Demise of Jenyns

Jenyns lasted for over a century, however, as with all the corset houses, the gradual decline set in toward the end of the 1970's. In 1969 as mentioned above, Jenyns was bought by Triumph and became The House of Jenyns, Triumph International. The company appears to have continued the traditional Jenyns line but with some diversification into medical products as well. In 1992, I suspect things were not going well and Triumph decided to sell the venture. It was split into a medical products company Jenyns Pty Ltd., owned by Ken, Pat and Julie Jenyns, and a specialised surgical corset business, Jenyns Bryant Surgical Corsetry Pty Ltd. The name Bryant comes from Sister Ann Bryant who negotiated the release of the surgical corset division. Some corsets from this period have the label Jenyns with a hand-written Bryant added afterwards!
It seems that this move was simply a delay of the inevitable. I have letterheads dated 1989 displaying the logo Jenyns CAMP, suggesting that the successful European company that had managed to struggle on making similar corsets took a part of Jenyns, however, this is not the case. Jenyns simply sold CAMP corsets. Rather like Spirella and Spencer in the 1980's; there was simply no room in a diminishing world market for two firms competing in the same
diminishing market. Jenyns' catalogue of 1994 speaks of Jenyns-Camp and features as many pure Camp corsets as Jenyns corsets.
Jenyns and Camp in the late 1980's
The apparent similarity of Jenyns and Camp products as seen from their 1994 brochure. The lacing systems are, however, quite different.
Jenyns brochures were now poorly photocopied and bound lists. Shops ended up stocking whatever sizes remained on the shelves, and these are inevitably the less common sizes. Prices went out of control, and the elderly pensioners could no longer afford their means of support. Old women desperate to replace their ageing underwear would grasp at any, even ill-fitting examples, and a vicious circle of decline was inevitable. The last Jenyns corsets were sold as the century came to an end. We even have invoices from 1998, one apologising for supplying the wrong size! What happened to the life-long wearers of Jenyns' amazing foundations? There was no alternative the way that bereft Spirella wearers could turn to Spencer in the late 1980's. Did they sit down and weep for a lost cause? Not all all. Typically of the 'frontier spirit' and 'can do' mentality of the hardy Antipodean there remain to this day, a few die-hard women in Australia, lovingly repairing and caring for their Jenyns corsets in the hope that they'll both see out their time together. What an example to us all!
A rare advertisement from Britain in the 1970's shows that Symingtons of Market Harborough were trying to sell these corsets. I doubt if they succeeded. Camp had the niche-market for this unusual garment and I've never seen any sold in Britain.
Letter from a Jenyns Wearer #1 Your site has brought back many memories from during and after the war years in England. Sad to say, but in Australia where I now live, those days are long gone, although I do know a couple of women who still wear Jenyns surgical corsets. They wouldn't do without them, but on days like today when it is so hot (38 o C Dec 2005) they do suffer. Jenyns have now gone out of business, and at the end were basically surgical suppliers. One of the ladies is a Miss H., who is 83 years old. We had quite a chat recently and she invited me to visit her, as she had some Jenyns catalogues to pass on. I met up with Miss H. yesterday at her home. She is a very pleasant lady and made me most welcome. When I arrived the front door was open, I rang the bell and she called me in. She was sitting at a large table in the lounge which had on it five or six old Jenyns corsets and she was re-lacing one of them in the hope that she would have at least one that she could use. She had been working for hours on 'the darn thing as she put it. She had started wearing corsets just before the war after a riding accident and had worn then ever since. For such a lady, who has worn corsets for over 65 years, it will be impossible to do without. Sadly, the manufacture of corsets is dying out as the profit margins have long gone. Maybe with a burgeoning older class of 'baby boomers' this loss of knowledge may yet turn out to haunt us. - Ivy. Letter from a Jenyns Wearer #2 As a long time resident of Brisbane (eighty years and counting!) I was delighted to read your well informed article on the Jenyns company. My sisters and I bought our corsets from their Fortitude Valley Outlet for almost half a century until they closed a few years ago (was it really as long ago as 1993, as your article states?) I suppose I am one of your few die-hard women in Australia , lovingly repairing and caring for their Jenyns corsets in the hope that we will see out our time together! Contrary to popular belief, Australia was until relatively recently a very old fashioned and straight laced place. We were always taught there was absolutely no excuse for a lady to not to always look her best and firm foundations were accepted as a natural part of life. Australia liked to think of itself as the best corseted country in the world and until the 1970s even the slenderest of teenagers wore a zippered step-in, and their mothers something rather more substantial. Firm corsets, along with hats, gloves, stockings, full face make-up and a smart set of dentures were seen as a natural part of an adult womans engagement with the outside world! I obtained my first Jenyns shortly after the war when I commenced work at David Jones (a well known department store in Brisbane ). We wore rather slim fitting black skirts and blouses in those days, and decent foundations were a must. A great deal of standing up was
required, and a few years later I moved up to the Dorsal Lumbar Support. You are correct that when leaning forward an unsightly and rather draughty ridge appears. Rather than be greeted with my friends sing-song I can see your corset, It was soon retired to the back of the drawer! I have worn the Jenyns Side-Lacing Corset since the mid sixties, which although heavier, gives a snugger fit and is generally more comfortable and quite easy to put on. They often came without suspenders, which you bought from Woolworths and sewed on yourself The standing up all day meant that by my late twenties support stockings had become a fact of life. Surgical stockings seemed to be fairly common in the decades after the war, and they were not particularly frowned upon, although at David Jones they did expect you to put something more fashionable over the top. If this was required, one needed two sets of suspenders, as the two pairs of stockings were seldom the same length or weight. You either sewed on extras, or wore a suspender belt or corselette over your corset I still own six wearable Jenyns corsets, plus two Spirella corsets I bought while on holiday in England in the early 1990s, none younger than a decade! How nice it is to think that some things are made to last In another letter, she elaborates on her first corset experience. I remember very well my first corset. I the week before I left school and started at David Jones, we rode on the tram from Wooloongabba to Fortitude Valley (both inner city suburbs of Brisbane ) to the Jenyns outlet. I was fourteen and until then had worn liberty bodices and knee high socks for both school and home, but it was time to join the grown-up word of corsets and stockings I distinctly remember being lead by the hand into the cool, rather dark interior of the shop, and my mother telling the corsetiere she wanted me measured for a standard fan-laced corset". After the measuring, the trying on, and I remember the hard, grippy hug of that first corset and the rising thrill as I watched its effect in a full-length mirror. Mt torso kinked dramatically into my waistline, my spine straightened and stretched, I lifted my chin in an automatic counter-reflex. I metamorphosed from podgy 15-year-old girl to tall, shapely woman. All the parts of me that I did not really like, suddenly molded into this lovely adult, shape. Regarding who wore what when, Australian women tended to stick to what they started with, so my mother, who lived to be 103 and only passed away in 2005, wore her entire life the Warners Rust Proof Corset she was first introduced to as a teenager. Her corsets must have been very old by the end. I similarly have stuck with the Jenyns side-lacing corsets that I had adopted in the mid fifties Australian women from the generation behind me favoured the all-in-one foundation, a combination of brassiere and elastic corset introduced in the thirties by Warners with the introduction of the two-way stretch material. By the late fifties, many younger women were wearing girdles that were constructed out of rubber elastic and the newer stretch net fabrics in rayon or nylon. The different types were:Step-ins - zippered or laced girdles. Roll-ons - all-elastic tubular girdles that were rolled on like a stocking. Pull-ons - tailored girdles elastic enough to pull up like a pair of briefs. Wrap-ons - which opened out fully like corsets and were closed by hooks and eyes. My husband was British and I did spend several years in the UK in both the fifties and seventies. Australia , in those days was several years behind the times in terms of fashion, and Queensland , which was very conservative and rather puritanical, was several years behind the rest of Australia ! I think Corsets were more greatly used, and for longer, that in England , and for any family that liked to think of itself as middle class, strict corseting was seen as a sort of status symbol and mark of respectability. Certainly, I remember once at a genteel County Womans' Association Tea Party, while the Lady Mayoress gave a speech, all I could hear in the background was the whirl of the fans and gentle creaking of many corsets! Because of the conservative nature of Queensland , mini-skirts and trousers were never thought appropriate, and subsequently, panty girdles and pantyhose caught on much later that in England perhaps not until the mid-seventies, and not at all among women above middle age. Pantyhose were viewed with suspicion, and the general belief (not always wrong!) was that they would not stay up on their own I remember my husband offering me a pair of his braces if I wanted to try them! Young women seemed to have abandoned shape wear altogether after around 1980, although in recent years, the shops seem to be full of miracle suits very high wasted, long legged panty girdles, almost like bike pants, and I understand they are very popular In the days before air conditioning, Brisbane summer heat was oppressive, and (strictly in the seclusion on ones own house, and seldom in the presence of company) you did your housework in nothing but your slip/petticoat and your corset. It was not an uncommon site to see a neighbour pinning out her washing dressed in a bright salmon passion killer, but that was never considered quite the thing. Although there are many good brands in available in Australia, my sisters and I always bought Jenyns, as they were a Queensland brand, and Queenslanders patriotically like to support their own. My daughter, on the other hand, has always worn an open-bottomed corsolette, and I dont believe my granddaughters wear very much at all, unless they are dressing up for the races! As for me, I am sticking to what I know my corsets are for people who like to look like people, more than people who look like grasshoppers! Very best wishes
Other Fan-lacing Corsets

Who was it that said "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"; certainly not the Patent Office. However, a number of companies used the fan-lacing principle to very good, profitable and long lasting effect, notably Kellogg, Gale and Jenyns (described above). Throughout, I have referred to these corsets as "Camp style", indicating that the pulley principle is involved, or "Jenyns style", meaning the cluster-lacing has no pulley advantage. Sub-derivatives of the "Jenyns style" is the strap that is held by a buckle, and the strap that is secured by a pin (Jenyns).
The Kellogg corset company was formed in 1907 by D.C. Kellogg Sr., who was a leader in the development of 'scientific corsetry' (there's that expression once again). The charming and knowledgeable Lyn Locke wears an original Kellogg, one of the prizes of her collection. This is a seriously long corset of about 21 inches. I have seen only a few fashion corsets of this length and they were all made-to-measure Spirellas. Note that Kellogg has circumvented the Camp patent and used the multiple-lacingssewn-to-the-adjustable-strap technique, like Jenyns. Note also the absence of the 'swing' suspenders. Actually, the corset is rather long for Miss Locke. It would have been intended for a lady of at least 5' 6".
These 'Mirra-line' corsets belong to the Jenyns style of lacing rather than Camp since no leverage of the laces is employed. The name sounds odd. Is it referring to one's improved image on reflection in the mirror? The Comfort Foundations 'Posture Belt' was another such device.
When I first saw this corset, I assumed it was a CAMP, however, CAMP always had a five-hole former on the lower-lacer and this has but a three-hole. It is manufactured under the name 'Juno", and I've only ever seen this one example.
The strangely named "Fisher Burpe" corset, is another "Jenyns style" buckled fastened device.
Other famous brands have tried the fan-lacing principle, notably the Ambrose Wilson V80, and the amazing Controlacing Berlei. Ambrose Wilson, purveyor of mail order corsets to the British masses for many decades sold fan-lacers, some constructed from sweaty rubber, a corset material that never quite refuses to die out! Lady Mary adjusted the straps of her surgical corset with a vigour that reminded Sir Godber of a race meeting writes Tom Sharpe in his hilarious novel, Porterhouse Blue. These corsets remind me how ridiculously simple fan-lacing is. One goes from bulging abdomen to youthful flatness with a firm pull of the straps. I tried on a Camp (one of our collection) in 2005 and it reminded me how ridiculously simple that lacing method is. One goes from bulging abdomen to youthful flatness with a firm pull of the straps (Lady Mary adjusted the straps of her surgical corset with a vigour that reminded Sir Godber of a race meeting writes Tom Sharpe in his hilarious novel, Porterhouse Blue.) Would that my other lost youthful attributes were as easy to recreate!
From the Ambrose Wilson catalogue of 1962. Fan-laced and busk-fronted, this was powerful and practical.
The 'scientific support' was advertised as such by Gale, the corsetry section of Sears. Typical of many advertising photographs of corsetry, the apparent scene below of three ladies and a reflection in a mirror is composed partly of photographs superimposed on the scene with the corsets drawn over the ladies. The reflection in the mirror purports to have come from the middle lady, but the reflection faces the wrong way!
Sears of 1958 still displayed a formidable array of corsetry aimed at an age group older than the lovely models on the right. The lady on the left might just have been about the same age as many of the women who wore these corsets.
Sears employed the non-Camp style of cluster lacing and were advertising it back in 1935, although on that occasion the corset was one of those very popular perforated latex affairs. Scientific support should perhaps more correctly be called engineering support as a tribute to S.H. Camp, who patented the design. These corsets were worn by hundreds of thousands of women over nearly nine decades and, like the garments of so many of the successful corset companies, what was being sold in the 1990's can be traced back to the 1930's. I've compiled a collection of photographs from the various Camp brochures from 1930 to 1992 that illustrate this point.
The Visibility of Underwear

The very amusing authoress, Jilly Cooper, one wrote about how she detested the sight of a woman wearing a thin blouse over a slip and brassiere. "All one can see is rigging"! These days not only is the visibility of the brassiere commonplace but all too often it reveals itself to the world, peeking from ill-fitting halter tops and the like. Decades ago, visibility was still a concern and references to the 'mono-buttock' appearance of the tightly girdled woman in the tight skirt are certainly indications of the foundations beneath.
In principle a correctly corseted lady should simply look like a lady with perfect posture, however, there are giveaway signs. As I mentioned above, I used to wear a back-support corset with two surgical steels on either side of the spine. If I bent over even slightly, the back of the corset would show as a ridge through even quite thick clothes. (This is a problem that I recently encountered with a Jenyns corset kindly given to be by an acquaintance in Australia). Its only really bad corseting that is visible, however, even with perfectly fitting garments, my elderly friends avoid sitting in soft reclining chairs and will always choose an upright chair. Even myself, if I sit down, I have to be careful that my thighs dont gape in a most unladylike manner, a sure sign of a heavier woman in tight underwear. G.A. Dariaux, author of the book Accent on Elegance (1970) has this to say The purpose of a girdle is to exert an invisible control over excessive curves. Invisible being the key word, it is unattractive and inelegant to tug at a girdle in order to keep it in place, and it is hideous to let the garters show.
My Mother once told me (and Mrs. I agrees) that a woman who wears a well fitting corset looks elegant. A woman who looks as though she is wearing a corset is wearing a poorly fitted one. The way a lady sits in a chair tells so much about her underwear. A British aunt of my husband used to lower herself gingerly into any lowish chair, dropping the last few inches with an exhalation of breath. Her thighs would spring apart to reveal the virtuous bottoms of her long rayon knickers. And that, I might add was just a Marks & Spencer girdle at work. Fully corseted she would never have attempted such a low chair! On the other hand, the Charis corsetiere on the right (1937) wears a corset. Bearing in mind the era, you would guess right based solely on the age of the woman. The corset barely shows, however, the straight back and a dozen little details of her posture shout corset.
If having you underwear make visual reference to itself is bad enough, playing with it is unforgivable as the following article reveals:- Are You a Corset Contortionist?, Ladies Home Journal, April, 1938. "THE YANKER. Offender No. 1shes perpetually tugging at the lower edge of her girdle. Weve all seen her, we all know her; too many of us are her. So lets do something about it. Lets, the next time we go corset shopping, pick a model that is long enough to fit well over the danger point. If it is the proper length, your anatomy will see to it that the girdle stays where it belongs. THE BULGER. A distressing sight, that of the lady who, beneath sleek hips, suddenly bursts out with too, too thriving thighs. She has erred in choosing a corset that is too tight, forcing the unfortunate flesh to find an outlet below. To avoid that lowly bulging, be sure your new girdle allows room for everything you have to stay in its proper place. THE ROLLER. This is another all-too-frequent casualtythe waistline excess commonly known as spare tires.
Permalift ran a series of advertisements in the 1950's extolling their foundation range
There's a small oddity that you might notice on the left. The lady in the dress who wouldn't be seen dead without her stockings, wears a panty-girdle with no suspenders. The lady in the middle with the Bermudas, who wears socks, sports the panty-girdle with the suspenders! Spirella (article on the right) had almost identical advice to impart but with a slightly male chauvinistic point-of-view, but what would you expect from 1947?
And, of course, one should never, ever, catch one's flesh in the zip fastener ! The remedy demands both length and width; either an all-in-one foundation garment or a girdle that rises well above the sit-down bend, one which will not compress and force your tummy upward. A couple of light bones in front may also help. THE GOUGER. Here we have the lady who, every time she sits or stands, adjusts the top front of her corset with a most ungraceful gesture of thumbs-in-andup. As in the case of the Roller, an all-in-one is the logical solution to her problem. If she wants a girdle too, it should be high and flexible in front. Then she wont have to dig for it."
Good advice for the young lady ready to embark on her social career.
Life magazine in 1938 ran an an excellent spread on foundation wear and the models involved (centre left).
To the malaises described above by the observant correspondent from the Ladies Home Journal might be added THE SMOKER, THE CRITIC and THE SLOUCHER, although quite frankly the model is trying to slouch but her corselette is preventing her. One up to the corselette, I say!
I love the pictures on the right, largely because they are so real and so 1950's. The models are pretty, but not glamorous. The beautiful, but powerful girdle has nipped in her waist, but left a slight spare-tyre above the rim in this untouched-up pose. The flimsy brassiere is inadequate for her breasts. The girdle is expensive and probably worn for a special occasion. This illustrates a phenomenon reported by
Rosalind (the Blackpool corsetiere). The ladies desperately need a long-line brassiere to control that bulge, yet even in the late 1950's, such a garment was considered more old-fashioned than the girdle. Such a sight was not uncommon in the bedrooms of better-class suburbia in the 1950's. In today's world of climatic control, ladies rarely need to be either hot or cold and consequently the fabrics used in clothes can be sheerer and lighter than decades ago. Visibility of underwear is therefore much more common and acceptable today. The obvious brassiere beneath the blouse is so common as to elicit no comment, however, and perhaps this is a male thing, but my husband always regards the inadvertent display of the brassiere label a social gaffe of ludicrous proportions. Nevertheless, I have removed most of my brassiere labels since at least, on this occasion, he may have a point.
Spencer (1941), amongst others, went to quite some effort to produce 'recessed lacing' that would not show through the outer layers of clothing. Spirella, being a little more practical, realised that front-lacing was unlikely to show since bending over backwards is merely an expression and not an everyday act. Spirella often, however, covered their rear-lacing to avoid embarrassing evidence of one's corsets when bending down. The amazingly slim model in the middle is, in fact, going to find that bending in any direction is less than comfortable. Ambrose Wilson, the catalogue that, more than any other, brought traditional corsetry to the British housewife for five decades, sold a corset with 'invisible lacing' for many years ( far right). Another practical feature of this corset is that the side suspenders come a little further towards the front for ease of fastening. We have some of these corsets in the collection as well as a girdle with concealed back-lacing from Rigby & Peller. Another aspect of corsetry that requires hiding is the length of lacing left over once the garment is tightened. These lengths of lacing can be a dreadful embarrassment, particularly if they come loose and trail ! This is truly a mortifying experience as my Aunt will testify. The traditional way of dealing with the lacing is to ensure that it is as short as possible whilst allowing the wearer to don the corset correctly. Corset laces come in standard lengths which are always too long; they have to be shortened. The remaining lacing that will appear after the corset is tightened and the laces tied, should be tucked under the edge of the corset where there is always a little space. They may even have to be tucked vertically down the edges, but it works and leaves no unsightly bulge, and Heaven forbid, you'll never betray your secret by trailing a couple of yards of lacing behind you !
The latter problem is solved by the fan-lacing corset ( right), however, it introduces
another problem of how to disguise the potentially bulky strapping. There's nothing more inelegant than a matronly figure in a smart dress who leans forward to reveal the spider's web embossing of her complex foundations against the shiny rayon of her skirt. Incidentally, this remarkable corset is what aficionados of the brand referred to as 'the triple lacer'. This particular model was bought by a thin elderly lady in the 1950's. The waist is a scant 24", yet the overall length is 20" at the back. "Mummy, why doesn't Granny's tummy poke out like yours?" Well, now you know! I've mentioned under Jenyns, how even tight fan-laced corsets can not only announce themselves due to the bulk of the strapping, but when heavily boned at the back, the bones tend to come away from the spine when the wearer bends.
I recently encountered the girdle shown above. Beautifully constructed, with Teutonically robust bone casings finished in corset-quality satin, it certainly would have fulfilled its purpose. However, if somebody had gone out of their way to design a garment that would show through the thickest of coverings; this was it!
CAMP's strongest weapon in its fight against fat
This problem has been tackled in the corset illustrated on the right. The vigorously laced sides will ensure that the bones stay flush with the spine, however, the bottom of the corset is by no means as securely anchored. In this remarkable device, a crotch-piece or proto-panty has been added to hold the garment in place and to stop the lower edge poking out. Beware of Patterns! It is not just bones, laces and labels that can offend but patterns. For several decades, Playtex manufactured foundations in a slightly blueywhite, high latex content fabric with a distinct pattern (right). In the 1970's I saw that pattern so often through unlined slacks and blouses. My husband recalls a rather frumpy young woman at a company party wearing a long chiffon dress through which her Playtex patterned corselette was clearly visible.
Marks and Spencer (above left) also made a range of patterned foundations in the 1970's. What was it about the 1970's? Did our daughters' rebellion into the world of 'flower power' in the 1960's elicit a ghastly flower patterned response from their mothers in the 1970's? Certainly, such patterns were highly distracting and at Oxford University at least, women taking exams were banned from wearing coloured brassieres under their (mandatory) white blouses. British Caledonian Airways had similar instructions in their manual for stewardesses in the 1970's and 1980's.
There are some articles, however, that, come what may, are simply going to show through one's clothes. The hooks and eyes of the standard long-line brassiere are always hard to hide ( left ), particularly in Summer when clothing is thinner. Our friend from the WRNS was well aware that her brassiere showed through her shirt, but leaning over the plotting table for hours on end required this sort of firm support. Even when she started to wear a corset to ease the strain on her back she simply explained "It's either back pain or the Commander ogling me!" The latter apparently was quite harmless unlike the former. I'm beginning to understand, the girdle that we purchased in Singapore in 2002 ( right). This garment appears to have a built-in panty-line. An eastern lady explained to me that the panty-line was designed to be seen, so that the onlooker would think that the lady in question was NOT wearing a girdle.
The beautiful Dutch model on the left pretending to be a cook in the 1960's, clearly displays the indentation caused by a tight high-waisted girdle. In fact, she could well have been wearing the foundations above, attributed to Hollywood actresses of the same period.
Let us consider one of the classic giveaways of your foundations. It is, simply, deportment. Stiff, old ladies used to walk that way because they wore stiff, old corsets. A really tight long-leg panty-girdle (and I mean REALLY tight) actually interferes with the muscles of the posterior and thighs, rendering normal locomotion quite impossible. I remember a dear old lady who, in her 70's and hitherto totally independent, went from a pillar of the community to a virtual recluse due to back pain that had developed to a chronic intensity. Ultimately, she was fitted with a pair of rigid surgical corsets. The difference was profound. There she was was once again attending all the village functions and it certainly helped her back pain, however, her unyielding posture and restricted gait shouted 'tight corsets' for all to see. My husband recalls a stout and aged Scottish 'auntie' who visited irregularly. As she ascended the stairs, he remembers being fascinated by the engineering embossed on her tight skirt. I love the photograph on the right. The female cadets are ever so serious and proud; their carriage erect, their posture magnificent. They are girls of whom any mother would be so proud, despite the very obvious fact that they are all wearing long-leg, panty-girdles. Were these standard issue to cadets? Certainly in the British navy, Wrens could order service standard corsets and girdles; both bullet-proof and man-proof, an ex-army friend of mine used to say. We learnt recently (2011), that this picture is quite famous and comes from America in the early 1960's. The girls were members of an organization called "Angel Flight" which was a non-official military-like auxiliary to the US program called Reserve Officers Training Corps. The girls would be wearing quite simply the standard underwear of the period that would be a long-legged panty-girdle. But without a doubt, these proud cadets have a spring in their step, and we know where that spring comes from! A sequence of photographs that come from a wedding home movie of the 1960's clearly shows the foundation of the bridegroom's mother (left three); bride's aunt, younger friends (it is good that one wears a girdle but 'Oh Dear'; that ridge!) and another lady shows similar foundations; the second from the right shows how it should be done. That she is wearing proper foundations is obvious, but from her figure, not the revealing ridges and rigging. On the right, the lady has just gone a tad too far as the dramatically elevated bosom shows. Perhaps the picture on the right of mother and daughter reveals the truth that all girls will eventually turn into their mothers. One suspects that the means to achieve the mother's excellent figure has been passed down through the generations.
I think this unpleasant, but observant child sums it all up:- "I can tell when Mummy wears her tight girdle 'cause she walks funny!"
The learned Roger K has much to add on the Visibility of Underwear.
Getting it wrong, and getting it right.

One good way to advertise your underpinnings is to dress badly, either by your clothes or your foundations. Regard the following horrors that, despite being worn by young and charming models, are so utterly wrong. Perhaps it is because the models are young that they simply do not know!
All of the models are making the cardinal sin of wearing a long-line brassiere that fails to meet the girdle. Should any of these girls sit down, an agonising roll of flesh will be trapped betwixt bra and girdle. They might look thin, but all women carry fat. The whole purpose of the long-line bra is to disguise this, not squeeze it out! A reader kindly provided the solution. Click on the left picture to see how Contessa could have saved the poor girl from 'nipping a sausage' as a old corsetiere used to call this effect. And what were Playtex, a superb and successful manufacturer of foundations, doing on the right. The model's breasts don't begin to fill the cups. That puckering of the brassiere tip will show clearly through the poor girl's blouse. If that wasn't bad enough, she seems to have taken great care to attach her stockings with as much gathered material and lumpiness as possible. If those stockings stay up during a dance, I'd be surprised. All she needs is a twisted bra-strap, the label to be showing, and the hooks-and-eyes to be miss-aligned and her chances of replacing Miss Moneypenny will be absolutely zero!
Even in 2010 (extreme right), the same mistake is being made, although with kinder materials these days, the result may be less uncomforatble.
The girl on the far right shows how it should be done, even if the garments are utterly superfluous on her. I doubt, even in the 1970's when this photograph was made, that any girl of that age would wear such underpinnings. The photograph on the left here is a personal favourite of mine for the expressions on the girls' faces convey (to me) something that the compositor of the marketing department certainly did not intend. The girl on the left sobs on her friend's shoulder. She knows that sooner or later, that reinforced brassiere that holds her shoulders back will allow her tummy to creep out above her girdle. Her infinitely smug friend wear a corselette in which such a problem is impossible. She knows that she will be comfortable and that her friend will suffer the torment of flesh trapped between her powerful elastic foundations. " I told you so" is written clear across her features. In the middle, the very attractive girl wears so tight a panty-girdle that her hips are reduced to a masculine tube and the bulge of flesh above the girdle is the inevitable consequence. Tight slacks and a loose blouse is all she can hope to wear.
The return of the 'Dior waist' in the late 1940's was complemented by the most magnificent corsets and girdles, however, the later British forays into this arena showed just how badly the wasp waist could go astray.
The model on the left is closest to a reasonable example. The corset is boned so that it will not fold over, however, the lacing is at its tightest (as the horizontal creases show), but the effect is to bulge the flesh above. If she is about to don a wedding dress, where the waist-line is important, but the parts above and below should be modestly concealed in less than accentuating, virginal white satin, then the effect is correct. However, if a figure hugging gown is the next covering, then bones and laces will be embossed for all to see. In the middle, is imminent catastrophe. The second the model bends, that ridiculously short belt (hardly a corset) will fold-over. It will not straighten and the outline of whatever gown she wears will advertise her elaborate, but totally inadequate underwear. The model on the right is at least aware of her dreadful foundation! Waspies were notorious for bending bones. These garments were usually designed for the younger woman and consequently the boning (and the length of the garment) was often inadequate to prevent the garment nipping in and squeezing out the bulges of flesh that it was trying to compress. This sequence of shots from a film would make any corsetiere cringe. The poor dear is actually more shapely after the basque has been removed!
Bones poke out at the shoulder in these two examples
Bones poke out at the bottom
We have mentioned CAMP many times in this regard. CAMP made wonderful, and very effective corsets and girdles for many decades, however, the engineering of the corsets could draw unwanted attention by virtue of its bulk. Another feature that is guaranteed to stand out is heavy back boning. If it's not correctly placed and held immovable, it will sooner or later poke out or reveal itself the moment the wearer attempts any incautious bending movement. Sadly, towards the end of CAMP's worldwide success in the early 1980's, many of their products lay unsold in the suddenly unfashionable corset salons. Inevitably, only the odd styles and sizes remained, and women desperate for a strong garment, and corsetieres desperate for a sale, would compromise frequently creating aesthetic disasters and harming the poor wearer into the bargain. One of my Spirella corsetieres once admitted that she'd had to rescue more than one old dear from her CAMPs. This wasn't just professional rivalry, but a genuine attempt to help these ladies buy better fitting garments.
Another CAMP horror from the 1970's
This pretty girl (right), as so often is the case, wears a foundation that would never be part of her own wardrobe. The elegant girdle is aimed by the marketing department squarely at her mother, however, for decades, corsetry advertising substituted one generation less as their models. The exception was Spirella who organised shows where real women could show off the corsets and girdles that they wore on a daily basis (below). Even then, corsetieres were not immune from persuading their daughters to wear garments that would appeal to their far more elderly clientele. Not all the women in this pose seem entirely at ease!
Returning to our lovely on the right, the girdle is an excellent example of early 1970's corsetry. However, the girdle was dying at this point, and the likely age of the wearer would be three decades older than the model! Note how the girdle is so firm, that although the girl leans over to her right, the girdle remains unimpressed by her manoeuvre; it's actually a little too big for her! If she was really rash enough to wear this garment beneath her summer frock (it must be summer for her to venture outside in her underwear), it would be all too obvious I fear.
Just what were the manufacturers of the panty-girdle on the left thinking? This gem comes from Vintage Glamour Puss and seems to have been designed to advertise its presence through the thickest of clothes. Heaven forbid that one should dream of wearing slacks with such a device. Panty-line, suspenders and less than elegant removable crotch seem to have been raised with the view to embossing themselves on anything other than a petticoated summer frock.
Is this good or bad corsetry? Well apart from advising the model to loose weight, I have to admit that if the question is "Does Body Magic really work?" then the answer must be YES!
How it should be done

According to the corsetieres that I have had the pleasure of meeting, underwear should not advertise its presence other than by forming the figure. What I mean to say is that a stunning figure might only be achieved by expensive and effective foundation garments, but those garments should never call attention to themselves, only the resultant figure. I think the inimitable Hattie Jacques came very close to demonstrating how this should be achieved.
Hattie Jacques (1922 - 1980) in Carry on Cabby (1963). The voluptuous Josephine Edwina Jacques was 40 when this film was made and would well have known, as would her peers in the early 1960's, the figure enhancing properties a good foundations.
The Feel of Foundations

"The Corset Lady had piercing black eyes and a large bust and stomach apparently encased in steel, for when I brushed against her it was like bumping into our oil drum." so quoted Betty MacDonald in 'The Egg and I' (1945). I make no apologies for quoting Betty MacDonald once more (I used the quotation in Corsetieres), since this encapsulates exactly what this page is all about. Both the feel of somebody else's, and the feeling of one's own foundations are covered here. Our inspiration to pursue this line of research came from a letter:"I was born in 1930 and my memory of girdles and corsets goes back to somewhere in 1936. My mother and my aunts were dedicated wearers of lacing girdles and the picture of the kneeling corsetiere at the top of your page on the visibility of underwear prompted me to write to you. I must have seen firmly corseted figures like that one, thousands of times and they always fascinated me. I remember the hugs from my aunts and the feel of being crushed against their rock-hard corseted bodies. Amongst my cousins I was the only one to admit to this and I would come back for more. The others hated it or so they said. It but it was not only the feel from the outside that I found fascinating I used to wonder what it was like to be inside one. I lived in Australia and the brand of corset my mother wore was called Lady Ruth. She always wore a front-lacing corset with an elastic busk under-belt. Although my mother complained about being too hot at times in summer she made no secret of liking the support her corset gave her. She could not stand elasticated girdles. I am sure she was not alone. She liked to be able to control the degree of support it gave."
Oh well, those days are long past.
Simon writes "My original interest was stirred by my wondering about how it would feel to wear corsets, particularly the laced ones like Granny used to wear. It always thrilled me to put my arms around her and feel her stiff corsets, and I knew from the way that she would bend to pick things up from the floor, that she could not bend her body." Another example from decades before was by an immaculately coiffured and gowned lady about to leave home for a ball. I feel fantastic. Ive got all my things on underneath. In practice, rarely do those things feel fantastic. In principle, one shouldnt feel anything at all other than support and a general sense of well-being. Of course if bones dig into your thighs, or you end up sitting on your suspenders, then life will become painful, and you should have serious words with your corsetiere!
Of course, this subject should cover, not just the feeling of somebody elses foundations, but the
feel of the wearers own. I remember two quotes, one from a motoring magazine, where the lady reporter enthused about the seats on an exotic Italian automobile. They feel better than my underwear she gushed.
The Heavenly girdle company (surely a name dreamed up by a man - right) advertises an emotion that was alien to most girdle wearers.
We have not discussed the world of Victorian-style tight-lacing because it is so rarely practiced. It is an engineering fact, so my husband explains, that the ovality of the normal waist, will, under the forces of tension, approach a circular shape. This is a measure of the degree of tight-lacing so he claims, although he also says that hes never put this to the test. Certainly, in Victorian times, contemporary photographs do show this approach to circularity, and the fabulous silver cuirass of Cathie Jung is quite obviously circular at the waist. The Victorian lady knew well, as does the wearer of any, even modern, elasticised support, that marks are left on the body after removal of the garment. In Victorian times, these marks could almost be described as welts, so severe was the constriction.
The two Victorian poses on the left and above show this circularity of the waist and the exaggerated posture required either to sit or lie down.
Mature ladies with that 'give-away' circularity of the waist and distinct 'corset posture.' The lady ion the left would be uncomfortable in any lower a chair.
Ive mentioned elsewhere, an elderly lady of our acquaintance. With few other pleasures in her narrow life, she spent lavishly, although sensibly, on her clothes. A wispy old lady in floating chiffons and delicate lace, her hair shone like the spun silk of her favourite dresses. It seemed as though this ephemeral piece of thistledown would blow away in the breeze. It came, therefore as a shock to my husband, the first time he helped her into her chair. Aware as most men are of the softness of the female form, he was struck by the incongruous rigidity and hardness of her frame. I had already seen her corsets on a previous visit and knew what was coming. The poor old dear was anchored to terra firma by no less than three pounds of Spencers firmest surgical corsets. My husband recounts a less than successful attempt to learn ball-room dancing. In his 20s, he held his matronly partner in the approved manner but was at a loss where to put his right hand. Too low and he encountered a flabby bulge protruding from the top of her panty-girdle (that he could easily feel), and too high, his fingers played restlessly across the sea of hooks and eyes that secured her brassiere. The partnership failed to last the evening and he was teamed up with a pretty, but rather plump girl of his own age. Her own hidden accoutrements were hardly different from the older women, but in this case my husbands embarrassed fingers received definite encouragement. They went out together for two years and, so claims my husband, she used the phrase my girdles killing me quite often. It probably was, if the brassiere didnt meet the girdle (see awful examples). My foundations never kill me because they are properly fitted!
"We all wore girdles then!"

Im glad we dont have to wear these torture devices any more! To refer to a foundation as a torture device is to misunderstand the whole concept of corsetry. Often, these women are of an age (let us say 50-something) that would have made them
teenagers in the early 1960s. It was a time of immense change and not a few reluctant girls suffered with foundations that they did not want and were poorly fitted. The experience was often disagreeable. We tried to recount some of these experiences below.
Young Bridesmaid wears a Spirella girdle 206 in 1958 Spirella's accent on FEELING - 1964
Misses:
It has been a long time since teenagers wore proper foundations, at least 30 and more probably 40 years ago, however, the memories of this period are still alive in many middle-aged women. For some it was a 'rite of passage'. As soon as the teenage years began, the willful tomboy of the playground began to experience profound physical and psychological changes, and from the chrysalis of pre-puberty freedom emerged the beautiful butterfly. This new creature, inexpertly adorned in the adult plumage of brassiere, girdle and stockings with appropriate make-up, hair and serious clothes was completely alien, although not unattractive to her far less mature male peers. The freedom was replaced with a feminine restraint and guile, the knowledge that her physical strength would never match the male requiring other more subtle weapons for dominance. (Scarlet O'Hara describes this most eloquently in 'Gone with the Wind.') For some, the restraint was not just simply crafted femininity, but a physical restriction imposed by the tight girdle, the tight skirt, unaccustomed heels and hair 'that must not be disturbed'. Changing social attitudes in the 1960's liberated many women's' thinking and such restraints became irksome, often interpreted as a male plot to subdue the female. Women threw away their brassieres and girdles, and with them some of the finest weapons that women possessed. The world would never be the same again. I know some girls who were so excited about their first 'grown-up' clothes, and of course, the hidden appurtenances that went with them. However, attitudes in the 1960's were less tolerant of the sweaty embrace of Playtex's latex creations, the bones of Marks and Spencer's firm hi-line girdles and the innumerable hooks-and-eyes of the dreaded long-line brassiere. Sitting on one's back suspenders was the most common memory along with the embarrassing snap as a suspender lost its grip on the stocking. For this generation, such inconveniences were simply not as acceptable as they had been to mother and granny. The reference that is still my favourite is the girl who called her Marks and Spencer best girdle "The Beast!" She seemed to have had a love-hate affair with this garment for it was heavy and hot on the one hand, but on the other, it had a pronounced (and beneficial) effect on her figure. She wore it to lure 'her man' to the alter and promptly discarded it thereafter, forever so she thought, until the detrimental effects of three children on her figure persuaded her otherwise. By then the foundations available were not a patch on those from a decade before, and the loss of the Beast was sadly mourned. I hated wearing a girdle and stockings; it just seemed unnecessary for a slim teenage girl. My mother was full of the usual warnings of collapsed abdomens and bad backs but I thought it was a lot of tosh. One day I sewed my stockings onto a pair of knickers and I couldnt believe how comfortable it was. I suppose I pre-dated tights by five years or more. I dreaded Sundays and the formality of dressing for church. Particularly irksome were the back suspenders that dug into my thighs however I sat down on the hard pews. Even on padded chairs they left indentations in my flesh. I cut them off one day reckoning that four was enough for anybody. Was my mother ever angry at this vandalism of some (very expensive) underwear, but it made such a difference.
My first real grown-up girdle was a pure satin beauty (M&S satin-elastic ? Ivy). I loved the feel of it and the way my clothes flowed over the expensive material. I never felt more womanly. My boyfriend seemed to be very keen for me to wear what he vaguely defined as proper underwear. I usually wore a bra and panty-girdle but to humour him I ordered a basque. What a terrible mistake that was. The wretched bones at the front folded back on themselves when I sat down and I had a miserable evening. The boyfriend failed to notice or even comment until I mentioned my new purchase. Immediately he grew interested but I was well past that stage and just wanted to get out of the horrible thing alone. My first (and nearly last) girdle was a Playtex. My mother was convinced that rubber next to the skin has some magical health-giving property (indeed, the Playtex girdle was at one point marketed as the Magic Controller). Perhaps I missed something but they made me sweat and itch, furthermore, I was completely unconvinced that they had any effect on my tummy, the reason for mother to suggest the wretched thing in the first place. The horrid garment was consigned to the furthest recesses of my undie drawer in short order and I relied on Markie's standard fare thereafter, but only for special occasions. My mother insisted that a pantie-girdle less than 20" long simply wasn't worth wearing. The first girdles that we bought together were disasters, my mother ignoring the fact that she was taller than I and over-ruling the saleslady. The girdle nearly reached from my breasts to my knees. Finally, I purchased a shorter version, and comfort, and I must admit a pretty sleek figure, were the result. My mother returned from America in the early 1960's and introduced me to the 'panty-girdle'. I binned my old rollons and began a two-year struggle with the wretched things. The panty-girdle suited mum, but on my far slimmer figure, it seemed to be all bones, zipper, panels and those awful hidden suspenders. It was only when it came to Britain that I realised that pull-on panty-girdles were available. I rediscovered comfort and have wore them ever since. In the 1950's, you wore what your mother wore and there was little choice or question in the matter. After a couple of years in what my mother called 'a training girdle', I was fitted with my first proper foundation; just like mother's. In fact, it was an exact copy of her standard Spencer with one important exception. I had (at the time) a 25 inch waist and was quite tall, whereas mother's stout frame measured 38 inches (although she denied it). Accommodating all the bones, bone casings, elastic panels, satin panels and a zipper in a two-thirds smaller garment resulted in dozens of seams. The garment was all bones, but I wore it dutifully every day. It stood up by itself; I did actually try that!
Jeans as tight as a girdle
Confidence from panty-girdles
Married:
Marriage brought with it a trousseau, not just of clothes but of the essential underwear that a doting mother considered necessary for her daughter. However, even the most protective mother realised that in order to have grand-children, her daughter must be provided with something less than a chastity belt, thus, a good supply of girdles, panty-girdles (for slacks and sport) and sensible supporting brassieres was the absolute minimum. Note the emphasis on the word sensible. The new bride obviously wanted to look as good as possible on the big day and for as long as possible thereafter, so the foundation trousseau was gladly accepted with the proviso that nothing too fuddy-duddy was included and, Heaven forbid, for even the chubbiest newly-wed, corsets went out with Granny. If a corset was worn by the bride, and it did happen in the 1960's, it was for special occasions only, and usually more for whittling the waist than confining the hips. The hips could easily be disguised in the cut of the gown. I know of many newly-weds who were quite thrilled by dressing stylishly for their new husband and if this meant squeezing into a girdle, then so be it. Others, as was described in Misses, simply used their foundations as a lure. The stylish and shapely woman on the right comes from 1969 when she was 30 years old. Amazingly (even in those days) is the fact that she is wearing a corset, Spirella's famous 305. It certainly works wonders for her. All the other women featured in this wedding and who were under 50 were wearing girdles. I wonder if the woman was a regular corset wearer or was just dressing for the special
occasion. She certainly looks confident! I loved dressing up for any occasion. To me, the tighter the underwear the more glamorous I felt. Sure it was uncomfortable but I knew I looked like a million dollars and thats what counted. A man invented the girdle as a punishment for women. Mind you, I never really thought about it for we all wore girdles then. It was when we were made aware of the panty-girdle and tights that the old habits suddenly seemed ridiculous. My girdles went in the bin in the late 1960s and Ive worn a panty-girdle ever since. I was preparing for a formal do and found to my dismay that my waist simply didnt fit into my one formal dress. What to do? I borrowed a pair of corsets that my mother had left behind and simply laced them tight enough to get into the dress. I looked good I have to admit but I couldnt eat since I thought I would be sick and I hadnt the confidence to dance since I didnt want any male hands feeling the obvious bones of the corset. I realised the truth of what my mother told me The dress fits the corset, not the corset fits the dress! My husband remembered an old cartoon from (of all sources) MAD magazine. It was a picture of a wedding party. A close-up of of the stunning bride revealed her thought bubble "This is MY day. Everybody's looking at ME. Everybody's thinking of ME!" In the final frame thought bubbles appear from the gathered guests and not one concerns the bride at all, but particularly, one middle-aged matron whose bubble says "My girdle's killing me. I can't wait to get home and take it off!" Enough said.
Maternity:
I won't delve long into maternity except to mention that some of the most complex and un-feminine devices that have been constructed in the name of underwear went to support the pregnant female. George deals extensively with this subject. Forty years ago it was supposed that no mortal female could support her abdomen without recourse to serious engineering. These days that is considered nonsense, but the truth (as always) lies in between. A heavy pregnancy can ruin a woman's muscle tone forever, however, proper exercise can minimise the effect. Some support in such cases is beneficial, however, the power of the corset to flatten an abdomen scant days after giving birth lead to many women becoming dependant upon their corsets for the rest of their lives. Sufficient support and sufficient exercise was and is the key. The Camp maternity corset on the right is a relatively basic style by the standards of the 1950's. It has fan-lacing at the back adjusted by straps, and twin lacers at the front to accommodate the expanding abdomen. I have another in our collection that has no less than four front lacers, two with adjustable straps and with four heavy back steels. This must have given some strong support but it weighs nearly as much as the baby! Perhaps we should add here the surgical corset since it could be worn by all age groups. The Wren's back Surgical Mother-in-law I couldnt believe the engineering of the maternity corset that my mother unearthed from her days of pregnancy. There were straps and laces that supported the abdomen and rigid steels for the spine. There appeared to be attachments for other straps and my mother terrified me by explaining how shoulder straps could be added, later in the pregnancy. I wore the contraption and felt, looked and walked like a parcel. My post-natal tummy appalled me and I wore the tightest possible girdles to hide the bump. I basked in the comments of how well my figure had returned despite the acute discomfort. Sadly, my tummy never fully recovered and I became of prisoner of my girdle forever.
Middle-Age:
Spirella's American advertising (and to a lesser extent the British advertising) played a strong moralistic theme in the 1930's - 1950's. How could a housewife perform her chores or duties without the support of a proper foundation? It was only in the 1960's when women discovered that the support was largely superfluous that the myth was exposed and suddenly all women started to wear panty-girdles. The ethics (and brilliant marketing) of the period is seen in this Berlei advert from 1942. Basically, foundation garments were war materials since without their support, how could women carry on their daily duties. For sure a lack of rubber and steel might limit the range, but Berlei was there to support the war effort. I never really considered what it felt like to wear a corset. I simply wore one most of my life. Its like being asked whats it like to wear shoes. You just do. I called my corset my best friend. When I got up in the morning I was flabby, grumpy and good for nothing but nagging and carping. Once in my stays my confidence and poise returned. I became fit, erect and tolerant. My long-suffering husband was well aware of this daily metamorphosis and was Spirella corsetiere often heard to say For Goodness sake get you corsets on! Quite a change from when we were wears a 305 corset married and he couldnt wait to get my corsets off. I once bought a panty-corselette that was far too short (I have a long torso). It brought home an expression my daughter had used (somewhat inelegantly) that her panties were 'gagging' her. In several of these accounts, although the word corset is used, the lady means a girdle Ivy Auntie's rubber corsets Colonel Blimp Waddle in; wiggle out
to a client's daughter's wedding
Matron: Personal recollections of a corset-wearing generation are rare these days and we have to rely stories that were related concerning people's elderly mothers, aunties and grannies. Finally we come to the older lady who, in the 1960's may well have been a life-long corset wearer. At least until the end of the 1960's, a girdle was almost mandatory. A Dutch corsetiere once explained to me why there lurked a few old-fashioned corsets amongst the prevailing 'sea of brassieres' in her high street shop on the Frederik Hendriklaan. "You see, there's still some old women who grew up with corsets. They are physically unable to support themselves in comfort without them." Her sympathy for her elderly clientele was tempered with the Dutch ethic to make money and she charged her devoted customers dearly for their support!
Mum was devastated when Spirella sold out to Spencer. Shed worn their corsets since a teenager. Mind you, the writing was on the wall as the luscious materials of the 1960s got removed from the swaths that the corsetieres used to carry. Her last order was for four corsets, all she could afford, but she hoped theyd see her to the grave. I told her to switch to Spencer but she wouldnt hear of it, you know how old folk are. She used to say "I just don't feel right without my corsets." Whether this referred to what she considered to be proper dress or the need for support was not explained. Our Sussex friend who has worked as a corsetiere since the 1950's remarked that several of her clients explained that their tight and expensive underwear made them feel every inch a woman.
The lady on right is absolutely typical of her generation. Born in 1910, she wore a girdle until the late 1960's and then moved with her peers into a panty-girdle. For this particular wedding however, she wore a corset.
My Granny, in the repetitive way that older folk have, always commented when her corsets were drying on the line I bet youre glad you dont have to wear these things any more! To this I would ask in all innocence Why; dont you like them? This brought forth a litany of the difficulties of washing and drying them, the expensive purchase price, the commission of the corsetiere, in fact almost anything except what they felt like to wear. On this point she seemed genuinely not to understand. Well, Ive got to wear them, Ive worn them since I was a girl. But are they uncomfortable, are they hot in summer? Of course not. Theyre made to fit me, I dont ever notice them.
Conclusion: So there we have it. Love them or loathe them, we all wore girdles then. Perhaps in summary, and for the majority of women, the hoary old expression "My girdle's killing me" is a fitting epitaph to a vanished era.
Corsets and the War

In America and Britain, reference to the War effort was a good selling point, and Spirella subtly accused the poorly corsetted woman of being a virtual traitor. Like Spencer, the lack of proper corsetry was associated with slovenliness and goodness knows what else. If that didn't work, then the necessity of the corset to support the potential customer during her heavy war-time duties would. Don't think that a world shortage of rubber was a problem either; the corsetry business was established long before rubber became freely available and they had any number of alternatives, however, that didn't stop the advertisers drumming home the point. Munsingwear (USA - below) in particular pushed their new spun elastics. It seems that in 1944, Munsingwear had a powerful contract with the military.
If you wander around many towns in Britain, you will notice where old iron railings have been cut out and never replaced. This was a consequence of the
huge drive for iron and steel to make battleships and munitions. Less well known was that ladies pulled the metal stays out off their corsets as their own contribution to the war effort. This need for materials is the USA is illustrated in the LIFE magazine of 1938, several years before the USA came into the war incidentally:"Women have been wearing corsets for about 4,000 year but it's less than 30 years since they have had the painless variety. To most women in recent times, wearing a corset meant nothing more than wiggling into a firm but not hard "girdle" which expanded and contracted with body movements. Such comfort will soon be only a memory. The WPB (War Production Board) has stepped into the boudoir and 1) decreed the number of square inches of elastic which may be used and 2) banned all zippers (that in those days were metal). Arrows on the pictures indicate legal elastic inserts and hook-and-eye closure. The result is that the new corsets, instead of "stretching to fit," will have to be designed and laced to fit. Lacings, according to Miss Frances Heller, corsetire at New York's Bonwit Teller, are a fine thing. They enable a woman to bind herself firmly where bulges are biggest, and shape remains as laced." These are the figures that grace the
Contents page of the web site. We felt
The article goes on to explain how one deals with the arcane art of adjusting it was appropriate to explain the story front- back- and side-lacing corsets. That the article occurs in the MODERN behind them. LIVING section of Life seems vaguely amusing these days, but steel for weapons was a deadly serious matter. In the 1940's Spirella concentrated on how the un-corsetted woman might not only lose her husband's affection, but possibly the entire War as well. 1942 I caught my husband talking to a strange woman ! I sent Bob off to the party alone Is this what its like to lose your husbands love So I sat and took it from the sitter To think I was Dreading his Furlough (leave - Ivy) ! 1943 Ive got the biggest, loudest welcome mat in town quoted the town's Spirella corsetiere. You can look attractive and feel fit in Wartime Dont worry about rubber for corsets ! What British Women discovered about Active War Work ! There was a slight division of interests here, where Spirella wanted all women to look their best, yet rubber was being diverted for the war effort and corset steels (literally) were being turned into tanks and planes. Whist still on the theme of war, we all remember the slogans (particularly if, like my husband, you enjoy the British comedy series from the 1970's, "Dad's Army") "Your country needs you" and "Loose talk costs lives". I doubt, however, if any advertisement before or since has encouraged one to "join the services and get a girdle".
Join the services and get a girdle! Mind you, the strenuous work ethic of the period probably demanded a good support. Kayser (above) went to considerable lengths to reassure women that their slips would not take material from the war effort. After the war, Spirella used an excess of parachute silk to make a series of ladies pyjamas!
Even Spencer used the war to jog women's' consciences by insisting that only proper corsetry (in this case during pregnancy) would allow a woman to continue her duties (in this case the word useful is underlined). In the male chauvinistic world of the 1940's, a women's
duties were to her husband, home and country and often corsets were the only barrier between a happy life and moral (not to mention abdominal) collapse!
Both Spirella and Spencer put much emphasis on moral strength and attention to duty and chores. Frankly, in this day and age, I admire the sentiments.
Just to complete the association of corsetry and the war, Spirella, using their superb construction principles, made parachutes during the war, and G-suits for pilots after the war. The excess of parachute silk after the war was used for a limited range of ladies' nighties and pyjamas, and one of the MD's of Spirella after the war was none other than Oliver Philpott, the famous escapee of Stalag Luft III who was the third, and last, man through the 'Wooden Horse' tunnel.
Sleeping in Corsets
Sleeping in one's corsets is another not uncommon fantasy that is entertained by some correspondents. But it does happen in reality. I have known several women who have slept in their corsets. Invariably they have serious back problems, and however hard the bed, a firm corset for the night-time can give tremendous relief. The lady pictured on the right is featured in Spencer's "Advice to Doctors: 1953". The poor lady in question had a bad back following pregnancy and was quite incapacitated until fitted with these corsets. She wore them night and day for five months and were described as "quite comfortable to sleep in". Sleeping in a brassiere is far more common and provides a great comfort for women with naturally large breasts or breasts enlarged during pregnancy. A well-known BBC presenter famously spoke of sleeping in her brassiere. It was the only way that her D-cup breasts felt comfortable. Eventually, and against her husband's protestations, she had her breasts surgically reduced and slept without a brassiere thereafter. It wasn't just Spencer that produced corsets as a boon to the back-suffering woman, both Camp and Spirella furnished similar articles. Camp even advertised their model 139 ( 1932) as a 'lightly boned night support'. Spirella, once again draws upon its huge archive of testimonials to make the point:-
A feature that recurs throughout the pre-War era is the moralistic exhortation to perform one's 'duties' whatever. So often, in the Spirella literature, references are made to a woman's corset allowing her to perform her duties. This theme was carried strongly through the war years, when, in fact, the corset would be essential to a woman attempting a heavy manual job without any previous experience.
Spirella 1931
How amazing, that a lady as practical as a farmer's wife would need help to fasten her boots. We have little comprehension these days of the attitudes, beliefs, morals and sense of duty of the time when this letter was written 88 years ago. I must work, it is my duty. I need to wear boots, but I can't lace them if I wear my corsets. Therefore somebody must fasten them for me. Altogether, it's another world!
Camp's model 139, 'a night support slightly boned'.
From Spencer US in 1947, a brassiere designed to be worn in bed.
Strange Names that Failed

A tribute to the IPHITALL Studless Busk, an invention of the Menzies Corset Manufactury of Nethergate, Dundee. Before we embark on this slightly humorous trip through the twisted minds of the marketing department, let us not forget that Fred Burley, a man with a particularly inappropriate surname, started a company that would become one of Australia's, and even the world's, leading brands! The only concession was to call the company Berlei, and in one deft change of emphasis, turn the word Burly into something altogether more elegant, perhaps even French.
Despite the corny names, some of these companies actually produced some elegant and useful foundations. The hidden lacing has always appealed to a niche-market amongst the vain, but was the Abdo-lift corset a relation of the Abdo-slim, or were they rivals? As for, Tummy-ins, I'm sorry. Panties will never flatten a tummy. A good girdle or corset is required. Sky-Hi ... comes the Co-Pilot!
Again a girdle aimed at the younger lady, were the manufacturers so forward thinking that they imagined that one day women would be allowed in the cockpit? Surely not. I belive the co-pilot reference was aimed at the future husband of the stewardess!
Lingerie Plastique What is so special bout the garment from 1929 on the right you might ask? Firstly, the name - Lingerie Plastique made by Bon Ton.
The Sky-Hi panty-girdle was well made and pretty, but no different from a hundred of its peers. Very American early 60's with exposed suspenders, charming satin panel and reinforced waist-line I'm sure it did its job well. It's special feature was the name Sky-Hi that alluded to the elegant airline stewardesses and the jetset lifestyle that was coming into vogue. Whilst on the theme of airline glamour ...
Not that the name means garment is plastic, simply that it is supple. The revolutionary part and I quote "As Lingere Plastique is made all-in-one, it does away with the bulkiness of four separate overlapping undergarments; a double layer of silkiness replacing girdle, vest, panties and brassiere." In many respects, it echoed the sentiments of Roussel and was aimed at the willowy figure who required a foundation, but hardly any real shaping. The little petticoat around the base was all part of the same garment; they forgot to mention that.
The Amazing Controlacing Berlei Liftbac 7296 joins this section by virtue of its incredible name. I think anybody who purchased this garment would realise that there must have been something that seriously needed attention with her figure! It wasn't just Bon Ton who lauded the benefits of Plastic, or Plastik as Triumph was keen to show us. Exquisit-Plastik was the latest line in brassieres around the 1960's. This was the era of artificial fabrics and nylon petticoats and a plastic-looking (albeit) nylon brassiere was all the rage. At least it would dry quickly after washing!
I was informed by an erudite gentleman that Plastik also means 'sculpture' in German. I suppose that is what Triumph intended!
One of my all time favourites comes from those archetypal, straight-speaking, Flemish Belgians Le Compressif. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!
Dissolvene (left) Another howler where rubber dissolves away unwanted fat. The booklet of rubber garments will display an alarming array of corsets and moulds, not just for everyday wear, but for use whilst sleeping. In those days it could take a lady longer to prepare for bed than to prepare for a ball. Pity the poor husband faced by an unrecognisable rubber-clad parody of his wife. Horrors!
Many women have pet names for their girdles (rarely affectionate I might add), and to market a girdle as The Tamer shows a degree of realism. I suspect the hand of a women in the marketing department here.
Restrictions (left below) by that famous French company Scandale exhibits both a positive and a negative message. The very name, Scandale, is redolent of risque French affaires d'amour. Whereas, the garment itself, uncompromisingly called restrictions, seems to indicate that the wearer, far from conducting a love affair, simply wants to get rid of the wretched thing. Either that or Maman has let her petite fille wear it, but with strict warnings of just what and what not she might be allowed to do!
Apparently, restrictions is NOT the name of the corselette. The advertisement refers to restrictions in the use of rubber during the war. A think a French double entendre was intended. It caught me out anyway! The letter pointing this out is reproduced below:You included under your article on Strange Names a Scandale advert entitled "Restrictions" which I found rather odd because one would not normally use the word in that context and because many if not most Scandale ads I have seen emphasize souplesse and legerte, i.e. flexibility and lightness. Unfortunately, the image you posted was too small to read so I searched for a legible copy and found a similar but legible companion ad. It dated from 1941 and referred to the restrictions on the use of rubber imposed by the war. It says that Scandale had reduced the rubber content by 50% but maintained its ability to shape the figure without having to resort to laces and other devices that reduced flexibility. If you have a legible copy of the advert and forward it to me, I would be glad to translate it. Scandale made a series of film adverts that I believe were shown in theatres and which were quite amusing.
Women have often said that girdles were invented by the Devil. Calling one's product Diabolic, confirms this, however, I suspect that in French there is yet another subtlety that I may have missed.
This 'Swing-sette' panty-girdle by Gossard is pure 60's Americana. Its unusual feature is that it was selected by the US Olympic committee to underline travel ensembles and parade uniforms worn by the female athletes in the 1967 Pan-American games. Once again, modern women are astounded by this, but they shouldn't be. Athletes, like anybody, wear what their peers wore, and in 1967, a proper young lady was undressed without her girdle. Mary Rand, Britain's Olympic gold medallist for the long jump in the 1964 games, was photographed several times visiting the Spirella premises for one of their publicity brochures.
La Camille's Ventilo Back certainly deserves a mention, if for no other reason, that we keep getting queries as to what the holes in the back were supposed to do. The name is redolent of the British Music Hall (we announce the Great Ventilo and his talking dummy!) and frankly, even by La Camille's own admission (below), it appears to have been a stylistic exercise with reasons developed later and rather vaguely! Spencer's Rejuveno corsets actually became quite popular despite the crass name that lasted but a few years in the mid-1920's.
Popular words that use combinations of other words, incorrectly and illogically, are an abhorrence to the student of the English language. One of the worst and most commonly used is Workaholic. However, Camp's Campopaedic corset was so badly named that the company quickly reverted to a plain old corset. After all, there's little doubt as to the purpose of Camp's corsets, although some people persist in misunderstanding them! Originally, we thought that the Swedish manufacturer, Kronan, who made some superbly elegant and high-waisted corsets, had fallen into the trap of making a comment in one language that has an amusing connotation in another. My husband, however, took the trouble to consult an internet translator that tells us
Hll-in
does actually mean "Hold in". Swedish has some interesting forms of our simple letter a, and Hll-in means "Pour in" or "Haul in". The back-laced satin confection in the advertisement would presumably require the Swedish maiden to pour herself in, and then haul herself in. It would certainly hold in the wearer. It amused my husband no end for a few days afterwards (such is the child-like mind of the male) to exclaim "Hauling in Darling?", each morning when I started to dress for the day.
Apart from the corny name Fre-Mor with its equally corny Even-Pul accessories and conformance panel (I ask you), the advertisement does mention a real problem that the woman of today could barely understand. A lady's foundations from this era were a combination of garments, not just brassiere and girdle but, vitally important, stockings as well. All the garments were
linked; the brassiere to the girdle or corset by hooks, and the girdle to the stockings by suspenders. The stockings secured the combination at the foot end, and the brassiere straps the security at the top end. If this balance of forces became unstable, then the result was a creeping discomfort that could ruin a dinner party or a night out. Apparently Fre-Mor had a unit of vital control that 'kept it all together', although it is not exactly clear how! The Nu-back corset last many decades since it allowed the top of the corset (or brassiere), to ride over the lower part, thus facilitating bending over. However, I had never seen before some French advertising in the 1920's calling the concept Telescopic. It is quite correct of course, but women prefer less scientific names.
How often can one rely and the old rubber corset industry to come up with, not just inventive names, but advertising hyperbole worthy of the best 'snake-oil' salesman! The Sturdi-flex cannot help but suggest that Madam requires the firmest of corsetry to control her wayward curves, yet something less than armour-plated, Madam will still be able to move and bend once ensconced!
No mention is made of the fact that this is one of Kleinart's specialities, the rubber corselette. Even Playtex knew that selling these sweaty contraptions was an uphill struggle. Note how they are at pains to avoid reference to the dreaded latex, and stress that their garment is 'odour-free'. Remember the long-suffering widower whose wife had been persuaded to wear a rubber corselette and latex yarn support stockings, "The old dear used to pong a bit in the hot weather" he less than wistfully remembered about his wife.
Na-Row is a fairly sad name for an otherwise excellent high quality girdle from that famous firm Maidor. Look at the sumptuous satin brocade and the plush-backed zip.
The Hug-Waist Junior from 1952 seemed to be designed to prevent any blood circulation getting as far as the poor girl's legs. No doubt the surgical stocking manufacturers would cash in later.
We recently acquired a 'Fan Massagical' Corset (made in Stockport, England) and the quality of construction is outstanding, shame about the name! Sixteen satin bone casings have been sewn into a heavy lustrous brocade patterned in blue and beige leaves. Blue satin elastic allows the wearer some freedom around the hips and blue laces complete this charming garment. It must have been the property of an elderly lady for there are no back suspenders. It laces up on the right front (in the continental style) and must have been one of the most expensive foundations of its day in the 1950's.
Beautiful satin bone-casings. Interestingly, the suspenders are hung from inside the garment. This would have the stocking tops almost level with the bottom rim of the corset.
The Fan brochure is riddled with appalling names:- The Fan Massagical Reducyr, the Corporect Corset and the Fyshline to name but a few!
Nevertheless, these corsets were beautifully made and Fan had their corsetieres all over the Midlands and North.
From Holland (left) comes the amazing Mollester back-laced corselette. The name may be hilarious to the English speakers of the world partly because the wearer of such a device is probably the last person on earth to be mollested! To the Dutch of course, Mollester is just another famous corsetry name along with Hunkemller and Simonis.
In this lovely example from Australia ( right), it isn't so much the name, although Corlasto Egyptian Queen is a bit over the top, it is the design of the girdle that is just so reminiscent of a mummified Egyptian. I wonder if this was the inspiration in the marketing department.
Another insensitive name, this time from Germany comes the Enorma range of corsets. Like many Teutonic devices, this one has all the hallmarks of a firm support from the leather tipped bone casings to an industrial strength elastic under-belt. Once ensconced in this device, one would be somewhat less enorma than before!
The insensitively named "Y.B. Stout" range of Sears corsetry (left) advertised latex reducing under-belts in case the very name of the device left you in any doubt as to your size!
Fitzwel, well that depends on the Fitter I suppose!
Similar to the 'My Lady' line of rubber corsets comes the Sun-glo from Britian. Indeed, even in the worst of British weather, after a few hours the wearer of this girdle would be well aglow!
In complete contrast comes the Playtex Pink Ice. This clammy second skin was wretchedly cold to don after a winter's night in the un-heated bedrooms of the 1960's. I know one girl who slept with her girdle under the bedclothes just to keep it warm for the next day. But like all rubber girdles, once warmed up, it just didn't know when to give up and prickly heat was a complaint of many wearers! As for Lady Marlene's Panty-Bra-s'lette, it seems that the marketing department just couldn't decide. A foundation named by a committee perhaps?
I love the advertisement on the left. To me it epitomises the American lady of the early 1960's. Whilst most British women were still wearing conventional girdles (and their mothers wearing corsets), American woman was well into panty-girdles of a style and effectiveness that never quite crossed the Atlantic. The name Hi-Rise Majorette was just that teeny bit 'over the top' as most British women regarded their American sisters anyway! Just by way of a change, we came across an inappropriate name for a corsetiere, rather than a corset. I mean would you attend a fitter called Mrs. G.A. Pinches ?
Oh dear! The lengths to which women will go to call a corset anything other than a corset. "Long laced back - reinforcing band - hose supporters" and this is NOT a corset. Really Dr. Storm; who are you kidding? The Storm Type-N.
The poor corselette, or is it corselet, corsolette, torsolette, all-in-one, Spenall, basque, Vassarette or what have you has suffered something of an identity crisis through the decades. This was not helped by Barcley inventing yet another appellation, the Barcolette! Strangely, Smart Form made an identical garment manufactured at the same factory. It was called the DW5C and presumably aimed at a different target audience.
The Grenier Wrapture Air lift No doubt inspired by the Berlin Air Lift of the same period, the smaller-breasted woman need only insert a straw into the top of the brassiere cup to inflate her pride to the desired proportions. For every ten teenagers sipping demurely at their Coca-Colas, one would be secretly re-inflating her leaky Air Lift!
The Perma-Lift Magicool may have had many excellent properties, but I cannot believe the ecstatic expression on the young lady's face. No girdle was ever THAT good! Indeed, the marketing on the left and right belies the sweaty reality of yet another latex girdle. Flabby, cold in winter, wretchedly hot in summer, I feel that sometimes that these slogans were penned by Real Estate agents! Perma-Lift used Ginger Rogers as a model and a devotee but, sensible woman, she avoided the dreaded latex.
Another one from the hall of infamy that illustrates a common problem at the poorer funded end of the garment trade. How often have we seen a completely unexceptional (and probably quite ineffectual) girdle, whose very mediocrity is enhanced by the barrel scrapings of the marketing department. The Bulge-Master from Tranzform ticks all the wrong boxes I'm afraid to say.
I like this girdle box end for a number of reasons. The name, Nev'r'oll Top, apart from being slightly crass, reveals a common problem to many girdle wearers, and that is the wretched top rolling over. Boning certainly helped. The same problem plagues the panty-girdle wearer but in this case, the sufferers is attacked from both ends as the top rolls down and the leg roll up. So far, however, I have never seen a panty-girdle with boned legs!
Warners was a great innovator of foundation wear; witness the Merry Widow and bra cup sizing, however, from time to time, they got it wrong. The amusingly named Hip 'n Tuck Thrifty, may have been a good panty-girdle, but the name did not help. Even that stalwart of a century of corsetry, CAMP, has made the odd blunder. Referring to their patented (and incredibly effective) fanlacing system as Magic Web, did not anticipate the internet by four decades, but simply scared away the arachnophobic, archetypal matron!
In the era when cosmetic surgery became fashionable, the Nip'n Tuck was a slang expression for any cosmetic enhancement that tightened the droops and the sags of advancing years. Spurred on by this, Cupid produced their Nip'n Trol that appears (right) to replicate oneself in triplicate. Perhaps a girdle for civil servants? Any way, the allusion to cosmetic enhancement reminded most women of the surgeon's knife, rather than the ensuing cosmetic benefits and the name was not a success.
Although this looks like the sort of panty-girdle that millions of American women wore in the 1960's, its name, the Lewella Hipaway, one feels, gave it that extra marketing edge!
Yet another latex corset springs from the past. Thynmold allows you to (and how many companies tried this old one) to 'wear dresses sizes smaller'!
So what exactly does this girdle do? Well, its name, the Hip-ThighEze Perma-Lift Panty-Girdle sums it up; just about everything! Oh dear, I suppose somebody had to come up with Slimderella. It was in the Bella Hess catalogue of 1961.
Adaptolettes, Abdo-lift, Bust-confining Diaphragm Reducer, Adjust-eze, Even-pul, Bendo-Back; these are just some of the names that sprang from the fertile brains of Lane Bryant's marketing department from the 1930's to the 1960's.
We have displayed some pages from their 1937 catalogue in the Lane Bryant pages.
Granted that the word Whalonia refers to the old custom of using strips of whalebone or baleen to support the corset, it must, subliminally make the wearer feel somewhat whale-like! Whatever, the brand passed out of fashion as the numerous price reductions hand-written on the box suggest. At 50 inches, however, the wearer may well have been whale-like!
But it wasn't just the vintage marketing departments of America that could coin a phrase or two. Here is an example from the Ambrose Wilson catalogue of 2011! The Balconette Banger Booster
Even in these informed times come the odd howler, Not a strange name here, but a strange occurrence! In the Jerry Lewis film "Who Minding the Store?" a lady has her corset sucked clean off her body by a wayward vacuum cleaner! This remarkable machine divests the although to be fair, it may simply be a case of 'lost in poor lady of "My hat, my shoes .. no, .. no, no, no, no, no .. Oh my corset!" Her dress remains intact for, I fear the film would never have passed the censors otherwise. Nature might abhor a vacuum and I guess this lady the translation' but to wear anything called Bustogrip was not too keen on it either! is simply asking for one's husband to pass comment!
On the left we have, appropriately enough, L'Attice. The lattice work is obvious and has taken the concept of vestigial lacing to an extreme degree! The derriere of this garments is made from the transparent nylon at the front affording a rather candid view of the wearer. In the middle, the Flexnit Adjust-a-Thigh adjusts its own thigh size. Amazing! You mean it's not simply a piece of thin elastic inserted into the leg to accommodate various dimensions! On the right, there's barely a trace of inspiration in the name Lipomed. You get what it says on the tin I suppose!
The charmingly named Lipomed is yet another sweaty latex-based contraption from the Americas.
Tight Lacing
Tight Corsets
What is it about the term tight corsets? In Herman Wouks book Marjorie Morningstar, the heroine is cautioned about those divorcees in their tight corsets. In another book, the main character falls into a loveless marriage ..mistaking her tight corsets for voluptuous promise. My aunt was fond of saying you need tight corsets to catch your man, and tight corsets to hold onto your figure! In contrast, my Mother, in an uncharacteristically catty moment, referred to an acquaintance, who I thought was rather glamorous, as Hah! But she wears tight corsets, as though it were some underhand deception. She regaled me with warnings that tight corsets would give the wearer varicose veins and liver disease. I suspected that the latter was not a direct consequence of the corset, but rather of the social habits that such a wearer would adopt! I've saved the newspaper cutting on the left for years, I simply love the caption "I scream cones." The comment is quite heart-felt, and by today's standards, these high-waisted girdle would be called corsets by a generation unused to such devices, however, if you really want a small waist, then only a corset will do, and there are some beauties below.
Tight Lacing is a subject that was prevalent in Victorian through to Edwardian times to an extent that became extinct after the World War I. Vestiges of tight lacing continued on stage, in some elderly women and in the darker areas of corsetry, however, never again would it be a mainstream fashion. The remarkable 14 inch waists of late 20th century Ethel Granger, and early 21st century Cathie Jung, are expressions of personal taste and form. Having said this, there are many women who tight-lace today, and perhaps the new century will see this niche-interest develop. Only time will tell. What we are referring to in this page is the use of the girdle and corset to shape a torso, ever so slightly beyond the comfort zone for those quintessentially feminine traits of allure and vanity. Cautionary Tales of Vanity and Tight-lacing are covered in the Corsetiere's pages, and some beautiful examples from Gilo49, Trishypoo and Cherry-Tomatoe are shown in these pictures. The corsets shown here form a very distinct set. Consider Spirella's efforts to support and control, we are looking at a different device
here. Control is most certainly afforded by these garments, however, their primary function is to nip in the waist, and lead the eye downwards to a perfectly molded derriere. They all have the hallmarks of the very high, shaped back, and the full length skirt that would allow for immaculate draping of a pencil skirt or closefitting gown. Of course, tight girdles attempt to perform the same task, however, nothing could ever be quite so successful as these corsets.
If the corset ( above left ) appears slightly odd, or askew, it is because the lacing is offset to the wearer's left. It is the only example of this that I have seen. Side-lacing, or well-offset lacing is not uncommon, particularly in Latin America and Spain, but this is something different, and I have no explanation for it.
Spencer ( above ) and Gossard ( right) show their versatility here by
making corsets blatantly designed to minimise the waist. Spirella, on the other hand, put the emphasis strongly on support without constriction, and 95% of their corsets echoed this philosophy. Spencer and Gossard could do likewise, but also made corsets for the ultimate in tight-lacing. Spencer even specialised in fiendishly complex surgical devices that would force the wearer into the shape of a women, despite the afflictions of poor posture, lordosis and even pregnancy.
Note the similarity in the two brands of the offset busk.
Getting in and out of these garments could be quite a trial, especially, the corset described in Cautionary Tales of Vanity and Tight-lacing ( below) where there is no fastening other than the laces which must be loosened sufficiently for the garment to pass the wearer's hips before being tightened again. The splitting of this garment is testimony to how tight the wearer was prepared to lace it ! The white corset makes everything easy for the wearer. The zip can be completely unfastened allowing easy entry, and the elastic lower laces allow for greater freedom when sitting and answering the calls of nature, not always easy, or even possible, in more restrictive foundations.
Whilst talking about restrictive foundations, yet again Gilo49 has procured another excellent example (right). This Modart confection, designed for a sufferer of back problems, combines the two facets of tight-lacing in one garment. That is, we have a very pretty and fashionable corset that would shape the most recalcitrant of torsos, whilst maintaining its eminently 'surgical' function of supporting the back. Such a corset just had to be owned by an older, fashionable woman. It has the
classic six suspenders, full length hooks-and-eyes, and three powerful straps to ensure that the twin rigid back steels and the spine would not part company. Such a corset would be donned by the lady as her second act of the morning. The first would be to put on her stockings, for such an activity would be impossible once ensconced in the corset. The owner would only disembark from its rigid embrace just before retiring to bed.
Footnote:
It was during an inventory check that we came across a piece of quite extraordinary corsetry. We acquired this piece in London from a vendor in Covent Garden. She claimed that her husband originally purchased the garment from Axfords in 1971 when they had their shop near Victoria Station. Ostensibly a present for herself, she was moved to declare that the only person that derived any pleasure from it was her husband. (Isnt that so often the case in lingerie purchases?) One could, however, hardly describe this piece as lingerie. A huge 28 long, with full length boning and laced front below the busk, and full-length at the back, there is no earthly way for the wearer to sit or even walk properly. The woman hated the corset but only sold it after her husband passed away. She felt that it was humiliating. We have two in the collection. The other is in black satin (shown left and right), but is a later model from the 1980s. The boning is not fulllength and it could almost (these days) be worn as a dress. Such a corset would never be worn for real. It is a toy and no more than that although exceptionally confining. Indeed, this corset is one of those garments beloved of fantasy creators, it is the famous discipline corset. This never made it to any girls' boarding school and should perhaps reside elsewhere.
Of Big Bras and 'Doubling Up'

Big Bras
One should never mock the well-endowed woman. Breasts might fascinate the male, but beyond C-cup, they are heavy, sweaty and basically, a nuisance. Take this from somebody who wears a 42E brassiere. Their sheer weight causes both neck and back problems. My husband relates a conversation with a 'front-heavy' lady who wore a neck brace for the best part of a year after undergoing less than pleasant cervical traction. As an engineer (not a diplomat), he commented that the weight of her breasts and the poor design of the vertical human was at fault. Fortunately, the lady knew my husband as a straighttalking Scottish engineer; a fact that probably saved him from serious injury! Why is it that the larger bras are mounted on the lower, and thus less popular shelves in shops. If one didn't already have a bad back (as I do), the stooping and peering at indecipherable labels will certainly give you one. Of the 100 odd brassieres in our collection, we have acquired a 50F, a 50DD and a 48K cup. Besides a rather tiny 32B cup they appear gargantuan, yet humans come in many shapes and forms, especially women, who's complex three-dimensional structure is a challenge to even the most experienced corsetiere. Examples of big brassieres are shown on this page. A famous celebrity, who was spokeswoman for a made-to-measure corsetry concern, went into hospital for a breast reduction operation. Before the procedure could begin, her husband burst into the surgeon's office and threatened all sorts of unpleasant litigation if he dared touch his wife's breasts - other than to make them bigger! That is a typically male attitude; they don't have to carry them around.
Multiple Foundations and 'Doubling Up'

The Independent newspaper reported a candid comment from the actress Gwyneth Paltrow who admitted to 'doubling up' on her 'magic knickers' (panty-girdles). This was not an infrequent practice in the past and it's a technique that I have used on the occasions when wearing my trusty Spirella 305's have been inappropriate. I have related where women wore two pairs of stockings; some brands of support stocking even advertised that they could be worn under a more fashionable pair. I knew a lady that wore a corselette over her corset, partly to support this second pair of stockings but also to disguise the engineering of her surgical support (It didn't - Ivy). There was a famous case where an American servicewoman passed out on parade. She was found to be wearing no less than four panty-girdles to maintain a sleek line underneath her uniform skirt. A Dutch airline stewardess who I have known since university related that since the recent re-emergence of the shaper as a lower foundation, several of her colleagues 'doubled up'. She remembers in the 1970's that on flights to and from Italy, some stewardesses either doubled up or wore especially heavy-duty girdles to avoid the painful pinching that Italian males think ladies find irresistible. She never needed this tactic since firstly, she had (and still has) a stunning figure and secondly, her laser-like stare was up to any strength of Italian digits. The dictionaries will tell us that to double up is to bend double with laughter; unlikely in the cases mentioned above!
Where did the garters go?

I have always found this advertisement somewhat odd. Certainly the wind lifting the skirt has been used many times by the foundation garment marketers (Marilyn Monroe even indulged) but where are her garters? (I have used the word garter since this is an American advertisement. In Britain we would say suspenders and in France, jaratelles that sounds altogether more feminine!) A woman of her class in the 1950's would certainly wear a girdle, and the Sarong was, indeed a favourite of many, but equally certainly, she would not be seen dead without stockings. Look at the fur coats, this is a very cold day. I suspect the vagaries of the censor are at work here. Bizarrely, it is fine to depict a women embarrassed by the unexpected revelation of her underwear, but to depict the same women in the same girdle with stockings and garters was far too risqu. Sadly, without the stockings as a lower anchor, that Sarong girdle is going to ride up despite the promises of the advertisement!
Of Hips and Concealment

In the days before men and women cohabited pre-marriage, it was often said that if a man saw what went on, as the bride and her entourage of bridesmaids, mother, aunts and grannies got ready for the wedding, even a strong man would run screaming into the nearest monastery. Indeed, any man who has overlooked the old saying As a girl grows into a woman, so that woman will grow into her mother, will ponder his foolishness all too late! I am most fortunate in that, while she was alive, I got on really well with my mother-in-law, and vice versa, apart from rare case of raw fear exhibited by my husband at their first meeting, he got on extremely well with mine. But weddings are a hugely stressful time, and these days ludicrously expensive, often costing half a years salary for the bride or groom which, traditionally, would have been paid by the brides father, but not these days. Added to the self-imposed stress of looking ones best, comes the lifelong debt, the impossible repayments and the impossible in-laws! I once attended a cousins wedding in the late 1960s, and this was not just any cousin, this was the only child of an intensely proud, by no means wealthy couple, and, just to add spice to the occasion, the girl was a red-head. I would have killed for her hair, but not her temper that was waspish on a good day, and close to hysterical as the wedding day approached. Red-heads, as mother would happily generalise, have bad temper and bad teeth. My cousin, who in many respects was stunningly attractive, did have teeth that were, let us say off-white due to her clandestine smoking, but the bane of her life were her hips and legs. Elegant above the waist (if a little small in the bosom department), her legs were simply fat. Accentuated by the pale almost translucent skin of the red-head, large blue veins could be seen lurking beneath the surface, just awaiting the hormonal call of pregnancy to erupt into varicose splendour. In the late 1960s, however, long skirts, a padded brassiere and her electric personality had camouflaged these defects, and, as her mother had warned her, Get him to the altar, before you get him anywhere else! Beneath the crinolines and petticoats that support this charming outfit ( right - Montgomery Ward 1964, and it could have been my cousin), anything is possible. All that is required here in the case of foundations is a quality strapless brassiere, and, perhaps, the waist-nipper beloved by Spirella for its weddings. The charming lady on the left, could well have been the mother of my friend, and, the prospective husband could easily have deduced the size of his fiance's hips from her mother's own. The lady was known well to my mother and fought a life-long battle with her hips, armed with the most expensive girdles and latterly corsets that her husband would allow. By no means unshapely, and actually a very elegant woman, my mother swore that it took a heroic effort on the part of Gossard for her to fit into her rayon twin-set. As we have expounded elsewhere, a foundation garment can only rearrange flesh, it cannot compress it, for if it
does at one point, it will re-emerge at another.
The bodys skeleton sets an absolute limit to the extremes of corsetry or weight-loss that seems more fashionable these days! Wide hips cannot be reduced further than the pelvis, although the overlying flesh can be moulded and disguised, and indeed, this is what my attractive red-haired friend achieved with the help of her girdle and the loose drape of her skirts. I recount this tale for my husband remarked on a series of advertisements that quite candidly show attractive women modelling girdles, and no amount of artistry and coyly folded negligees can hide the fact that these women simply have big hips. It may even be that the size of the hips is even emphasised by the girdles!
Girdles from the 1950's (left and middle) and 1970's (right)
The Airline Stewardess

Air hostess who makes heads turn for a second look in Oxford, is pretty, 20-year-old, P. B. One reason is that Ps uniform is quite unusual thereabouts she being the only air hostess in the area for Pan American Airways. The other reason is her smart and second glance appearance. This Penny attributes to Spirella foundations, which keep her figure trim. Spirella Magazine - April 1961.
Indeed, she does looks very trim, and in 1961 represents a step beyond the military style uniforms that emerged from passenger transport after World War II (BOAC - right). The image of the stewardess, and countless stories both factual and fictional, are legion, however, there is often a practical reason for everything. In the early days of passenger flight, and I mean before the modern jet, aeroplanes were extremely weight sensitive and it simply made sense to employ the slimmest, lightest women commensurate with the safety tasks that they might have to perform. Certainly, the gimleteyed harridan ( right) was almost always ground staff although in this cartoon she is saying "Whisky Sir - at this hour?!" The cartoon comes from Goeffrey Williams' classic book 'Fasten Your Lapstraps" (1955). Spirella candidly reveals that P. wears their foundations, but was this a mandatory requirement of the airline or simply what her peers would wear? I believe that the latter is the case, but we will go into a more detailed discussion below. What is for sure, stewardesses are required to be well groomed and confident. With the power of the modern turbofan, they can also be larger than their sisters of the propeller era. This is not being size-ist, it is simply being factual.
Discussion
How often have people discussed the uncover attributes of the airline stewardess? Were girdles a mandatory part of their uniform? The answer almost certainly varies from airline to airline, however, I have spoken to a Dutch stewardess who has worked from the 1970's until recently and she knew of no such regulations. On the other hand, during training, keeping a smart appearance was drummed into the recruits, and advice was offered on foundations that might be appropriate. My friend has never worn a lower foundation and probably never will. She looks extremely smart without, however, she knew that several of her colleagues in those days wore panty-girdles and expects that several will be wearing shapers of some description today. No mandatory rules here; simply a statistical sample of fashion trends. The truth of the matter, and it applies equally to all women whose work requires them to spend much of their time in the vertical, such as nurses, is that tired legs (the old euphemism for varicose veins) is a real problem. Even today, my elegant friend wears support tights, and not just because of the recent scare about deep vein thrombosis. If stewardesses and nurses wore girdles, it was a) because most women did anyway, and b), they needed something to hold up their support stockings. Never forget, a girdle has two functions, to trim the figure and to hold up one's stockings. Often the latter is more important than the former. My friend mentioned a curious incident (almost a cautionary tale) that occurred to an ex-colleague. This girl was tempted away from the airline to work as a stewardess for a small private company. This firm owned a executive jet in the 1970's. If you have ever been on one of these planes, you'll know that they are extremely cramped, however, the bosses wanted a stewardess and that was that! The perpetual bending in the cramped confines of the jet, ultimately resulted in such back pain, that the poor girl had to give up her job. Her doctor prescribed a corset that cured the pain, but prevented her from working in the confines of the tiny jet and her airborne career was over. (I have a curious feeling that the Pan American stewardess above would have trouble working in those heels as well). Whether girdles were mandatory for airline stewardesses or not, it didn't stop a number of manufacturers alluding to the fact. (Sky-Hi girdles for example.) United Air Lines Stewardess, Mary Jo Wheatley wrote the following testimonial for Vectra support stockings in 1961:"We are so hard on stockings. For a long time I went through a pair of nylons every 48 hours. But hosiery made with Vectra lasted more than a week and still made me feel more dressed up." Reading beyond the advertising, and my friend confirms this, stockings and tights do not last long in the cramped conditions of the modern aeroplane. The ever practical British Airways realised that stockings simply did not last, and nothing looks cheaper than a laddered stocking. The solution was numbers and BA provided large supplies of both stockings and support stockings to their stewardesses.
British Airways support stockings were available to the cabin crew. Each pack contains a dozen stockings. This was considered adequate for a month's tour of, say, six flights.
Since stockings do not stay up unaided, one can surmise that many stewardesses did wear girdles in those days*, but so did their hard-working peers like nurses and the long-suffering housewife. Women wear what other women wear; stewardesses were not exceptional!
*Those days may have been surprising late since British Airways was only formed in 1974. Aer Lingus also put its name on branded stockings. This lovely example contains so many dating clues, the aeroplane, the uniform and the words "Bri-nylon" that a date in the late 1950's early 1960's can be guaranteed. This seems more in line with stocking wearing, however, it may be that the attrition rate on stockings kept them more popular than tights for air crew. British Caledonian, in their manual for stewardesses, does not mention foundation garments other than brassieres that had to be white so as to match the white blouse that went with the uniform. Coloured bras were forbidden. Apparently, in the US forces in the early 1960's at least, a girdle was not required to be worn, however, it was part of the mandatory issue and had to be displayed at inspection. An old colleague who was in the WRNS (in the 1960's) summed up the whole issue of what lies beneath the uniform:- "I wore a girdle because all my friends did. There was a standard issue girdle but it was hideous and I wore Marks and Spencers best. The important feature was the six suspenders. Having a stocking sag whilst marching was unthinkable and we relied on safety in numbers. I also had a 'marching bra'; not the Navy's name but quite commonly used amongst us WRNS. It didn't do to have one's breasts bouncing up and down on parade! It looked awful and was very uncomfortable!"
Trapped inside my Panty-girdle

The Dawn of the Panty Girdle
A woman hurried into the restaurant at Selfridges in a waft of powder, perfume and parcels. As she joined her friends for coffee, she gushed in a voice audible several tables away, Im so sorry to be late. I was trapped inside my panty-girdle!
For three decades, the panty-girdle dominated the lower foundations sold to American women and their daughters. It was amazing that such an essentially simple garment could prove so complex with multiple layers of elastic and satin, bones, hooks-and-eyes, zippers and sometimes straps and buckles. Playtex even thought that constructing the device from rubber ( above right) was a good idea!
"It was curious that girls who appeared to us all as fearless Dianas, even Amazons, should have crushed themselves into such constricting garments" Doreen Caldwell 1981. "My mother returned from New York (to England) after a visit to her sister in 1968. "Look at these" she enthused later as she showed me her new wardrobe of panty-girdles. "These are yours" she cheerfully explained as four chastity belts were forced into my unwelcoming arms. Nothing put me off foundations more than those elastic nightmares, but I wore them until I went to University." Marjorie Hanley. I feel we can assume that the lady mentioned above who's quote is the title to this page, like so many of her sisters, had tried on a panty-girdle in a size, say 34, when she knew that her waist was approaching 40.
A Sarongster panty-girdle from the early 1970's.
This may sound like an odd title for a serious dissertation on the diverse aspects of corsetry, however, this page arose from an experience exactly as described above. We have mentioned the occasion in corsetiere's anecdotes (also described below), however, it started my husband and I considering some of the more powerful panty-girdles that we have encountered, or about which we have heard stories. These two girdles pictured left and right show the evolution of the panty-girdle in the 1950's and 1960's. In those days, stockings were far shorter than they would become, simply because skirts were longer. One can already see the shortening of the suspenders that one decade makes. Soon, the suspenders would actually creep up the leg of the girdle; first on the outside, then latterly on the inside to accommodate the extra stocking length. This lead to some embarrassing revelation when exiting from cars for example. The point, however, is that these are serious garments, and a far cry from the flimsy shapers of today. We even published the following short paragraph, however, it elicited such a response (such are the delights of creating a web site) that we felt obliged to research further.
The story above has prompted several readers to ask how can you get trapped in such a flimsy undergarment as a panty-girdle. Well, in the 1960's, they were far from flimsy (the anecdote comes from the early 1970's). Regard the products that the Dutch matron might have been wearing in those days, and that were also available in Britain and America. By far the most complex panty-girdle is the one illustrated to the right. Outwardly conventional, and obviously from the 1960's, it has a double laced underbelt!!
Especially designed for post-pregnancy and the drastic return of the figure to normality, it is hardly likely that the lady in question was in such a delicate condition.
This amazing garment comes from the auctions of Trishypoo
The panty-girdle above, is an extreme example of its genre. It was, I believe, a device for the woman who, almost immediately after pregnancy, desired an immediate return to a conventional shape. Traditionally, this could be achieved by wearing a corset, and, to be honest, this garment is close to that description. The danger, as every mother informs her daughters, is that the girdle is returning the figure to normal, not the body's own muscles. Reliance on this device after pregnancy will inevitably lead to reliance on a girdle or corset forevermore. Remember Playtex's exhortations to the 30-year-olds of the 1960's, "Holds you in like firm young muscles". Of course it does, but it doesn't replace firm young muscles, nor does it encourage them either!!
Such girdles are still around today ( 2005), but they seem to have become the preserve of the Latin countries, that is Italy, Spain and Latin America. The example on the left below is currently available from Latin America and sold in various American outlets. It is specifically designed to flatten the postpregnancy tummy, and judging by the description, "six straps secure a light, but rigid panel", it will do so very effectively. The very rare Spencers ( below right) and the same idea from Coronation ( below left ) achieved the same ends by strapping the post-pregnancy abdomen into the confines of a rigid panty-girdle. The enclosed illustrations show the rigidity of the spinal steels in the Coronation girdle.
Returning to the theme of entrapment, I know of only a few genuine cases where a wearer has actually become stuck in her foundations. The case of the unyielding corset buckles has, I'm sure, defeated more wearers than the vain elderly woman of my correspondent's tale. Certainly, I know of several women wearing zippered girdles who have managed to jam the zip on the little satin tag attached thereto. Infinite patience is required to set oneself free, or an expensive mistake will occur. We collected some images of panty-girdles, that apart from their potential to snare the unwary, are remarkable examples of how a simple garment can end up as a fiendishly complex garment. In these modern times, when the knowledge of proper corsetry is virtually unknown, we have so often encountered women referring to a corset, when in fact they mean a panty-girdle. Whether this is levity, or simple ignorance of the subject is sometimes unclear, however, I could forgive these women for describing the garments exhibited below as corsets, even if they are technically incorrect.
Every complication exists, from the double-lace under-belt to twin zippers, waist cincher, back steels, straps, belts, hooks-and-eyes, and, of course, Camp just had to add its 'adjustaband' control! Even Jenyns couldn't resist adding hip bands to their industrial strength, reinforced elastic panty-girdle. On the right, this German confection manages to add to webbing straps attached to pads with leather reinforcement! The twin-zippered girdles ( above ) tell their own stories. Dating from the early 1960's, the lower garment is fresh, unused and with its original tags. The creases indicate a long period stored in its box or in a drawer. It was simply too complex, or too uncomfortable to wear! The upper garment shows how that lower zipper will bend and buckle with every movement of the thighs. Goodness knows what tortures accompanied even a simple sitting manoeuvre! Worse still, is the little pull tag hanging over the stockings just waiting to reveal its presence should the incautious woman sit or bend. Horrors; it might even be mistaken for the end of a corset lace! It is interesting to note that post-War liberation, whilst freeing woman from her corsets, forced her into equally uncompromising garments. Even without all the extras described above, the basic garment was restrictive enough in its own right. Look at the engineering below. Howard Hughes would have been impressed!
And it wasn't just our mothers in the 1960's that wore these formidable girdles. The modern Japanese Miss (above) has re-invented the wheel in the 21st century! This charming picture on the left was taken from the book "And All was Revealed" by Doreen Caldwell (1981). She states "It was curious that girls who appeared to us all as fearless Dianas, even Amazons, should have crushed themselves into such constricting garments".
I feel that these sentiments are echoed by the Australian advert on the right, where blatant 'peer pressure' is used. At least, the young women pictured above and below look happy in their decidedly substantial foundation wear. One is tempted to think that these 1960's panty-girdles were surely aimed at the more mature figure, and indeed, they became (in the USA at least) almost standard underwear for most women in the 1960's. But when these pictures were taken, many young women would have had such garments in their possession.
The 'Playtex Ice' ( right) describes less its appearance, than its horrid clammy coldness in the mornings. Indeed, this is a girdle that was even harder to remove than to don, and, oh how some women wanted to remove them! Just as the world was becoming free from these girdles in the 1960's (and to be fair they did have a popular following including such celebrities as Jane Russell), the Latin Americans took them up with a vigour that remains today, and, I might add, in a sultry, humid climate that much test the fashionable Mexican Seorita to her limits. There is a strong peer pressure to marry and have children in any Latin country, and these girdles will help the Seorita catch her man, as effectively as they will catch the Seora's abdomen after the first few babies!
Pregnancy, before and after, gave rise to so many variations on the panty-girdle. Camp (right) is what just qualifies as a panty-girdle, allows sufficient engineering to cope with the expanding belly, and perhaps to help its return to normal. Camp (below right) also provided back support for the woman fed up with her bulky corsets, or perhaps simply for the failing post-pregnancy back. Were these, however, as effective as their laced cousins? I suspect not. I've never believed that a laced or strapped girdle (as distinct from a corset), could ever compete with a proper corset. Camp knew that of course and provided any number of effective corsets, but often the marketers have to pander to the requests of the masses who in 1950 felt that pregnancy or not, a corset was simply too old-fashioned!
A German panty-girdle with teutonic adjustable bands. A classic Sears panty-girdle from 1966, left is the image from the Sears catalogue, and right is the real garment. To millions of American women, this was standard daily wear for several decades.
Panty-girdles in the 1950's and 1960's from Charis (left - 1953) and Spencer USA (1963). Interesting, the 1970's model on the right wears a girdle so tight that her feminine curves are completely eradicated, unlike her sister immediately to the left.
In many respects, these formidable foundation garments (by today's standards) do not need adornments and complexities. I like my underwear to give me a good shape, yet to come off easily when required. The garments shown below, for which I do confess a fondness, are standard Smoothies' Long Stride, with zipper, and the traditional satin panels at the front, back and sides.
The Smoothie, to my mind, represents the zenith of the American panty-girdle. The old lady on the left, like many American women in the late 50's, and many British women a decade later, discovered that the panty-girdle was more appropriate for the times than the girdle. As we have seen on this page, it did not necessarily mean a flimsier or less effective garment. The British equivalent from Marks and Spencer ( below left ), tried to copy its trans-Atlantic cousin, yet somehow fails. Oddly enough, considering the splendid regular girdles that Marks and Spencer used to make, their panty-girdles (left) never achieved the same style and strength as their American cousins. It was left to Spirella's Spirelette 105 (below, right) to provide a bullet-proof panty-girdle! This girdle was worn by grannies and mothers as an alternative to their corsets and girdles. They relished its freedom, and mothers encouraged their daughters to take up the 105 as well for exactly the opposite reason! Regard the advertisement for the panty-girdle on the right taken from an American mail-order catalogue of the early 1960's. The sheer diversity of materials is staggering:-
Rayon, rubber, nylon, acetate power-net, satin lastex, Helanca and nylon tricot. This engineering marvel comes complete with zipper, elastic waist and leg bands. Suspenders and boning are, of course, too obvious to mention. Indeed, one could get seriously trapped in this garment whilst writing a Master's thesis about it.
Modern Entrapment Devices
Even the bra-girdle hook has returned. I thought that died in the 1960's!
The age of the liberated woman did not seem to last all that long as these devices from South East Asia and Latin America reveal. But the masters of modern entrapment just have to be Ardyss. They even have a web-site to demonstrate how these garments should be donned. I feel that the two girls in the middle epitomise Jilly Cooper's fabulous comment "All one can see is rigging" and all this without a slip or camisole!
Firstly, the garment is turned inside out and pulled up the legs. The garment is inverted and the wearer walks her way into the girdle. The shoulder straps then hoist the back into place. The hooks-and-eyes are forced to meet (if you have any strength left by this stage) and then the device is zipped up. I apologise for any levity here but it is quite a process; mind you, the results are very effective as many latinas and American women can endorse. Would that more women realised the benefit of a true foundation.
Corselette Entrapment
For the ultimate entrapment, try these long-leg corselettes from Germany, Italy, Spain,
from Latin America, and that bastion of the confined body...
Japan and Korea
The eastern miss might be trying to snare her man, but first she has to trap herself into layer after layer of unyielding elastic! Two zips backed by innumerable hooks-and-eyes were navigated just to enter and leave these wretched things. Going to the loo meant broken fingernails and tears of frustration to release no less than 20 hooks and eyes on one model! The garment on the right (above) even has a huge adjustable hip controller and the Italian lady to her left wears a garment still available in Italy today (2008). Beware patterned corselettes. You might imagine that the pattern doesn't show though your blouse, but it does! A very typical attempt (left) to do up 17 hooks and eyes. Two hooks have missed their eyes and nothing short of undoing the whole lot and starting again will correct the mistake.
This device just had to be invented by a man!
How to Lace your Corset, Madam

I came across a lovely picture from the Spirella magazine of 1957, that attempts to demonstrate the ease of adjusting a back-lacing corset. I have never found it that easy ! The best solutions are to use the Camp method of lacing, to be in the fortunate position of having a maid to perform the task, or alternatively an agreeable husband. However, even your most ardent admirer will, I'm afraid, tire over time. The practical solution is the front-lacing corset, and it does have the advantage that the secrets of your figure are not revealed through the taut fabric of one's skirt when bending over (the visibility of underwear).
Always a contortionist's trick, Spirella attempted to convince their clientele otherwise in 1957. (Click on the middle picture)
Perhaps this page should have been entitled "How, not to lace your corsets" as the following examples clearly demonstrate!
The long-lasting tradition of lacing one's corsets with a knee or a foot in the back is not to be recommended since so many corset wearers have bad backs. Even the "Carry On" films fall into this trap as a grunting Amelia Bayntun is laced into her corsets by Joan Sims playing the part of Esme Crowfoot 'Corsetiere'. The sound track, "Hold it, hold it, that's right" is spoken by Miss Sims against the director's added sound-track of straining material, and poor Miss Bayntun's grunts! The corset was, in fact, provided by Spirella, however, no Spirella corsetiere would have a the advertisement of a competitor, Berlei on the wall (right of mirror)!
These pictures all have it wrong. Nobody was ever laced in this fashion, but the legend persists. Most of the older pictures were made in stereo pairs, and come from the 'What the Butler saw' genre.
At least calling in a gentleman to assist results in quite admirable commitment. Look at those bulging muscles and the expressions of strain, yet the ladies appear quite unmoved by the experience. Only the uniformed gentleman on the right appears poker-faced. Discipline is a wonderful thing!
The two girls at the lower left, although in very posed photographs, illustrate a little slice of social history. The girl on the left looks streetwise, I hate to say it, but the street might even be her place of work. She knows how to lace up her corsets and probably is highly skilled at removing them as well. The vacant lovely in the middle belongs to an entirely more genteel set. She holds her laces with a "where's my maid?" or "where's Mummy?" expression on her face for she has never had to dress herself before and does not intend to start knotting her own laces now! Note, however, one thing in common with both ladies, and a risk for all corset wearers and that is the prodigious length of lacing that must ultimately be concealed, least it trail behind one embarrassingly! The girl on the right above is definitely not 'somebody to bring home to see mother!' The level concentration and the tongue reveal how difficult back-laced corsets can be although Spirella's matron at the top of the page would suggest otherwise. As an interesting aside here, I remember a corsetiere who told me of a customer's corsets that had been returned for repair. Corsets are rather intimate and do get soiled and therefore must be laundered prior to return. Although this lady's corsets had been cleaned, there was permanent discoloration outside the corset on the back laces at the bottom. The cause for this stumped my friend until the old lady explained that those were the marks left by her husband's boot when he tightened the laces!! Whilst on the subject of lacing up one's corsets, let us consider the reverse. In the days of the busk, how often would one recalcitrant hook refuse to unfasten leading to language and broken nails. On the right is a very rare cameo of an elderly lady removing her corset with ease and style.
Let us see if the film industry understands the basic principles.
If you are an actress, all the grimaces in the world are fairly well waisted if the victim appears to be unaware of your efforts as the men found out above.
Is a maid, one's mother (immortalised in the excellent film 'Titanic') or, even better, an ardent swain, the answer to this problem. Only Rose's mother seems to understand the basic principles. James Cameron, the director, is awfully good at getting these details correct. (Interestingly, the scene was originally shot with Rose lacing her Mother, however, it was agreed that the mother lacing Rose was far more appropriate to the plot). More realistically, a long-suffering husband will be pressed into service.
Hanging onto the four-poster bedpost features in the classic film "Gone with the wind" (where Hattie MacDaniels is encouraged to lace Vivien Leigh - above right ). Even Rose held onto something on the Titanic. Of course, there is no need to hang on if the laces are pulled properly, that is sideways. Perhaps it was the risk of fainting as one's internal organs are compressed into a space the size of a grapefruit that forced the maidens to hold on. Returning to the first example in this series where Joan Sims exhorts her client to "hold it, hold it;" was this a throwback to the bed-post days?
At last we start to get it right although the corset seems to be something of a mystery! The two Spirella maidens ( 1920 - left ) are certainly trying to do something to each others foundations, but neither the ladies, nor the photographer seem to know what! The lady below seems hardly better informed, but perhaps the saleslady gave her a clue. The girl below on the right really is getting nowhere. The corset may even be upside-down! The girls on the right have it worked out. Do it yourself or get a maid to help.
Whoever is the lacer, please observe a few basic rules:-
Don't place the knee in the victim's back, not unless you wish to exacerbate any back problem that the wearer might have, and set yourself up for similar problems. Unlike the most of the examples here, don't pull the laces away from the eyelets. The friction will overcome your attempts to tighten the laces. As S.H. Camp and the Jenyns family knew, from their excellent fan-lacing corsets, the tension should be applied along the laces.
Even in the risqu world of cheesecake (left from the 1990's and 1950's), they still get it wrong!
Here we see a cunning, oriental take on the problem. Two maids on each side of the lady pull ropes that work through a pulley system, not to tighten laces, but to force the edges of a waspie corset closer together so that a fifth maid can fasten them! The Chinese did wear corsets as Maymay in James Clavell's novel 'Taipan' demonstrated to the fury of her husband. I wonder if Madame Chang Kai Shek, who wore bullet-proof corsets during the war resorted to such lengths? Even small animals and cherubs are called into play, but, as always, they get it wrong too!
Even the Muppets get it wrong as Ms. Piggy's corset is nearly pulled off her back. An investment advert (right) shows the mother pulling the corset off her daughter with the traditional foot in the rump. Which all goes to show that investment bankers really are a load of muppets!
The last word about lacing one's corsets should perhaps come from Spirella who, in 1950 ( right) said "Don't", but in 1960 ( left - Spirella publicity in June 1960) hhad forgotten the basic principles and once again we see the knee in action.
Spirella in fantasy (left) and reality (right)
The solution?
The corsetieres that I know have almost exclusively sold front-laced corsets in the decades since the 1960's, so the answer is not to buy a backlaced one!
The Best Foundations

ever made
My husband pointed out at an early stage of compiling this page that the foundations I have chosen are what I wear regularly or have worn in the past. This is true, but having researched the topic for so many years I would, wouldn't I! This is potentially a very subjective judgment, clouded by national favourites, marketing and even litigation. To avoid all these pitfalls, I must state from the outset that many of the brands and foundations that are mentioned here are no longer made and, due to our researches, I may be in a better position to discuss this topic than many, however, I know that as many again will disagree with my conclusions. I hope to hear from those that agree and disagree. Only from constructive feedback can our researches be furthered and opinions optimised. The foundations described below are not the Rolls Royces of the foundation world, they are far more akin to the Ford Mondeo (my husband drew this parallel). There is no brand snobbery here. What we are after is the brand that was so popular that it became the mainstay for millions of women due to a clever combination of comfort, cost and convenience.
BRASSIERES: The Triumph Doreen

Many years ago, the Triumph Doreen surpassed anything that my favourite made-to-measure brand Spirella could produce and I've been a devotee ever since. Their sizes in short, medium or long length range from 32A through to 52K (and possibly more besides).
CORSETS: The Spirella 305

Certainly not mainstream, Spirella, with its hundreds of corsetieres on three continents managed to supply millions of women with made-to-measure garments for close on eight decades. Their best selling garment was the 305 series corset. It was made-to-measure and provided a superb support for any women traditional enough to require it. The front-lacing was relatively easy to adjust and since a corset is a specialised garment, the availability of options such as extra suspenders, stiffer boning and under-belts meant that the device could be adapted to suit all shapes. A Hunkemller brassiere tops off one of the longest and
heaviest Spirella 325's ever made. This monster is 23 inches long in the back and has completely flattened our friend's abdomen.
Our friend wears a modern Spencer posture corset (the spiritual successor to the Spirella 305) and a Spirella brassiere.
GIRDLES: Marks and Spencer 1950's - 1970's

The dozen or so girdles in our collection are as powerful today as they were 40 years ago when some of them were purchased. Not one is less than 30 years old and I have worn the one that fits me on several occasions. If it were to be my regular foundation, I'm sure it would last another couple of decades.
A satin-elastic M&S girdle from the mid1960's worn with a Triumph Doreen longline brassiere; possibly the best foundation combination ever. They don't make them like that any more!
A satin and elastic M&S girdle from the early-1970's worn with a Triumph Doreen long-line brassiere; possibly the best foundation combination ever.
PANTY-GIRDLES: The Sears Hi-rise
As standard wear for millions of women in the 1960's and 1970's, nothing beat the Sears pantygirdle for popularity, style, cost and elegance. The marketers managed to get all the elements of the equation just so. From grannies through mothers and onto their daughters, the Sears panty-girdle was almost part of an unspoken uniform that would only be challenged as the age of the hippy and flower power persuaded American and then British womanhood to discard their foundations. Sadly, no alternative was ever suggested at the time and it has taken nearly three decades for the foundation garment, other than the brassiere, to stage a realistic comeback. We have but one in our collection, a tribute to the fact that these girdles were worn to destruction and would never see the advent of the electronic auction.
Indeed, only the Triumph Doreen conceived before flower power has lasted into the electronic era.
The Sears hi-rise panty-girdle was to American womanhood in the mid-1960's what the Marks and Spencer girdle was to her British cousin. Even after the demise of the British girdle in the late 1960's, nothing as elegant or as powerful as the Sears panty-girdle was ever offered to replace it.
Comments:
We received many replies when this page first appeared on our site. As one would expect, there was partisan support for national brands and personal favourites, however, if the models above could be described as generic, then we were not too far off the mark. "Ever since I was old enough to appreciate what my mother wore, her foundations, without exception every day were her Triumph bra and M&S girdle. This ritual was passed on to myself when I was 15 and I never queried it or thought anything of it at all. I was aware that not all my friends were similarly clad but that did not bother me until I went to University. I suddenly became socially aware and I never wore a girdle of any sort after that except when I was at home, and by 1969 my mother was the only supporter of M&S in the household; much to her dismay!" "As a teenager, she occasionally wore one of M&Ss most powerful girdles and referred to it as The Beast! "Granny wore Spirella corsets all her life. She claimed to have started in corsets when she was 10 (liberty bodice?) and every year thereafter was visited by the Spirella lady except during the war. She was heart-broken when Spirella closed in the late 80's and she invested heavily from her pension to purchase six corsets to 'see her out'. This they did, however, she lost a lot of weight in later years and when she died, all her corsets had been taken in, sewn and re-sewn as the stitching had parted under the strain." Some very detailed recollections of the Marks and Spencer girdle are included in the page on Marks and Spencer.
"Clothes maketh the man, but foundations maketh the women" as my corsetiere was wont to say. There is no doubt that the combination of the Triumph Doreen long-line bra and M&S girdle was one of the best foundations that a woman could wear. This would come at a cost of less than a quarter of the made-to-measure Spirella equivalent.
The Trendelenburg Position

This may sound like the title of a spy thriller, however, it was, and is, a recommended position in which to fit a client. The client lies on her back with the knees raised. The surface may even be inclined towards the client's head. The internal organs which need the support of the corset will then be assisted by gravity into their correct locations at which time the corset can be adjusted and tightened.
From the Jenyns Brochure of 1912
This group of Spirella corsetieres are being trained in the 1910's in lacing the corset on the horizontal client. It may look like a group of trainee doctors and nurses, but the 'victim' is simply covered for modesty.
Spencer 1920 and Spirella 1930 used pillows under the derriere to help this lady adjust her underbelt.
The Dutch pre-war and Jenyns from 1990 still using the position. Note how in both cases the drawing depicts the ever popular fan-lacing corset.
The corsetiere and the client get down to business in the late 1930's. Measuring the client whilst lying flat was a recommended procedure for many of the more specialised garments. It is also the recommended position from which to lace up any corset that is designed to support the abdomen.
Ultimately, the client would learn how to adjust the laces and straps herself (Spencer 1947).
Please do not imagine that the Trendelburg position is some historical practice. It is still the recommended way to don a post-partum pantygirdle currently manufactured by Ardyss.
My corsetiere is adamant that the corset laces should only be adjusted when lying horizontally so that ones internal organs are in their proper place. I usually do this, however, the lady mentioned under suspenders, and in common with those that wear a longer corset, have told me that if they lace up in the horizontal they would never get vertical again !
Stockings and Suspenders

Suspenders (or garters)
Terminology differs depending on which side of the Atlantic you live. The British use suspenders, the Americans, garters.
How many suspenders?

The following comment is interesting since it was clearly aimed at teenagers in the 1960's. Candy Jones, Just for Teens, 1967 How many garters should a girdle have? To create the sleekest lines at the thighs and to keep the garment in its right position during long spells of sitting, it needs a total of six.. So now you know. Ive tried an eight suspender corset but it was just too complex to hook up the stockings; six is hard enough, particularly the back ones. For elderly ladies, this is a real problem. An elderly acquaintance solved the problem by ordering her corsets with four suspenders; two at the front and one at each side. Another lady, who needs to wear rather sturdy support stockings, said that four suspenders would be too risky and kept to six. She said that she attached the back suspenders before hooking up the corset, then with the corset loosely fastened she would do the front and sides and finally tighten the laces. I use a similar technique although being younger, Im still flexible enough to adjust the clips with the corset tightened. The lady in her 70s wears such a long corset (its a full 5 inches above the waist she said) and very heavily boned that bending over after the laces are tightened is not an option. She also commented upon her corsetiere's advice that the Trendelenburg Position was optimal for lacing her corsets, that if she laced her corsets lying flat on her back, she would never retain the vertical position. The number of suspenders is discussed further below in the section on support stockings.
Suspender Flashes
Many girdles have satin flashes that cover the suspenders. What purpose do they serve? I believe they were put there for several reasons:- They look very classy and hide the functional suspender. - They cost money and were optional extraas on custom made garments, thus persuading the woman that in some way they enhanced the garment', which they did. - The sales pitch could suggest that they hid the suspender bumps*, which they didn't. - Sometimes, the flashes were mounted on the inside of the suspender to protect the sensitive skin from the metal. - They also allowed the corsetiere another route by which to extract that little extra commission. But lastly, being made of satin, they did what satin does well, and that is to allow the over-riding skirt lining to glide across the suspenders rather than snag against them. Various manufacturers tried their own solutions and I have shown some examples below from the Ivy Leaf collection.
On the left, this French girdle has the ribbon attached to the bottom edge of the girdle passing inside the suspender and then feeding through the top of the metal frame to cover the outside. In the middle, another French company simply loops the flash through the top of the suspender frame, thus covering both the back and the front. In the American Spirella on the right, a simple and practical solution, that was used by Spencer until recently, was to cut the suspender elastic a couple of inches longer, so that it hung down the back of the frame to protect the wearer's legs. *The famous 'suspender bump' was never entirely hidden when wearing close-fitting or sheer garments. No manufacturer expected the impossible and the Gossard corsetiere's guide simply talks about minimising the problem by use of the satin flashes, and careful positioning of the suspenders themselves. The flashes on the French corsets above put a finishing touch to the garment which speaks volumes for an age of elegance that is all but forgotten. Whilst we are talking about suspenders, the following arrangement came to my attention. The 'Camp' style 'swing suspender is well known. It allows free fore and aft movement of the side suspender whilst the wearer is walking. However, the 'glide' suspender ( upper right), which appeared briefly of several Gossard girdles is a novel way of achieving the same ends. It didn't last, which suggests that Gossard's engineers may have under-estimated the forces imposed on the 'glide' string when the wearer attempted to sit. It's bad enough having one's stocking snap out of its suspender, however, the brief snap and the slightly baggy stocking are the only give-aways. To have a pink suspender dangling as well must be truly mortifying! The forces on the suspender can be huge. I've mentioned elsewhere that for decades one of the primary functions of the corset was to support the stockings. In the days of far heavier yarns and elastics, required to support those 'aching legs', the act of sitting down could literally tear the rear suspender from its mounting. Whilst we deal with the strength of strings and cords, regard the Spanish corset on the bottom left. A cheap and innovative way to attach the suspender button is shown. One suspects that this must be one of those failed evolutionary paths since the idea never caught on. If 'suspender bulge' was a problem, then this device was not designed to alleviate it! The corset to which it was attached was exquisitely constructed, so the intention was certainly not cost-saving
Bottom right we see an unusual (and presumably less than sucessful) attempt to attach stockings with no 'suspender bump' at all.
Detachable Suspenders
Many corsets were (and are) fitted with detachable suspenders. This is simply to avoid the uncontrolled discomfort of the suspender when not wearing stockings. For this reason, such corsets were often made of lighter materials since they were designed for warmer climes where stockings might be intolerably hot (never mind the corset!) One of my own corsets has Spirella's solution to this problem (detail right) where a simple lateral hook attaches the suspender to the base of the corset. The French example (very typically of French corsets) has buttons neatly sewn inside the bottom hem of the garment. The thickness of the girdle in this case conceals the buttons, but I'm sure the wearer would have been aware of their presence. Nevertheless, many French garments were made like this.
One of my own trusty Spirella 305's (actually a Spencer posture corset made after the Spirella take-over, but it's every inch a 305, purchased in 1998 and still going strong - left). A beautiful French girdle (right). The blue colour and the buttoned suspenders are classic French.
The Errant Suspender

The embarrassment of having ones stocking detach from the suspender was always a risk whilst women wore stockings. Not that the detachment was particularly audible, or even noticeable, since the stocking would usually have one of two other suspenders to retain it. It was more the idea that, something untoward had occurred to ones underwear. My husband remembers well that the only outward sign of his (very prim and proper) mothers rear suspender coming drift was a muttered Oh, Blast (very strong language for such a lady). She would then depart to rectify the situation. A stocking properly attached to the suspender will not come adrift, so why did this happen so frequently? I believe it was very much a problem of the 1960s rather than any other period. One must consider the fashion of the times. Stockings were worn by all women throughout the year, however, as skirts became shorter, so the stockings became longer. Attaching ones back suspenders became harder and harder (a long rear suspender is far easier to attach that a small tab right up by ones derriere). Some brands of girdle were even manufactured without rear suspenders. At this time, the suspender design was becoming more stream-lined. Cars started having heaters, central heating in the house was becoming common, and basically, a warmer population demanded sheerer fabrics. The suspender was designed to minimise its profile. As can be seen below, the old button-centred suspender was replaced by the classic so-lo suspender as adopted by Marks and Spencer. These suspenders, especially the invisible rear ones, were all too easy to cross-thread. The tension of the stocking would allow for temporary security until the wearer sat down and stood up again. Then ping; detachment and embarrassment.
The dreaded cross-thread!
Even worse was the lady who finding no stockings short enough for the unfashionable length of her corsets, would try to double over the welt of the stocking. If this thickness of material could even be accommodated, the result was usually a delayed failure. One might have thought that the worst embarrassment was to have one's suspenders clearly outlined against taut material, however, consider the times. Nobody these days remarks on a lady's brassiere clearly seen beneath a blouse. So in the 1960's, the visible suspender bump was probably a cause of neither interest nor embarrassment.
Spirella had this to say about suspenders.
Support Stockings
I've mentioned in several places that one of the primary functions of the corset is to hold up the stockings. This might not seem correct from today's point-of-view, but it must be realised that three or four decades ago, millions of women, whose daily chores were far more onerous than today, suffered badly from varicose veins (right). Mainly these went untreated surgically, and the sufferer was sentenced to wear what effectively varied from support stockings to surgical stockings. They were fairly obvious to the casual observer being rather shiny, and, in full surgical weight with latex rather than lycra yarn, with a distinct odour.
The bane of the elderly and the working woman
Oh Dear. How blunt was the advertising in the 60's! The elderly were made to feel just that.
In the 1950's, it was not that unusual (for these garments were readily available from mainstream mail order houses), to find a middle-aged woman wearing a rubber corset, or worse, a rubber corselette, complete with latex yarned stockings. An elderly gentleman of my acquaintance, commented on his wife who wore such a combination of garments; "You know, the old girl used to pong a bit in the hot weather!"
The strength and weight of these support stockings
outranks that of some of today's so-called 'shapewear'. As with girdles and corsets, detailed instructions as to how to put on the garment were quite critical. A firm corset or girdle was absolutely necessary to counter the ferocious pull of these stockings. Six non-elastic suspenders was deemed critical to accept the tension. It may well be, that as varicose veins became an affliction of the past, so the necessity for the corset and girdle to act as an immoveable anchor also waned.
I do know of one lady who ordered her corsets with an amazing 12 suspenders; six non-elastic and six elastic. The former held up her surgical stockings, the appearance of which she detested. The latter supported a pair of fashionable stockings worn over the top as a disguise. This lady accepted the daily chore of affixing 12 suspenders as the cost of her vanity. For those modern women that consider this to be far fetched, I refer them to the packet of Duribilknit support stockings from 1960. "Fashioned to be worn with or without regular stockings". Today the forces and tensions of a woman's foundations four decades ago are almost unknown and to many youngsters, virtually unbelievable.
The reference above to surgical stockings is repeated several times in correspondence from Spirella corsetieres. It was a clever ploy by the corsetiere to gain just a little more commission.
What could be easier, having fitted the wedding guest with new brassiere and girdle for the occasion, to persuade her that some support for her legs was required. "There will be so much standing around. You really have to consider your poor legs". This ploy was so successful that Spirella branded their own support stockings ( above ). In reality, the use of these stockings post-War, once nylon had become readily available, was a boon to the millions of women who suffered from varicose veins. Before the removal of such veins became commonplace, many women simply had to wear support stockings. It raises, once again, one of the fundamental reasons for wearing a corset or girdle, and that is to hold up one's stockings. So many ladies, elegant in all other respects, were sufferers, and the tan shininess of their powerful surgical stockings was a common sight. A firm foundation was required to provide an anchor for the vertical strain on these stockings. By today's standards, there are some articles called 'shapewear' whose confining properties are not in the same league the stockings of the 1960's. It raised a genuine concern by an inexperienced aeroplane passenger. This elderly lady, confined as she was by her stockings, brassieres and girdle was concerned about what would happen to the only unconfined part of her anatomy, her head, in the pressurised cabin of the plane! Perhaps the final word on suspenders should come from the elderly widow who was asked if she missed her late husband, "Oh yes, I really do" she replied. "I've nobody to do up my back suspenders any more!"
The Other Side of Corsetry

When my husband and I started to construct this web site, we decided to leave this potentially awkward area well alone. Nevertheless, so many questions from genuinely interested parties have touched upon these subjects and have brought some very interesting information to our attention. The fascination for female underwear is strictly a male pre-occupation, but without male observations, much of the history that we have tried to compile would be lost forever. The subjects of concern are the restrictive aspects of corsets and girdles, the allure of certain fabrics commonly used in corsetry and worn frequently by women, and the fascination of the adolescent male for such forbidden topics. I certainly do not condone voyeurism, however, it is a phase, sometimes transient, sometimes permanent, nearly always harmless, that many men experience and the knowledge gained from those wandering and untutored eyes at least can be put to good use. We are well aware that of all the subjects that we have tried to cover in this web-site, this particular theme attracts more than its share of unsubstantiated accounts and blatant wish-fulfilment. We have tried to be discriminating in our editing of the accounts contained therein. Some are obviously genuine but for some, the provenance remains dubious. We leave it to the reader to decide. The corsetiere will take you back to the Contents Page if you wish to leave. Press the girdle drawer to continue:-
The Old Corset Shop

Rosalind's Recollections The Lady's Shop in Newcastle The Corset Shop returns America in the 1950's
From the Corset Shop in St. Leonards, Sussex that closed in 2009.
We had to resist the temptation to title this page "Ye olde corset shoppe" or something similarly nostalgic, but quite inappropriate.
The incredibly clever Dutch cartoonist, Jan Sanders, captures the ambience of the traditional corset shop in this cartoon (left). Note that not all the serving staff are female. Note the stacks of boxes with different sizes and styles of garment. This is the classic emporium of the two post-War decades, where a thousand variations on what is 'after all' quite a simple theme would be on offer, on the counter and for sale. A lady could spend an afternoon struggling in and out of a dozen pairs of corsets, encouraged, chided and 'brought back down to earth' by her close friends, the corsetiere herself, or her daughter; the latter secure in the knowledge that her turn was next. (Dhr. Sanders was undoubted aware of the many excellent corset shops in Holland at the time. Sadly, few remain).
The Hunkemoller corset shop in Amsterdam, quite possibly Jan Sander's inspiration.
The cartoon and the picture on the right (from Germany in the 1950's), show a feature that existed for hundreds of years, and yet oddly is unknown in The characters in the cartoon are amazingly reminiscent of today's liberated society. The corset shop has a male those stalwarts from the British comedy series "Are you attendant. Of course, only a female member of staff being served?", and everybody from the matronly Mrs. would be allowed 'behind the curtains.'
Slocombe to the rather dotty Miss Brahms is represented.
In the full cartoon, a group of sailors have just bought some "frillies" for their girlfriends and are laughing at the poor old Chief selecting something 'appropriate' for his - obviously - well-built wife. I know women who were terrified to visit the 'corset shop' and others who looked on its very much like a trip to the hairdresser. A pleasant, fairly mindless afternoon, quintessentially female, and secure in the knowledge that the end result would be an improved version of the person that entered the premises. The women that were scared probably had had encounters with the rare, but sadly real, 'dragon' of a fitter. "Ah, Modom will require the formidable corset section, I presume", or to quote the old music hall joke:- Timid overweight customer "I'd like to see some corsets that would fit me please." Rude assistant "So would I Madam; so would I!" Sometimes, indeed, I thought these shops should label their corsetry sections, 'formidable corsets', 'corsets for normal women', and 'girdles for nice girls'. A old acquaintance recounts an episode in Shinners of Sutton where her substantially constructed companion had vanished into a cubicle to try on a specially ordered corset. She heard the woman call the fitter and explain that she didn't expect so many straps and things. The fitter announced that with her figure, the more straps the better. There followed what sounded like a scuffle, but turned out to be the combined efforts of client and fitter to adjust the garment. Some time later both women emerged from the cubicle, red-faced and angry. In the street outside the large lady exclaimed "What a dreadful woman! I really don't think I'm going to get on with this contraption!" Her friend cautioned her to be patient and let the corset settle down for a week, and added, with an economy of truth, "It really helps your figure." "Don't you start" the other retorted "Do you really think so?" Such is vanity and the corset shop.
Flapper era, Art Deco and from France on the right, three ladies apparently cavorting around the woods in their satin-panelled corselettes. It is, of course a reflection! Why do models and even mannequins stand in that contrived concave fashion when wearing these corselettes. Is it that the corselettes are designed for shorter figures?
My husband and I are firm supporters of the 'crowded shop' and the museum that fills its rooms full of fascinating objects. The modern museum, with its acres of space designed to show off a few expensive trinkets, bores us and makes us wonder "why bother?" The Victorian corset shops above left no space vacant. Every nook and cranny was filled with their wares. Even Roussel's emporium (1930 - below) has a reasonable foundation-toarea ratio; however, the Smart-form shop below in the mid-1930's displays but six garments in a massive 600 square feet. The emptiness inside would hardly seem likely to attract a prospective customer. But Smart-form, which was none other than the very upmarket Barcley, sought a wealthier, supposedly more discerning clientele.
Another attempt at a corsetry display from a major department store in 1944 (below) looks more like the window dresser has gone off for coffee half way through her job! Staying on the western side of the Atlantic, the saleslady below (1944) demonstrates how one can transform one's bosom into the 'bullet' shaped cones that, presumably, rose in response to the ongoing war. The war featured strongly in corsetry advertising.
This is what we like to see. Plenty of garments on display, a smiling and helpful lady, ready to give advice, and the line which we all fall for "I've just got in something special that I think would really suit you. It's slightly more than you wanted to spend." Spirella's showroom ( above right - 1930) and their London shop ( below left - 1952) are excellent examples of the upper end of the market. Berlei and Sarongster feature in the scene from Australia in the late 1950's ( below). No doubt the shelves on the right would have contained garments from Australia's other major brands, such as Jenyns.
From the 1960's, a Lancashire corset shop. These were the hey-days of corsetry; however, the chipped paint on the skirting of the shop front indicates that profit margins were never huge in this trade, certainly not in the provincial towns and cities. A cause for hope amongst us traditionalists is the corset shop on the right. This photo was taken recently in Spain, one of the last bastions of traditional Triumph corsetry.
Here are another two photographs that tell a tale. On the left is a German street market in the 1950's. The brassiere with the three strap fastening at the back dates it nicely. On the right is an American shop, but doesn't it just give away an air of faded glory. The permanent SALE sign, the missing flourescent tube. Profit margins would have been close to zero and it is not just the old advertisements that reveal the 'writing on the wall'. But let us move into the hallowed sanctum of the fitting room. How many husbands have stood on the edges of the 'forbidden area' in the department store. Slightly flushed, slightly
embarrassed, probably bored but with the nervous anticipation of footing what he suspects (correctly) will be a rather large bill. Silly man, he should be anticipating his wife, rejuvenated in both confidence and figure! I think everything is here to persuade the most recalcitrant of torsos into that special dress for the wedding. Hundreds of yards of lacing, innumerable buckles and straps, under-belts, spiral bones, double bones, rigid bones of alloy and steel. Brocades, satins, shiny (and rather noisy) nylons adorn both the foundations and the dresses. A mistake in the combination of these materials could generate enough electricity to draw sparks from the wearer's rayon gloves! To the uninitiated, the corset shop all too often conjured up a vision of unyielding strong satin, rows of hooks and eyes, yards of lacing, and bones, bones, and more bones!
(paraphrased from the Spirella Magazine January 1958.)
Brassieres of all lengths, corselettes, girdles, panty-girdles and corsets. All are represented together with the more risqu sounding basques, waspies and waist nippers. Everything can be adjusted from the heaviest of surgical corsets for granny, Jenyns' best flattening devices for mother, laced brassieres for matrons who can go without breath or food for an entire day, and imaginatively complicated panty-girdles for the bride, whose will-power between the first and last appointments has left her a size beyond her prime. Spirella*, Spencer, Barcley, Jenyns and Camp*, all feature here - but sadly, they feature no longer in any shop that exists today. Most women will say "Thank Goodness," but some will miss the flattening and flattering persuasion of such archaeic devices. * Actually, Basko-CAMP is still sold in Holland and Germany, however, the drab coutil garments are so utterly unfeminine. Spirella has been re-awakened in Sweden, but once again, their products are somewhat utilitarian.
Whatever happened to Whalonia, Freeman, Trueform, OTC and Avro. Camp is still with us (just). The box above tells its own story. It is very old and therefore contains an unfashionable garment. Perhaps this would not be a concern to the sort of aged client who might wear one, however, the unlikely size (50 inches) and the reductions in price tell of a declining interest. The word 'underbelt' is written on the box, for nobody in the shop remembers what model 4521 means anymore!
This is a scene from a bygone era. All the foundation garments came in these packets of similar size. They could contain anything and everything from a panty-girdle for one's
daughter to a formidably-boned corset for granny, complete with under-belt, lacing and buckles. There were so many boxes because women tend to come in so many different sizes! What happened to these boxes? Many were thrown away, sometimes after long use as a receptacle for something completely unconnected with corsetry.
Lastly, a sad reminder of present times. The shop below is one of the few remaining traditional corset shops in Britain. The shop is closed, although it is 2 pm on a normal working day. A closer inspection reveals that the proprietress only opens about 15 hours a week. This is not surprising; the lady has run the shop for decades and is well into her 80's. The window displays some relics of a former era and a corset that seems to have been returned, modified, and then failed to find a buyer. There is a good satin girdle on display; however, the general appearance of something better than neglect, but less than faded elegance, pervades the scene. The shop could easily be mistaken for a Charity Shop (Thrift shop in the USA). The badges of former pillars of corsetry, Camp and Spirella, proclaim wares that haven't been sold for years. Oddly enough, Triumph, the name on the door, still holds a firm foundation on continental Europe. The Camp sign is decades old, since the style was modified long after the shop had ceased connection with this company. The shelves, however, still hold relics from this company in the unusual and thus unsold sizes. Lumbosacral* and dorsolumbar supports could be found, but the proprietress had forgotten what they were supposed to do. Fiendishly complex maternity devices were shunned by modern women who felt that pregnancy was uncomfortable enough without having to wear a straight-jacket! The Spirella sign, again, a throwback to an era long-gone, would never have been placed in a shop window in the 60's or 70's. The High Street retailer and the bespoke businesses were keen rivals. The proprietress was simply trying to advertise every possible foundation garment to her diminishing clientele. The piles of unboxed corsets hint of damp in the storeroom and a consequent unappealing deterioration of the boxes; the corsets themselves survived. Allusions to proud weddings of the past (but not the present) tell a sad tale: for the whole shop is nothing more than a fading reminder of something that has passed away.
The old corset shop in Dymchurch, sadly closed
The Corset Shop Returns

Indeed, what with the resurgence in 'shapewear', the modern corset emporium, whilst lacking the innate feminine charm of yesterday, at least s making some effort. Sadly, style has being discarded along the way. From Seoul in South Korea ( left ) comes this amazing display from an underground station in the city. Personally, I prefer to select my under-pinnings in a less public environment!
Until recently, the few remaining 'corset shops' has become brassiere emporiums. The word was a throw-back to a bygone era.
Yet another 'sea of bras' (left). At least this market stall in France still has some proper foundations.
Examples (above) from Portugal and South America, once again demonstrate the Latin demand for a feminine shape. This movement spread to the Far East as Japanese and Korean women discovered the power of Spandex and now, after a absence of several decades, girdles (even if they are called shapers) have returned to the shelves of the European high street.
Massachusetts 2005
A reader sent in this photograph from a Massachusetts corset shop. I love the rows of boxes and the slightly chaotic assemblage of articles.
New Zealand 2005
This is a photo of Maree, the owner, and Robin, her assistant, at the "Maree Louise Corsetry" shop in Papakura, near to Auckland, New Zealand. Notice a strange similarity to the ladies at the Coja corset shop in Rijswijk, Holland.
Coja, Holland 2008
Glorious Satin
There's nothing quite like corsetry-quality satin to produce an elegant foundation. It looks fabulous and clothes ride easily across the shiny surfaces. Oddly, however, it is not universally popular with women since it is a 'cold' material, however, when these garments on display here were made, men ruled the corsetry world and men do love satin on their women. This is described in some detail elsewhere on this site.
The majority of these fabulous garments come from the Ivy Leaf Collection.
Technical Aspects of Corsetry

Weight Who wore what, when Length Corset detective Bra sizes
US Girdle Sales 1960 - 1982 US Bra Sales 1960 - 1982
Corsets and Girdles: A Lengthy Subject ...

This section might almost be called the rise and fall of tall corsetry. A century ago, as these photographs show, corsets could be very long indeed. Above the waist, one wonders if the wearer could even bend, and below the waist, some corset skirts were so extreme that sitting down was surely a major problem. Casual observers of these Edwardian corsets have commented, how on earth did women walk, sit or even attended to the calls of nature? Observe the corset closely. The corset was only tight at the waist. The bottom of the corset, still referred to today as the skirt, was in fact simply a looser extension of the corset that allowed the clothes to flow over the foundation without any lumps or bumps. The skirt didn't need to be tight since its other purpose was to provide attachment for the suspenders (garters). One of the primary functions of the corset or girdle has always been to hold up one's stockings. In Edwardian times, stockings barely came above the knees, however, as skirts became shorter, so the stockings became longer and the corset shorter.
The lady above appears in two very long Edwardian corsets. Assuming her height is about 5 foot 4 inches (1.63 m), the corset on the left would be a full 22" long and the one on the right an amazing 24", but note that the extra length is in the skirt. A typical Gossard corset from 1920
Corsets in the earlier part of the 20th century were habitually longer than those of our mothers'. Regard the Gossard picture on the right. The lady is tall, let us say (by the standards of those times) 5 foot 6 inches (1.68m). In that case those corsets are about 20" long. Corset length above the waist is simply a requirement if the wearer wishes to achieve a 'waisted' silhouette, and in post-war America, the girdle became the weapon of choice. Far from being the preserve of the Edwardian lady or the corseted elderly woman, length was a feature beautifully demonstrate by these American models below for Poirette and Smoothie. Some long-legged panty-girdles (the famous LLPG that never quite crossed the Atlantic in all its glory) could measure an alarming 22" (56 cm) in length.
In Scandinavia, the tall girdle was very much in demand in the 1950's and 60's. The high-waisted girdle was not without it problems, as illustrated in the famous 'Mrs. Merrick bought a derrick' cartoon.
This unbelievably corny advertisement for Talon Zippers illustrates a daily chore for millions of women in the 1950's and that was getting in and out of one's girdle. Mind you, once ensconced in your rib-high Promise Poirette, the resulting silhouette was undeniably attractive.
Long corsets are still with us. Two of the corsets described below in the 'weighty' section are 53 cm (21") long in the back. Spencer regularly advertised corsets of this length and still makes them today and, of course, being a bespoke house, a taller lady would have ordered proportionately longer corsets. I know of one very tall Danish lady whose corsets were an amazing 16" below the waist and 7 " above the waist at the back. That's 23 inches (58 cm) in total! We met this lady on a Nile cruise and, despite the searing temperatures outside, she rigorously maintained her heavy stays, for indeed, she needed them. An ailing back required all the support of the corset if she was to participate in the interesting excursions; which she enjoyed to the full. I mention this, since ultra-long corsets usually can be classed as surgical supports. We have added some notes on long corsets in the Corset Detective page. Of course, what constitutes a long corset depends on the relative height of the wearer. We met a bubbly barrel shaped woman many years ago. Barely 5 feet tall (1.5 metres) she had no waist at all to the extent that her corset required shoulder straps in case the strain of her stockings actually pulled her corset off! The Spirella corset that she wore was only 18" long, but it covered her from thighs to armpit. She certainly felt that she was wearing a long corset. Sadly, having invested quite some money in this foundation, the chafing of the shoulder straps against her bosom forced her to consign it to the back of her drawers where her children rescued it years later after she had passed away. Our friend in these photographs wears one of the longest contemporary corsets in our experience. The lady who is 5' 10" tall wears a front- and back-laced Spencer posture corset purchased from Spencer of England in 2005 (the modern equivalent of the Spirella 325). The corset is 23" long at the back! The satin back-laced brassiere (from Hunkemoller in Den Haag - 2000) contains any flesh that might escape over the top of the corset. When the front-lacing is considered as well, there is over 50 inches of lacing to adjust! We have seen and even possess some seriously long corsets in our collection, however, they pass beyond the world of the conventional or even surgical and enter a realm of fantasy.
... and a Weighty one too!
How much did corsets weigh? We put it to the test using three fairly substantial Spirella 325's from both sides of the Atlantic and dating between 1960 to 2000. The modern Spencer (ex-Spirella) corset from Britain a few years ago weighs 500 gr (just over a pound - below right). The corset on the right which came from the USA in the late 1960's weighs in at 660 gr (1lb 7oz); below left, the Canadian corset from1970 weighs an X-ray challenging 800 gm (nearly two pounds.) In fairness, the Canadian garment carries four substantial back support 'steels' (made of Aluminium). It was perfectly possible in the late 1960's to have ordered a back-support corset with underbelt, in a strong, yet fashionable material. Such a garment would have weighed well over one kilogramme (two pounds). One of our new Spencer corsets ordered for a friend in 2005, by virtue of its length (23") weighs in at 880 gr (just under two pounds), and that is without spinal steels. Had such a corset been made 20 years ago from heavy corset brocade, one feels that the three pound barrier might well have been threatened! For comparison, a M&S satin elastic girdle weighs in at 350 gr (12 oz)
Such weighty foundations have all but disappeared, indeed, from the 1960's onwards, the thrust was towards lightness and comfort. I have no objection to comfort at all, however, a foundation is a foundation and should do its job. Did the Playtex girdle at 98 grams (right) really have any effect at all? Certainly not on the slim model in the advertisement!
Who wore what, when ?
The facts and figures of corsetry might be obvious to myself and my female peers, but my husband has a typically male approach to such problems and resorts to mathematics and some basic assumptions to determine what is fact, and what is fiction. As he often says "In these days of unsolicited and gratuitous misinformation, it pains me, as a scientist, to see so much conjecture and political expedience rendered under the banner of factual data. I would hate to be so cynical as my old tutor at college who, quite candidly expostulated that "Most of what you will learn is fiction. Use your brains; THINK. A minute's thought is worth a day of effort"". Amazingly, my husband's agonising over the PC and the following chart actually do explain rather a lot! In this analysis, there are many sweeping assumptions and generalisations, however, the end results explain much of what is observed.
The graph says it all. It was constructed from basic assumptions. Over 100 years old, the database is statistically non-existent. Below 14, we're looking at relics from Victoriana (almost). I simply considered when a woman was born, what was the chance of her wearing an appropriate foundation for each particular year, and then relied upon the deluge of opinions that Ivy and Bunts could reproduce! Let me help you by taking a few examples:1) A lady born in 1900 (vertical axis - on the left), living in 1920 (horizontal axis). The colour is pale purple, close to dark purple. This young lady would be likely to wear a corset if upper class, and less likely if lower class. Her older contemporaries would almost certainly wear a corset. 2) A lady born in 1920 living in 1960 (my mother and her friends). Definitely into girdles, but note the rapid decline after the 'Beatles era', and the rapid uptake of the panty-girdle. Oddly, there is a dip in the popularity of the panty-girdle that has only resurfaced in the last decade. 3) A lady born in 1950 living in 2004. The graph predicts a reasonable chance that she wears a panty-girdle, but the chance the she wears a corset is extremely small. Nevertheless, extremely small multiplied by the potential 25 million eligible women in Britain is still a finite number. Ivy is one of that finite number! 4) The corset appears to make a comeback at the end of the 1930's. This is simply the corset-wearing generation discarding such garments, but soon reverting as older age took the upper hand. 5) Ivy's 'Lost Generation', is represented by the horizontal yellow band, i.e. those women who are currently aged 65 to 85 years old. Certainly, they were regular girdle-wearers, however, you have to go back another 20 years to catch the corset-wearing Edwardians. That's why genuine recollections are usually the preserve of the very elderly.
6) Note the rapid rise and fall of the girdle. The corset (as we currently know it) has been around for half a millennium, and the Spirella 305 (still marketed today albeit by Spencer) for eight decades. The panty-girdle, invented well before WWII, came to prominence in the late 1940's and is still effectively the only lower foundation on offer today although it nearly passed away in the 1980's to 90's. It's future looks secure even if women use the euphamism 'shaper'. That will be at least six decades. The girdle came and went in three magnificent decades of style and control. The corset it supplanted eventually would out-sell it. The pantygirdle, took America by storm and then invaded Europe. The girdle, like the Apollo missions, had been years incubating, still lingers on in reduced form, but was at its zenith for a remarkably short period. We forget how long ago that was. The Beatles, the culture of whom changed the world, and incidentally terminated the girdle, are now eligible for pension. How did it all pass so quickly? These notes would have been impossible to compile without the memories of my husband and myself, but especially recollections and anecdotes from readers. Regard the observation below and one can see the time lines of fashion change describe in apparently trivial memories. I used to visit my aunt several times each year in the late 1960s. She must have been about 65 then. She always kept her cupboards open, and lying there were her M&S girdles. These garments were replaced by pantie-girdles in 1969. I remember the year since I went off to university then, and she gave me five pounds. "I started wearing a girdle when I was 15. Why not? My mum did and girls in those days dressed the same way. Just before I went to training college (1971), she took me into Guildford and bought me some panty-girdles that, hitherto, she had pooh-poohed. I never wore my girdles again. Tights came almost immediately afterwards and the daily chore of doing one's suspenders became history. When I say chore, I didn't realise it was a chore until I stopped wearing stockings." The History of Foundations from the Sears Catalogue We have a number of Sears catalogues dating from 1918 to 1972. A quick walk through their pages is to take a trip down memory lane, however, my husband decided to test the veracity of our article above. In short order, a number of expected conclusions appeared and a few unexpected ones. Of course, the Sears catalogue does not reveal what women wore, simply what Sears expected them to buy; the relative sales figures are unknown to us. Nevertheless, here are some observations:Corsets are present in all the catalogues, however, from the late-1930, back-lacing steadily gives way either to frontlacing or cluster-lacing. Basically, donning one's corset became a task for oneself, not one's maid. From the late 1950's the number of pages devoted to corsets decreases drastically, and the models for sale are more 'surgical corsets' or supports rather than fashion garments. Corselettes stand the test of time as well evolving from complex underbelted creations to the ultimate entrapment device, the long-leg panty-corselette. The garment was extremely popular prior to the WWII mainly because independent brassieres were not available. The corselette pre-WWII was really a corset extended to hold the bosom. The word brassiere appears after WWI but their appearance in any number does not happen until after WWII. Long-line brassieres never occupy much space in the catalogue and steadily the conventional bra would dominate the pages, and subsequently the floor space in the department stores. Girdles arise and fall over a three decade period, the shortest of any serious foundation garment. What might have been a longer success was squashed in short order by the panty-girdle. This garment first appears pre-WWII but dramatically dominates the catalogues as the 1950's come to an end having evolved into the long-leg panty-girdle. For two decades, American women wore a bra and panty-girdle; it might as well have been a uniform ( right). Incidentally, Sears never used the term panty-girdle, simply panty or girdle. Waspies and basques enjoy a few pages during this period, oddly a decade after Dior's new look that required such garments. Rubber is a mainline material for 10% of garments pre-WWII, but the material requirements of this conflict precluded rubber for corsetry for the best part of a decade. It returns during the 1950's and 1960's, latterly under the championship of Playtex, only to die out in favour of what a friend incorrectly called more natural fabrics (what is more natural than rubber?). Oddly, we see a renaissance today of rubber corsetry in Latin America. That was the American experience. Typically, before the internet generation, modes and customs from America would cross the Atlantic about five to ten years later and, indeed, a British history follows the same course, albeit delayed; the move into the panty-girdle occurring at the end of the 1960's. One major difference however, was that Europeans never embraced the long-leg panty-girdle with the fervour of their American sisters, and whilst Americans wore some really elegant, sleek foundations, the British were reduced to little more than elasticated underpants. Amazingly, spear-headed by the fashion-conscious Asian market, the panty-girdle (although not called as such) once again fills the shelves of the stores.
Football Tummy
WRONG: The lack of a proper foundation garment, and far too tight a belt results in severe straining of both the skirt and the blouse. "Football Tummy' is the result.
RIGHT: It might look a little more matronly, but there is no strain on the clothes. The clothes will fit perfectly every time, any body fluctuations being controlled by the corset.
Corset Detective
(this page has been moved)
Corset Detective
My husband is a great fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes', hence the rather elaborate title of this section - Ivy In the course of a year, my husband and I will look at hundreds of corsets. These may be additions to our collection, photographs from journals and brochures, or simply pictures of articles for sale or auction. It is the pre-worn corset that we discuss here, for in each wrinkle, each fold and bend of the stays lies the story of the owner. Was the previous wearer a rich, elderly widow living out her days in a Brooklyn apartment, a thrifty Scottish woman retired to Ayr, or some elderly Dutch woman, her corsets strained to destruction by the vigorous daily cycling to the 'Simonis' fish market at Scheveningen. (We have known all three, and the last example has an amusing aside. Firstly, my aunt was such a person in the 1960's, and secondly, the firm 'Simonis' operates the largest fish market in Europe, and until recently a shop of the same name sold corsets in the Laan van Meerdervoort. The firms are quite unconnected!
The Case of the Catholic Corset. On the right is a rather special German corset. It has
double-lacing at the sides in the style of the Spirella 527. These were for post-pregnancy or postoperative wear to allow an abdomen robbed of it muscle tone to be returned to its original shape. This corset is actually blue, a fact that if the source of the garment was unknown, would locate its source as either France or Germany. The corset has been worn tight and often as the horizontal creases reveal. The elastic of the middle suspenders is worn indicating that the wearer needed stockings stronger than normal. This points to post-pregnancy. All the indications are that this was worn by a fashionable lady, probably after her last pregnancy at a more advanced age than normal. Worn in the 1960's, the lady would be in her early 40's, well-groomed, elegant and with four or more children. Most likely she would come from the south-eastern, predominantly Catholic area of Germany near the Rhine River.
The Case of the Canadian Corset. The lady in question passed away in the late 1980's and had obviously suffered from a 'bad back'
for some years. The second corset (unlike the one in the photographs) shows all the signs of regular use, yet it has been well looked after. Small repairs, inevitable in a well-worn corset, are present but expertly executed. These were strong, unyielding garments, which only a regular corset wearer could stand. The slight hip-spring of the corset suggests quite an elderly lady in whom the weight loss of age has reduced the differential between waist and hip. One can guess that the lady was probably born at around the turn of the last century, and would probably have experienced her first corsets as a teen-ager. If she had worn corsets all her life, and many women of that generation did, she would be quite unable to live without them in old age. It may be that she returned to corsets in later life as her back began to weaken. In either case, wearing a corset would be familiar to her, perhaps even a way of life. The corsets are made of exquisite materials which would not have been the cheapest in the brochure. I suspect that the lady took pride in her appearance. She may well have been comfortably off; the repairs simply suggesting the older generation's natural tendency to mend, rather than replace. Certainly, corsets are like shoes, if you have a comfortable pair that you can wear all day, you will look after them. The removal of the exterior belt is interesting. The lady would have had excellent posture (there was little choice in such a garment), and I imagine this elderly lady, well-dressed and quite fussy about her appearance, would have been mortified if her corsets had announced their presence either aurally or visually. I suspect she removed the exterior strap since she would be concerned that it might show through her skirt. In such a strong corset, the strap is largely redundant. Perhaps the corsetiere added the strap as one of the 'optional extras' to
increase her commission. The corsetiere, however, missed out on selling the third pair of suspenders, since the corset has but four, front and side-mounted. Again, this is typical of an elderly widow, for whom the task of attaching rear suspenders once the corset is donned, is virtually impossible. I know; I've tried it, and along with several of my elderly friends we can agree: That's what husbands are for!
The Case of The Widow's Legs. Once again I must quote the hilarious Tom Sharpe from his book 'Porterhouse Blue' in which the Stilton cheese reminds the husband of his wife's legs "blue and veined!" Sadly true, many elderly women suffered badly with their legs until the 1970's when removal of troublesome veins became commonplace. Until then, heroically powerful stockings were worn, and they needed a heroically strong anchorage point, and that meant a corset firmly fixed to the wearer's waist. Whether the afflicted women wished to possess a well-defined figure, she had little option.
We love these 'finds' where a lady's underpinnings are retrieved from an estate sale. So much can be deduced about the previous owner. These are Spirella's finest 305's. Three are made from satin orchid material, and one from a lighter mesh. Perhaps the lady lived in the north of the USA and visited Florida during the winter or perhaps her offspring in California. Had she lived permanently in a hot climate, then all the corsets would have been lightweight. The absence of rear suspenders denotes widowhood (the beasts are difficult to do up when one is old.) The stretched suspenders on one of the corsets is testimony to the power of her stockings. The other suspenders have been replaced at various times as they have given up the ghost. The corsets date from the late 1960's to the early 1980's and were worn regularly and tightly. Her waist probably bulged a little above the top rim of the corsets as the horizontal creasing shows. They are a bit grubby and lacked regular washing but they have worn well and probably served their wearer well for the last decade of her life.
Another example of a corset well used by a widow is shown here. The corset has six suspenders, the traditional requirement to anchor any form of support stocking, however, they are all clustered as close to the front as possible. This would simply have been for ease of donning and attaching the stockings without having to twist around for the back suspenders. Whether the corset came ready manufactured like this or was made to order (I suspect the latter), it tells the story of a elderly widow all too clearly.
The Special Spirella

Ostensibly, a Spirella from the 1960's - 70's period, there's just a few things wrong with it. The material is fine. Spirella used the black pattern for many years before it dropped black altogether in the 1980's. The front-lacing an elastic inserts, again, fully original, classifying the corset as a 305. The four strap underbelt was a classic Spirella option. That the buckles operated an under-belt, rather than a lumbo-sacral over-belt distinguishes the Spirella from the Spencer of the same era. The oddities are the pieces of white ribbon around the top, and the back-lacing. The ribbon is not Spirella and must have been added later. The backlacing, that, in addition to the front-lacing, was quite a common request, looks odd. The spacing of the grommets is far too wide. Furthermore, Spirella almost always covered the back-lacing on the 325 (front- and back-aced models) with a fly. This lacing and the grommets has been added at some point in the corset's life. Had the owner gained weight, and wished to expand the corset without the (considerable) expense of buying another one? Possibly. Had she lost weight and cut out a rear section? Unlikely. I know many women who have sewn the backs of their corsets to decrease the diameter. This works, but is prone to split (embarrassingly) and puts all the bones in the wrong proportional position. It looks like the corset was modified for theatrical purposes; a back-laced corset being required. Perhaps the owner had tried wearing it backto-front, and realised just how horribly uncomfortable that is.
The Case of The Heavy Woman's Corsets:

We came across these lovely black orchid (Spirella's satin) corsets. They had been well used, but well cared for. The wearer was lucky. A batch of these black Spirellas, made in the mid-1980's had defective material and could easily split! Spirella abandoned black as a colour in consequence. It is a fact, that as a corset-wearing women starts to gain weight, the support of the corset for the abdomen outweighs the desire to achieve a fashionable profile. Frankly, forcing the fatty tissue into the abdominal cavity already occupied by equally fatty organs is unpleasant at best, as potentially harmful at worst. The corset requirement tends to be for a shorter, broader garment since abdominal support, rather than compression, is desired. Such corsets are put under terrific stresses as the creases at the back of the waist (left), and at the top of the thighs (right) reveal. The top of the corset front has even bent over as excess avoirdupois spills from its container. The corset should perhaps have been cut longer above the waist, but not laced tight. That would have prevented what must have been quite a roll of flesh!
The Third Corset:

There are two corsets here that came from the estate of an elderly lady. They are classic Spirella 305's in white orchid material (artificial satin). They are almost certainly 1960's vintage judging by the suspender style. Another interesting feature, usually seen on corsets for regular wear, are the waist creases caused by firm lacing. The hooks-an-eyes closure, rather than the metal zip of the 1960's, is another clue as to the wearer's preference to have her corsets well-laced. Those zips were prone to occasional catastrophic failure, an unacceptable occurrence. The question is "Where is the third corset?" Why three? All Spirella wearers were told by their corsetieres that one corset was for wearing, one for the drawer and one for the wash. A regular rotation of three corsets would maximise the life of all three. As the oldest lost its powers (usually in the elastic), it would be replaced by a new one.
One of these corsets is in very good condition, and the other (stored neatly in its Spirella plastic bag) is slightly more worn. On a label, is hand-written, "second best corset." So where is the third? It would have been more worn than either of those on display. Was it thrown away as unusable; possibly. Far more likely is that the third was thrown away, but shortly before the old lady passed away and her last corset was purchased. Without the time or inclination to re-label the corset bags, her new corset would have literally been taken to her grave.
The Girdles' Story #1

Firstly, regard the collection of girdles on the left. They came from the estate of an elderly American lady. They are all conventional longleg panty-girdles. Some are worn and some are new and most are still available in the shops today. They are quite unexceptional and probably resemble the underpinnings of another million elderly women in America with one exception -- and that is the girdle in the middle! It came from the same estate but is far older (look at the metal zip and the real satin panels). It stands alone as a beacon of quality in a sea of mediocrity. This is definitely not on sale today, so why is it there? All the other girdles speak of a regular replacement of worn items by new ones. There are blacks for evening, whites for Church and beige for normal use. I suspect this
old friend was a true favourite. Of a strength and quality unknown today, it became the girdle for 'best' use, albeit someway past its prime.
Women have little sentiment about their underwear (usually it's the opposite) but in this case, the girdle was simply too effective and well-made to discard.
The Girdles' Story #2 Again, another girdle that appear quite ordinary at first glance drew my attention. This
girdle looks just like a million other up-market girdles of the 1960's. These are strong, heavy and extremely effective devices. In this case, however, the waist is a scant 23 inches (55 cm) and the hips only 30 (75 cm). There is precious little stretch in these old girdles (although I do know of a lady who forced a blatant 40" waist into a 34" girdle). Was it a young girl's girdle ? Probably not, although girls of 12 did wear girdles in the 1950's and 60's, however, they tended to be softer and shorter items (this girdle is very long) designed mainly to hold up the stockings and remind the poor creature of the devices to follow within a few years. Almost certainly, it's the girdle of an elderly woman. The scant hip-spring of seven inches (most mature women are 10 to 12 inches) is typical of the older women who starts to loose weight off her derriere whilst retaining a slight waist-line plumpness. Women were thinner in the 60's than today, so I can conclude that the girdle belonged to a fashionable women, probably in her early 70's and born around the turn of the last century. She would have been a US size 6, but tall for her era, possibly 5ft 8in, on account of the length of the girdle. Women of today might ask "What on earth does a tall size 6 need with a girdle?" Remember when she was born. Being a teenager in the 1920's and probably child-bearing in the 1930's, corsets and girdle would have been a six decade old habit. Such a woman literally could not live without a firm foundation.

Estate sales, thrift and charity shops do occasionally turn up interesting, sometimes even poignant, reminders of at items previous owner. Regard the two girdles that came from the back of the same drawer. The open-bottom girdle is immaculate, unused and still with tags attached, the panty-girdle well cared for but used, particularly the suspenders that appear to be slightly stretched. These foundations of an older woman can probably be dated to the late 1960s. The conventional girdle was in decline and the lady, a wearer for decades, never used the last one she purchased. The panty-girdle took its place, the suspenders necessary to maintain the tension on her support stockings. Wearing the panty-girdle, she could wear slacks and disguise her hated stockings (and probably legs). Latterly, she wore support tights and the powerful panty-girdle was no longer needed and consigned with its cousin to the back of the drawer.

This recently acquired girdle is a rare panty-girdle from that mainstay of Australian corsetry, Jenyns. As one would expect, it is incredibly well constructed with the elastic doubled in most areas. The girdle is 21" long and was designed for a 26" waist.
The hip control bands suggest that this was worn by an older woman, perhaps even a Jenyns corset wearer who felt the need for a more modern garment whilst retaining a firm degree of control. Certainly this is a powerful girdle. I can imagine a slim elderly, perhaps slightly classy lady around size 12 (UK) and quite tall. The girdle has been well used and the frequent use of the zip has torn the satin pull and metal end away. This was not a girdle for the faint-hearted yet feminine touches abound:- the little rose on the top right, the satin rear panel and the lacy leg ends.
Long Corsets for a Long Lady

We came across yet another excellent example of corsetry from an estate sale. Two corsets of amazing length considering the scant waist and hip measurements. There was a Spirella 325 at 22" long in the back and 19" in the front, and a Camp of similar dimension but slightly shorter in the skirt. The waist measured 26" and the hips 34" on both corsets. Back support corsets are often cut short in the front, but these were designed to put a figure on a tall, thin, elderly woman even at the expense of flexibility. The skirt of the Spirella (the longer of the two) comes well down to the thighs, and only a generous gusset of elastic permits perambulation. Indeed, a terrific strain must have been placed on the gussets every time she sat down. There would be no soft sofas for this woman! It seems that the lady, who must have been around 5 foot 10 inches tall and about size 10 (UK), had enjoyed a series of 325's but latterly, as with so many older women, the multiple lacings became a chore and she employed the simple fan-lacing of the Camp. Despite my love affair with Spirella, I have to admit that there's nothing like a Camp to flatten the abdomen with a couple of tugs on the straps. (Lady Mary adjusted the straps on her surgical corset with a vigour that reminded Sir Godber of a race meeting - Tom Sharpe's Porterhouse Blue). Matched with the Spirella 325 (that has both front- and back-lacing), is a brassiere with a laced back, another Spirella feature. Before she discovered Camp, the lady in question had to negotiate a whopping 50 inches of lacing. In practice, of course, the back lacing is rarely adjusted, nevertheless, I can imagine that the simplicity of the Camp was a boon to her old tired hands. Perhaps she had a maid when she wore the Spirella combination, and for one reason or another the maid left her employ and suddenly her mistress's basic foundations were almost impossible to don. The Camp's engineering to many women detracts from its appeal, but I think this lady, for whom a flat stomach was paramount, was quite prepared to suffer for her vanity. For years her very locomotion had been impeded by her underpinnings to the extent that it would seem natural. This was a lady who would never, and probably could never be seen without her corsets.
A Spirella Trove
Sometimes, estate clearances can produce the most interesting collections of garments. Regard the assortment of Spirella foundations on the right. They came from the estate of an elderly widow in the early 1990's and have only just come to light as 'something the estate clearer could not sell, but was reluctant to discard, uncertain of their historical significance or value'. Monetary value, close to nothing. These are well worn with the exception of a new girdle and have seen decades of use. Historical value, close to zero for a museum, but priceless to the collector of Spirella memorabilia. What does this motley assortment of somewhat
dirty foundations tell us? The woman was a Spirella wearer and had been for many years. Most of the foundations are tea rose in colour with a few white bras. It may be that the white lowers simply disintegrated and were thrown away. Tea rose disguises the mild soiling that looks awful on a white garment. There are three corsets, very well worn. One suspects that this was a well-to-do woman who took her figure and foundations equally seriously. In later life, she moved towards the girdle, the best preserved of which is hardly worn. Either she passed away before wearing it, or, and many Spirella devotees did this, she purchased a garment to 'see her out' as Spirella went out of business in 1988. The general unkempt appearance of the garments suggests a common malaise of the elderly and that is a desire to look good, but a reluctance to wash and dry these heavy garments. She probably passed away at the end of the 1980's, the estate clearance being delayed as her financial affairs took several years to sort out, her husband having passed away some time before. What am I bid for The Legacy of a Large Lady shouts the rude auctioneer!
Again, the unwanted remnants from an estate sale speak volumes about the rather large matron over whose estate the auctioneer presided. Surely the final indignity is to be remembered by one's rather soiled under-pinnings, but on the contrary, the history that these garment relate is worthy of attention. All these garments are large with a waist size around 42 - 44 inches. The length of the corselettes, at 19 inches, speaks of a woman of average height for the 1960's for this is the era of these garments. We can surmise that our 5 foot 5 inch, 44C - 42 - 48 matron
weighed around 180 - 190 pounds, the ever present threat of breaking the 200 pound barrier being the bane of her life. She was not particularly well off since the garments show signs of long and heavy wear. They are rather soiled but this is from long storage rather than lack of personal attention. She would have normally worn her corselettes, the one on the left with a full under-belt, resorting to the corset possibly on Sundays and for 'occasions'. This stout woman's legs were in fair condition for her age and weight since the suspenders (garters) fail to show the excessive stretching that surgical stockings exact. In later years, she lost some weight as the elderly do and the corselettes have been adjusted to her smaller frame either by herself or by a seamstress. The corset remained unaltered. The forces exerted by such a garment are far too much for common thread to withstand. The spoon busk indicates that the corset is rather older than the corselettes and it is a couple of inches larger in the waist. This pre-dated her change to the comfort of the all-in-one garments. Were these garments finally abandoned some decades ago as the lady took to the more modern panty-girdle, or did the old lady pass away, the remnants of her life surfacing only recently? I suspect the later.
An Old Lady's Corset

One might say these days, that of course this is an old lady's corset. Who else would wear such a thing? But such a sweeping statement blinds one to the myriad clues and details about the previous owner. The corset is long, at 19 inches with a waist measurement of 34 inches and hips of 38 inches. It is very heavily boned in the back with eight steels (and these are not the spiral variety). It is a classic Spirella 305 and the writing on the corset is barely faded. The suspenders are rather long and the suspender knobs have the little metal button. The corset is made from a pink brocade fabric. From this evidence we can deduce that the owner of this lovely garment was a tall lady who, like many of her tall sisters, suffered from a bad back. The corset has hardly been worn as the clear M305 and lack of wear on the elastic demonstrate. The corset was probably purchased in the 1960's since such suspenders were not made after that, and certainly, the short stockings, as evidenced by the long suspenders, were barely available after that decade. The lady would not have been poor since there were far cheaper corsets available, but sadly, she appears to have passed away shortly after receiving the garment. She would have been quite elderly judging by the very scant hip-spring.
I can almost see her now, tall, elegant, but with the narrow hipped stiffness of the elderly lady. Her skirt would have been unfashionably long since her choice of style would have remained rooted in the past, after all, she was probably born in the 19th century. That this corset could be worn today and would last for many years is a tribute to the quality of the garment.
The Tight Lacer

Just take a look at this corset!
They don't make them like that anymore! This is a beautifully made corset that only a few talented corsetires could have produced. Laced tight, it would produce a waist of barely 20 inches. The materials are sumptuous and expensive. The corset abounds with those touches that only the experienced corset wearer would demand from the corsetire; the plush lining of the busk, the heavy fabric flap under the lacing, the reinforced eyelets, eight suspenders, heavy-duty laces and tape binding at the waist. The wear and tear on the exterior surface and the concave set of the busk speak of very, very tight-lacing. Such a corset brings to mind Ethel Granger and Cathie Jung, but this would be far too big on either, nevertheless, this gives a clue as to the provenance of the device for it comes from non other than Madame Diana Medeq of Duke Street London.
Dating Foundation Garments

What a subject this is; and how many times have we been asked to date a corset or a girdle. One day, this page will comprise our knowledge about the subject, but for the time being, let us start with the easiest of all; labels that can be dated. For the information below, we are most grateful for the historical researchers at Marks and Spencer. Since we have a large collection of M&S girdles, we are also in a position to show how materials, suspenders and zip fasteners changed over the years. This can then be used as a yard-stick by which to judge others.
Labelling:
All companies change their logos from time to time and this can be of great help to historical researchers. Marks and Spencer are one such company and we have placed the labels in chronological order.
Pink label: This label is on a very oldfashioned girdle. Since the label refers to 'St. Michael REGD' it must pre-date 1961 when the title 'REGD' was changed to 'R'. This particular label probably comes from the early 1950's. Detail of the girdle shows the metalcentred suspenders knobs (a 1950's giveaway) and the coarse rubber-based elastic. Red label: As above, however, the girdle to which it is attached would suggest a garment from the late 1950's. All the elastic panels are made of satin elastic so there is no evidence of either lycra or rubber-based materials. The suspenders are the classic 'So-lo' design that became prevalent from the 1960's onwards. The girdle has a metal zipper. These zippers were always backed up by hooks-and-eyes since, in the 1960's and 70's, cheaper zips were prone to catastrophic failure. In reality, the zipper provided a smooth line over the hooks-and-eyes that took the majority of the forces involved. The girdle has satin lining on the internal bone panels. Black label: Post-1961
but pre-1968 when the first two washing symbols were introduced. Again, this girdle is constructed from satin elastic and has a similar design to the red label (above). One sad detail is that the satin bone casings have been replaced by cotton. Blue label: This post-dates the black label but still pre-dates the 1968 introduction of washing symbols. If two washing symbols had been present on a blue label, then the garment would have dated from 1968 - 1974. It would appear that the satin elastic girdles did not make it into the 1970's, where the new model of nylon and lycra-based elastic first appears. This is still a heavy girdle, but probably cheaper to manufacture since there was a huge movement into the panty-girdle at this time. The blue label containing both French and English defines it as post-1974, the year before Marks and Spencer moved into France. This is the same 911B/1909 girdle of the late 1960's, but there are detail differences for the connoisseur to notice. On the left, there is cross-sticking on the central front seam, whereas on the later girdle (right), the stitching is plain.
As mentioned elsewhere, cross-stitching is not just decorative, but a throw-back to the lacing of the traditional corset.
Black-red label: This is early 1980's and was the last era in which Marks and Spencer made the traditional heavyweight zippered girdle. Gone are the pretty materials, the lace trimming and the satin panels to be replaced by nylon and lycra, and pretty dull nylon at that! The zipper is plastic and that gives a good clue to provenance in the late 1970's.
Zippers
The zipper is far older than people imagine and the first working version was patented in 1851 by Elias Howe, however, the first modern metal zipper, was designed by Gideon Sundbck in 1913. The zipper only became used in clothes in the early 1930's. The metal zipper started to be replaced by nylon or plastic in the late 1970's.
Suspenders (style and length)

The suspenders with the metal pin in the centre of the knob went out in the late 1950's, however, bulk orders by some manufacturers lead to garments being made with these suspenders well into the 1960's. Certainly they were less prone to cross-threading with the inevitable 'snap' as the stocking parted company with its anchorage. Our magnificent Jenyns satin corset has metal-centred suspenders at the front and more modern ones at the back. This is not a modification, it was the way it was made, which is odd since the rear suspenders take far more strain than the front ones.
Elastic and Fabrics

A great clue to the 1950's / 1960's watershed is the change from rubber-based elastic to lycra-based elastic. The latter is far finer and much harder wearing. Anything rubber-based is notoriously prone to rot in ultra-violet light or in contact with hydrocarbons. It was not just modesty that prevented granny from hanging her girdles on the washing line, it was to keep them out of the harmful rays of the sun. These heavy girdles dried very well around the hot water pipes in the kitchen. My husband remembers well his landlady's girdles adding extra insulation to the pipes every Monday! The 'pink label' M&S girdle above used rubber-based elastic. Fabrics have never improved in appearance, only in robustness since the 1950's and so the more bland the material, the later the garment and the M&S girdles above demonstrate this so well.
Patterns, Sizes and Catalogues

Patterns changed over the years. Pre-war, the change was less rapid than post-war when increasing affluence in the 1960's lead to bigger women with a more pronounced hip spring. Spirella developed a completely new line of girdles in 1961 to cope with the larger, modern woman.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0955-6222.htm
Graphical analysis of bra size calculation procedures

M.C.M. Wright
Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton, UK
Keywords Garments, Measurement Abstract A widely used procedure for calculating bra size from body measurements is analysed graphically. It is shown that arbitrarily small variations in the body measurements can cause a difference of up to three cup sizes in the calculated bra size. Some implications are discussed and improved procedures suggested.
Bra size calculation procedures 41

Received October 2000 Accepted August 2001
1. The calculation procedure The rise of internet shopping has brought an increasing need for consumers to measure themselves rather than consulting experienced tters. An internet search has revealed that variations on the following procedure for calculating bra sizes is quoted on many retail sites and elsewhere: (1) Measure around the ribcage just under the bust in inches. (2) If the result is even add four, otherwise add ve, this is the band size. (3) Measure around the bust at its fullest point. (4) Subtract the result of (2) from the result of (3). (5) Convert this number to a letter, this is the cup size. There is an implicit assumption that the results of steps (1) and (3) must be integers. It will be assumed in what follows that this is the result of a rounding to the nearest integer, so that the range from 0.5 to 1.499. . .rounds to 1, etc. Variations are found in the letter system used in step (5), but these are immaterial to the discussion that follows. For deniteness the system shown in Table I, which is common in the UK, will be used. Mathematically the procedure denes a mapping from two continuous variables x and y, the actual ribcage and bust sizes, to two discrete variables X and Y, the resulting band and cup size. This mapping can be written X 2bbx 1=2c 5=2c; Y by 1=2c 2 2bbx 1=2c 5=2c; 1 2
International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, Vol. 14 No. 1, 2002, pp. 4145. q MCB UP Limited, 0955-6222 DOI 10.1108/09556220210420327
where bxc is the greatest integer less than or equal to x. Hence or otherwise, the domain in (x, y ) space occupied by each (X, Y ) pair can be found. This is plotted in Figure 1 with Y expressed as a letter.
IJCST 14,1
42
As can be seen from Figure 1, each size (i.e. each distinct (X, Y ) pair) occupies a rectangular domain in (x, y ) space, 2 inches wide and 1 inch tall. The domains corresponding to a particular cup size, however, are not adjacent, whereas there exist pairs of domains whose cup sizes differ by two which are horizontally adjacent. By the same token there exist pairs of domains whose cup sizes differ by three which are diagonally touching. This means that arbitrarily small errors in x and y could, if they caused the measurement to cross the relevant diagonal boundary between domains, change a predicted size from an A-cup to a D-cup, for example. The cup size is suppposed to describe the difference between the bust and ribcage sizes. The points on a line inclined at 458 in (x, y ) space have a constant difference between x and y. It is impossible, however, to draw such a line on Figure 1 so that it passes through the domains corresponding to any one cup size for more than half of its length, if the line is continued far enough. Coincidentally it is often claimed that 50% of women in the UK wear the wrong size of bra, although a literature search has failed to reveal any published research to support this statistic. Note also that although cup sizes go up in one inch steps the difference between the smallest and largest values of x 2 y to be assigned to the same cup size is three inches.
2. An alternative procedure The cause of these anomalies can be seen in Equation (2). The ribcage size x is rounded twice, once (implicitly) when measured and then again when made even. The cup size Y, therefore, is the difference between two rounded quantities, which allows the rounding errors to accumulate. That error is plus or minus half an inch for the rst term, and plus or minus one inch for the second, leading to an accumulated error of plus or minus one and a half inches, corresponding to the three inch range in x 2 y values. The situation can be improved by modifying the procedure as follows: (1) Measure around the ribcage just under the bust in inches. (2) Add ve to the result. (3) Measure around the bust at its fullest point rounding up to the next integer. (4) Subtract the result of (2) from the result of (3). (5) Convert this number to a letter, this is the cup size. (6) If the result of (2) is odd subtract one, this is the band size.
Table I. Key to cup size letters 21 AA 0 A 1 B 2 C 3 D 4 DD 5 E
Figure 1. Domain map for rst procedure
This corresponds to the following mapping: X 2bbx 1=2c 5=2c; Y by 1c 2 bx 1=2c 2 5; 3 4
which is plotted in Figure 2. Now all the domains corresponding to a particular cup size are at least diagonally touching and it is possible to draw a continuous 458 line which passes only through the domains corresponding to a single cup size. The cup size is still the difference of two rounded quantities, but the error in the second is reduced because now it is only rounded once. The range of y 2 x values to be assigned to the same cup size therefore becomes two inches, as can be veried from Figure 2. For completeness it may be worth pointing out that it is possible to completely remove all error accumulation by arranging for the difference operation to occur before any rounding. This could be achieved if, for example, a disposable paper tape were used to make the measurements, on which marks were made to indicate its position when placed around the ribcage and bust. The calculation procedure would then be: (1) Measure the distance from the beginning of the tape to the rst mark. (2) If it is even add four, if it is odd add ve, this is the band size. (3) Measure the difference between the marks rounding up to the next integer. (4) Subtract ve and convert to a letter.
IJCST 14,1
44
Figure 2. Domain map for second procedure
The corresponding mapping is X 2bbx 1=2c 5=2c; Y by 2 x 1c 2 5; 5 6
which is plotted in Figure 3. This reduces the range of y 2 x over a cup size to one inch, albeit at the expense of a more involved procedure.
3. Discussion In practice consumers will usually nd their preferred size by trial and error, although this may not always be the case if the 50 per cent statistic mentioned above does have any basis in fact. The success of any procedure can only be judged by the likelihood of its predicting the same size as would be chosen by trial and error, and no such procedure can be as successful as an experienced tter. But with the rise of internet shopping the reliance on such procedures seems likely to grow. The graphical analysis carried out above suggests that the second procedure should have a greater likelihood of success than the rst. Naturally the manufacturers implementation of sizes will be a factor in the success of any procedure, but generally this will only affect the location and scaling of the patterns in Figures 1 and 2, not the relative positions of the domains therein. In particular it is hard to conceive of a rational manufacturing strategy for which the rst procedure is more suitable than the second.
36E 36DD 36D 36C 36B 36A 36AA
38D 38C 38B 38A 38AA
40B 40A 40AA
34E 34DD 34D 34C 34B
Figure 3. Domain map for third procedure
The implications of this analysis go beyond manufacturer/retailer/consumer relationships. Before reconstructive or cosmetic breast surgery the postoperative bra size is predicted, and the mappings discussed above can be signigicant (Kanhai, 1999). Furthermore, medical statistics relating, for instance, incidence of cancer to breast size may be based on census data which asks for cup size. The procedure used to calculate that cup size could then have implications for the interpretation of such statistics.
References Kanhai, R.C.J. and Hage, J.J. (1999), Bra cup size depends on band size, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Vol. 104 No. 1, pp. 300.
Rosalind's Recollections
I have been asked to write about my time working in the corsetry and ladies wear shop that you can see in the photograph. My name is Rosalind and I live near Manchester, although the shop you can see was on the Lancashire coast near Blackpool. I worked there from 1958 to 1966 as assistant to the owner. I was in my 20s at the time so you will know that Im now on the wrong side of 60! My memories of most of the shop and its customers are still very clear, so I hope readers will enjoy what I have to say, and I would be willing to answer any specific questions where I may not have mentioned something or other. The Shop The shop, as estate agents would say, was deceptively large, although narrow at the front. It went back quite a long way and also had a first floor section. Within the shop we had two counters, probably quite old, with glass fronts and drawers for displaying items. Then there were shelves for boxes and the odd display. Behind the shop we had a very good display room with a number of mannequin figures all dressed in a variety of bras, girdles and corsetry, as well as catalogues for customers to look at what was available. Upstairs we had a staff room and a fitting room with two cubicles divided by velvet curtains. At the back was a stock room. The shop was owned by a lady called Rose, who was in her 50s and quite elegantly dressed. She was a trained corsetiere. I had never worked in this type of shop before and was really just her assistant, although by the time I left I was very knowledgeable and went on to work at a larger ladies shop as a manageress. The Customers Its fair to say that we had customers of all ages from 16 upwards. The type of garments purchased by the different age groups was quite well defined. Of course in those days all women wore stockings and some means of support, and apart from very slim women, it was usual to wear a girdle that might be a lightweight type, such as a 'roll-on', or something firmer and more supportive. Although the more elderly customers were the ones usually buying corsetry, it was very usual to see a lady in her 30s wearing quite a firm support and perhaps a long line bra, even if she was only moderately plump. Because of our location there were many hoteliers, and some had plenty of money to spend. Some ladies would be in every week buying something, and particularly in the winter we were very busy. Rose would also visit them at their hotels if required. The younger customers were often still at high school, probably sixth formers, and they usually went for suspender belts or lighter weight girdles. The first time, they usually came in with their mothers, but would then visit by themselves. The Stock As can be seen in the photograph, we sold a wide range of bras, girdles, corsellettes and corsetry, mainly from a variety of the well-known off-the-shelf makes like Berlei, Kayser and Silhouette. In addition we had a very good selection of general underwear such as slips, knickers, vests, as well as a wide variety of stockings or nylons as many women called them.
Invariably a customer would purchase more than one item during a visit, and sometimes she would end up buying a whole range of things, especially the well-heeled hoteliers, who might spend over 60 (a lot of money then!) For ladies who wanted proper corsetry, such as you can see on this site, Rose had contacts such as Madame Foners, in Liverpool and she would liaise with them if customers asked for special brands such as Camp. I don't think we ever sold the traditional back-lacing corsets. I certainly met several ladies who wore Spirella girdles, but I don't recall ever seeing a Spencer garment. We did have quite a bit of competition from general ladies wear shops, but I think we offered a more personal service and customers felt more comfortable there than in a large store. Being situated on the coast, there was quite an old population, so the majority of the customers tended to be about 40-70. It was that type of shop. (..and don't we miss it - Ivy) In the stock room there were some quite old pre-war garments that would probably be worth a lot of money today, but sadly they are long gone. In the shop counters we had slips, knickers and stockings laid out in the display drawers. Most of the girdles and lower foundations were kept in the stock room, and brought out when a customer had chosen one from the models on display. General Recollections Like most things, we had very easy and very difficult customers! I think the vast majority of women just chose things that were ok but we definitely had more discerning customers who wanted to look as elegant or sexy as possible, although the latter word was never used! Ladies would often come in after having bought a new evening gown or an outfit for a special occasion such as a wedding. They would bring it with them and then choose foundation garments to go with it. Most things were in white, but we did have a good selection in black if required. Some customers were very careful to avoid any bulges in their figure, while others seemed not too bothered. The former would be the ones buying corsellettes or high-waisted girdles and long-line bras. Many of the bras used to have securing tabs to attach to the top of the girdle. I recollect that panty-girdles started to become popular around 1965. We had some stock from an American maker, I forget which, but it included long-legged girdles with internal suspenders. These caught on quite well with some of the older customers. The mainstream items were regular bras and open style medium depth girdles. The severe decline in popularity of traditional girdles started around 1967 when these panty-girdles really started to take over. It was a period of transition. (I fully agree - Ivy). One supposed advantage of these girdles was that they did away with the gap of flesh between the stocking top and normal girdle which often bulges out over the stocking. They also removed the chance of accidentally showing ones stocking tops, which was becoming much more frequent as skirts became shorter in the early 60's, especially for women with short legs. The major disadvantages were that they were very hot to wear, especially in warmer weather, and it was very awkward going to the loo (tiolet) unless you had the type with an opening crotch. Otherwise it could involve major undressing! The opening crotches had hook and eye fasteners and these were very awkward and often very uncomfortable. All in all, not my favourite style, although they were soon replaced with tights and short panty-girdles. In theory they were good idea, but they look better in photos than they are to wear. Most women wore slips, either full slips or waist slips. We had some that I would not describe as full slips but came down to about suspender height. Im not sure what they would be called. Long-line bras were quite popular in the late 1950's but I seem to recollect not a huge demand in the 1960's despite the more modern style lighter fabrics coming in. I don't think they had gone out of fashion for the women who need them, but the range was now much smaller. The main thing that customers would look for in bras, was firm support and comfort. Straps were nowhere near as comfortable then, generally being non-stretch, and fashion dictated a sharp outline to the bust. The larger-breasted lady had to find a bra that suited her and wasnt digging in too much on the straps.
With girdles, the complaints were usually "it rides up too much" or "its too hard to bend in!" Suspender bulges under clothing were common, as is mentioned elsewhere on the site, and although some suspenders had modesty shields, the small satin tabs over them, they invariably went to one side and were ineffective. You also got the girdle line showing through skirts, but it was quite normal and most women had to accept it. Having worked in the business for a number of years, I have seen all shapes and sizes, and seen fashions come and go. Womens Lib had a lot to answer for as far as glamour is concerned, and I was sad to see much of the traditional underwear die out, and the shops closed, to be replaced by faceless stores selling cheap and nasty imported lingerie. What is nice is that there is still a steady if not huge demand for these things, and I wouldnt be at all surprised if girdles one day come back into fashion as women get fed up with tights! For myself I hate the things so you can guess what I prefer to wear! I hope this has given a little insight into my time at this shop. I was fascinated to see this site. It was lovely to be able to look at some of the older things again, and I really think that modern women have lost the plot, so to speak. I fully agree Rosalind, and many, many thanks for your excellent contribution to our site. - Ivy
Rosalind's photograph of the actual shop front and the Hairdressers shop that it has become today.
Read more about the old corset shops and their sad demise. Questions to Rosalind: (Questions in black; Rosalind's response in brown and Ivy's additions in green) I seem to remember that while generally in the UK girdles had four suspenders, some had six or even (I think) eight. In my limited experience, it tended to be only the firmer garments that had more than four suspenders. My girlfriend at the time (mid 1960s) decided not to buy a particular girdle not because it might be too firm but because she didn't like having extra suspenders. Was there a practical reason why some girdles had more than four suspenders and was the number of suspenders sometimes a factor in the choice of girdle to buy? Six suspenders gave better support for stockings and prevented them from twisting. As you say it was generally the firmer girdles or corselettes that had six suspenders. (Its not well appreciated these days, that one of the functions of the corset or girdle was to hold up the stockings. The stockings of the older women, who would need firmer support, were often highly elastic and would need six suspenders simply to counter the tensions involved - Ivy) Faced with so many types and styles of girdle in the 1950s and 60s, what features did a purchaser typically consider when deciding which to buy? Obviously factors such as length and strength were important but there were so many others - type of fabric, panels, boning, type of fastening, etc. etc. Did satin panels play any part in the choice of garment? What kind of discussion took place between the woman buying the girdle and the sales assistant? There was a very wide choice of style and finish and one of the main factors was price. Customers varied widely in their fussiness and some would simply come in and buy a garment without even trying it on whilst others could spend over an hour trying on the different styles and makes. Some ladies were very keen on satin panels as they gave a smoother line and felt nicer to wear. Customers would often ask what we thought and had we tried them. In
actual fact we did try on quite a few items to get some idea what they were like. Long-term comfort was a major factor as exploited by Playtex! You have said that girls of high school age usually bought suspender belts or light girdles. (a) My sisters and girlfriends seemed to prefer the deeper-style suspender belts which had only side panels of elastic and seemed quite firm. Was that the type your customers of that age generally bought? Were such belts more comfortable or more functional than the shorter ones? (b) Were there reasons for preferring a belt to a girdle or vice-versa? (c) Girls I knew in the mid 50s to mid 60s did indeed wear suspender belts or light girdles. However, two of them definitely did not - and I had the impression that quite a few girls (of 5th and 6th form age) wore more substantial foundations. The younger of my sisters (who was a little "plump") wore what seemed to be quite a firm girdle with a zip. It had a wide, non-stretch front with two little elastic triangles between the suspenders, and the whole of the back was double elsatic. A girl (friend of my then girlfriend) I often met at our youth club and who was rather more heavily built than my sister, wore a boned girdle and, I think, long-line bra. I could feel the rigid material and the bones as I danced with her. This was in the south of England and I wonder whether things were different further north or whether some girls there also had to wear heavier foundations. High school girls didn't only wear suspender belts, but that was very common. The bigger girls definitely did wear girdles and these ranged from lighter stretch type to firm control girdles. A lesser number wore long-line bras but I recall at least one that did. She was very voluptuous and also wore girdles. The deep style suspender belts were a halfway house and provided some degree of control. (Rosalind doesn't mention the north-south divide. I well remember in the late 1960's, a newspaper comment that pretty underwear wasn't available in t' north! This elicited a fusillade of replies from northern women, who accused the writer of assuming that they still wore frumpy corsets.) When panty-girdles and tights became popular in the late 60s, my wife complained that panty-girdles described (by M&S) as firm control were nothing like as firm as their open girdles had been. Was there a tendency for manufacturers to downgrade their definitions of firmness to match the greater freedom that women seemed to enjoy from about that time. Perhaps was my wife simply wrong in her belief. You are quite right about 'downgrading' the definitions! Simple panty-girdles by their very design couldn't give the same degree of firmness as girdles, although some of the long-leg types definitely did. (The Spirellette 105 is definitely a case in point Ivy.) Did women buy special garments for weddings? Women definitely did buy new bras and girdles for weddings. In the 1960's brides would be wearing whatever suited their body, so there is no definitive answer. There was little in the way of glamorous stuff like today's basques. For formal dressing, foundation garments were almost always worn, even if the lady was slim. She would still feel the need to be wearing a girdle and a supportive bra. (The picture on the right from Spirella - April 1959 shows that even the thin and angular lady deserved the correct support. Sadly she seems less than happy with the experience - Ivy) How long would a standard corset last ? Corsets would last for several years and customers would generally have two or three or more. I'm not sure how long they would be kept but certainly longer than the lighter weight girdles and roll-ons that were more popular. Those tended to lose their elasticity and would be replaced. (A corsetiere I used to visit in Croydon, South London, could expound at length about frequency of washing, acidity of perspiration and many other factors that would extend or reduce the longevity of the corset - Ivy) And the old favourite:- Did women wear their knickers over or under their corsets? Knickers were always worn over corsets and girdles. (So now you've heard it from an expert - Ivy)
HISTORY OF WILBRO, 1975-1993

by Godet, a former Wilbro made-to-measure customer and Frangard, a former Wilbro ready-to-wear customer
1 ORIGINS The origins of Wilbro, which was much appreciated by new corset wearers in the mid-1970s and early 1980s, seems to be lost in the mists of time. Certainly the name seems to be a contraction of Williams Bros and there was, according to Gardarma, a corset maker J. Williams & Sons, who had a shop in Blackpool, but whose main factory was in Manchester. named Williams in Blackpool. He recalled that it was patronised by women members of the north country branch of his family but again there is no definitive information. One former customer suggests the company was a successor to an old established firm that started trading as J D Williams in the 1890s selling ready to wear corsets by mail order. Moreover, he knows of a collector who has a J D Williams corset from the Victorian era in her collection. That business expanded into the home catalogue shopping market and was still going in the 1970s. He recalls that his mother had their catalogues which still had a huge corsetry section and boasted a 'specialist corsetiere' on their staff by the name of Mary Linden. Despite all that information a search of the BT telephone directories from the early years of the 20th Century reveals no such firms in the Manchester area.. In fact, the arrival of Wilbro on the retail corset scene in the 1970s remains an enigma to the dwindling sorority, or fraternity, of serious corset wearers. That said, there is no doubt that Wilbro did help many diffident individuals to start on their personal regime of more regular corset wearing, which they probably would not otherwise have done. What is surprising is that David Kunzle, who carried out what was laudably exhaustive research on corset wearing in the UK in the late 1970s, did not appear to have encountered Wilbro. The final, typewritten draft of the book included a whole chapter which did not appear in the first edition of the published version of the book Fashion and Fetishism, 1982 (revised edition 2004). Among the excluded sentences was the following: "various mail order only firms, which no serious tight lacer would use, use Gardners products notably A.D. and Joan Maxwell of Axminster, Devon, who advertise Ladies Gents and childrens corsets regularly in the Stage. Wilbro which was very active when the research was done is not mentioned. 2 THE 1970S INCARNATION In its first, or was it its penultimate, incarnation, Wilbro operated out of premises on 180 Oxford Road in Manchester. The telephone number was 061-273-5722. It was managed and probably owned by Margaret Beck. She probably purchased the name from the earlier enterprise, or started the firm, in about 1975, when she was in her mid-to late-30s. It is possible she was inspired by Waunita Monroe of Heaton Norris, near Manchester, who advertised corsets "that make you look like a million dollars" in the personal advertisements columns of the "Guardian" in 1973. What is certain is that, as "Wilbro Corsetry, it began advertising in the personal columns of the Sunday Times in late 1975 or early 1976. These advertisements continued sometimes weekly and sometimes every two weeks until sometime in 1978. Each add appeared in the For Her section and usually ran to five lines with the first few words in bold type as shown in the advert of May 15, 1977.
A partial transcription of the wording of some of the advertisements, each with the date of publication, is also shown below, except the name and address of the company is not given each time.
PARTIAL LIST OF WILBRO ADVERTISEMENTS

that appeared in the Personal Columns of the Sunday Times (UK), 1976-78
June (?) 1976 June 13, 1976 TIGHT-LACING VICTORIAN Corsets for figure control and glamour. STRICT CORSET DISCIPLINE makes you wasp waisted and alluring. Corsetry for every figure and every purpose. TIGHT-LACING CORSETS let you forget your figure worries. We will lace and bone you to perfection. A HAND SPAN WAIST is heavily-boned and tightly-laced! VICTORIAN WASP-WAIST Corsets for connoisseurs! TIGHTLY-LACED SATIN CORSETS for well-boned waist glamour. DISCOVER YOUR NEW FIGURE as you are laced into boned Corsets! WASP-WAISTED SATIN CORSETS for tight-laced glamour. BUSK-FASTENED back-lacing corsets for the traditional corset wearer! EXPERIENCED CORSET WEARERS enjoy the pull of the stay-lace! A STRICTLY-CORSETED FIGURE is the admiration of all! YOUR CORSET-CONTROLLED FIGURE will be the envy of your friends! WITH BREATHE HELD TIGHT and the lacers knee in your back, let your corset lacing begin! Catalogue of Tight-lacing Corsets and Fashion Corsets, 35p PULL-PULL-PULL on those corset laces, and make that insubordinate figure submit! COMPULSORY CORSETTING ensures the control and poise of well-boned confidence! Also HAND MADE VICTORIAN CORSETS to your measurements (Vollers) UNCOMPROMISING CORSETS will master the most stubborn figure! COUTURE CORSETING gives irresistible wasp waist allure! INFLEXIBLE BONING and stern lacing for the exacting demands of the corset-conscious woman. Luxury corsets of all types. TRAINING CORSETS for the figure conscious! Traditional fashion and rubber corsets. THE GLOSSY SLEEKNESS of a satin-covered corset adds to the thrill of the Staylace! Specialist Corsetieres in figure-training AN IRRESISTIBLE WASP-WAIST shows your enthusiasm for Corset-training! Discipline and tight-lacing styles for all purposes. YOUR SEVERELY-BONED and strictly-laced figure is the hall-mark of the determined Corset-trainer. Traditional and discipline corsets.
June 27, 1976 July 18, 1976 Sept 21, 1976 Oct 10, 1976 Oct 17, 1976 Oct ? 1976 Jan 2, 1977 Feb 1977 Feb 13, 1977 May 1, 1977 May 15, 1977
May 22 1977 May 29, 1977
June 12, 1977 June 26, 1977 Sep 4, 1977
Oct 16, 1977 Oct 30, 1977
Nov 13, 1977
Jan 22, 1978
Wilbro also advertised in Exchange and Mart at that time and one of the co-authors Godet says I cant remember the exact wording of that ad(vertisement), but one that stuck in my mind (said) 'The popping of the busk studs means that the tight-lacing can begin'. To use that would-be corset-wearers own words that phrase was poetry indeed! Whether this advertising campaign was associated with the establishment of new management is unclear. As to the intended audience, given the gradually changing tenor of the advertisements, it is clear that they were aimed at inducing individuals, women or men, who had a latent predilection to try serious corset wearing, to patronise the firm. It is also noteworthy that the advertisements clearly encouraged another actual maker of corsets, Vollers of Portsmouth to place similar adverts in the same section of the same newspaper, sometimes in the same week, as can be seen by the last quoted reference in advertisement list). That said, Wilbros business plan , to use business school jargon of the 1990s, appears to have been to serve the needs of two groups of customers requiring foundation garments: 1. Women requiring post-mastectomy garments. 2. Ready to wear or made to measure corsets for ladies and gentlemen. The first group were almost always personal callers at the salon, while the majority of second group were served by mail order. Personal appointments for an initial consultation for a corset, or fitting of a partially complete corset in the salon, were provided on advance payment of a fee for a 30 minute session. A comprehensive, 24 page mimeographed corset and lingerie catalogue and separate price list was produced. It included basic sketches showing the key features of the main types of corset sold. Inquiries were always answered by M. Beck.
In 1980 consultations were available Monday to Wednesday, 10-4 and Thursday and Friday, 12 to 4". Delivery was approximately 3 weeks and as much notice as possible was required for an appointment with a minimum of 7 days. 3 PREMISES Number 180 Oxford Road, Manchester, where Wilbro was located, was, and still is a large Georgian house located to the south of the city centre. There was a large and ornate front door which gave access to the building. Wilbro was one several businesses, in the building. Door bells on the jamb of the front door, summoned the business of choice with the door opened by remotely controlled lock. By 2002 the building housed an architects practice. The Wilbro salon comprised a suite two rooms at the rear of the ground floor, a consulting room and a smaller back room. The suite was reached along a fairly long, dingy passage and was entered through a heavy panelled wooden door, which opened directly into the consulting room, which was about ten feet square. In the words of a customer by appointment it was furnished quite simply with a sofa at one end, one of those long Victorian free standing mirrors and a couple of dining room type chairs, all administration and correspondence taking place in the back room. The walls were adorned with pictures of corsets and lingerie of all descriptions. All discussions, measuring and fitting of garments took place in the consulting room which had no window of its own. To ensure privacy during fitting, a large key was turned in the lock of the entrance door. At such times, the dividing door leading to the back room was also closed because it had the only window in the Wilbro suite. The window looked out onto a small private yard at the rear of the building. The back room served as an administrative office and stock room but was not adequate to store much more than sample boxes in each size of the entire range of over one hundred plus styles of off the peg corsets that were sold, (see Table 1) It is not known if the main stockroom was in the building or elsewhere or whether in the case of ready to wear garments or whether Wilbro relied on a fast turn round service from the actual makers. 4 MARGARET BECK Reply letters to Inquiries and advice notes with parcels were always signed by M. Beck, who was wellknown as Margaret to Iris Norris. Margaret Beck was the manageress, corsetiere and possibly the owner, and in the words of one personal customer was of an ample figure with wavy, collar-length, black hair, and about 5'5" tall and Its hard to say but she certainly had the bearing, carriage and manners of someone who was used to the finer things in life. She was always impeccably dressed in what were obviously very expensive clothes. Despite her build she made a point of wearing only a panty girdle during business hours and never a real corset, which might have suited her better. Since a large part of her business was fitting mastectomy bras, she felt that showing the tiny waist and large bust, that would have been created by a corset, was not appropriate when dealing with ladies who had just undergone such traumatic surgery. While Margaret was not married, she did have a partner and lived with him in the Worsley area of Manchester, a very wealthy suburb with large detached
Victorian villa type houses. While it is only speculation it would not be difficult to imagine that the partner had assisted her with the financing the establishment of the business possibly on account of a personal appreciation of the corseted woman. However in one customers words From what Margaret said he wasnt that much of a corset fan although he did appreciate her wearing them from time to time.
5 THE CATALOGUE - FORMAT AND DESIGN Wilbros catalogue was somewhat unprepossessing (to put it mildly - Ivy) and it and the separate price lists which changed frequently during the high inflation days of the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were inexpensively produced by the mimeograph, Roneo or Gestetner, process which necessitated the use of porous paper essential to the printing process. However what those catalogues lacked in presentation was more than made up for in being very comprehensive with information aimed at the serious corset wearer. Basic, sketches belied the lack of artistic flair on the part of the person who had produced them but the accuracy the details drawn for each style vouched that the person was if not an experienced corset wearer was certainly experienced in the design and the selling points demanded by a serious customer in that each one showed the key features of the main styles of corset sold. . Each catalogue request elicited a package which
included 1) the catalogue; 2) The price list 3) order forms for a) ready made; made to measure corsets with space to record self-measurement one each for ladies and gentlemen and 4) Several leaflets publicizing special offers on corsets in ranges that had been discontinued. The 1976 version of the catalogue ran to 24 pages plus a separate price list, which was very necessary in that time of high inflation. To distinguish them price lists were usually printed on pink or green paper while pink paper was used for ladies made to measure and blue for gentlemen. There were also order forms one each for ladies and gentlemen and a self measurement form. Special offers were printed on white or yellow paper. In 1976 the cover was purely factual and devoid of any artistic layout (see below), that is with simply the company name in large, black, solid, sans Serif font, below which were the following lines: LADIES AND GENTLEMENS CORSETIERES SPECIALISTS IN FIGURE TRAINING AND PERIOD CORSETRY VICTORIAN AND TIGHT-LACING CORSETS A SPECIALTY READY TO WEAR AND MADE-TOMEASURE CORSETRY INDIVIDUAL AND POSTAL SERVICE SPECIALIST CORSETIERE ALWAYS IN ATTENDANCE
By the time of the October 1978 catalogue, the words The Corset Paradise appeared on the second line and after the words Specialist corsetiere always in attendance were added the words (Consultations strictly by appointment only) and (No callers). In the information on the inside cover was the sentence customers please note that there is a fee payable in advance for this service that is, for Consultation and Fitting. Also added to the October 1978 was a touch of art - two sketches of ostensibly modern women in their 30s, with
demure but modern hair styles. There their modernity stopped for, their slim figures notwithstanding, there ladies entrusted their forms to serious foundation garments of the most traditional design. Each wore boned a long-line bra and over it a high-waisted corset, not a girdle. Of the Godet style these corsets were cut to create a finely nipped waist and produce a truly enviable hip spring. Their corsets were sufficiently long, and hipcontaining as to require additional closing above and below their seven-point busks. One had two pairs of hooks and eyes and the other a lower front lacing,. Finishing off their under-ensembles were six suspenders. Their elastic was unfashionably wide and they were clipped of course to stockings, proof if more were needed that our modern ladies were sufficiently rooted in tradition to eschew the switch to tights. For the October 1980 catalogue the modern women had been replaced by two Edwardian beauties in charming high cut straight fronted corsets with ample flounces below and front and veed side suspenders. 6 THE RANGE Wilbro offered a very extensive of corsets. Excluding special offers, 113 styles of corset were offered in 1976, as indicated in the list, taken from the February1976 catalogue (see section 2). Wilbro were also agents for Camp Corsetry and for Pulfront and Strodex made-to-measure corsetry for which no consultation or fitting fee was payable. It is thus likely that their corsetiere was, if not actually trained, at least approved by those companies to act as their agent and hence to measure customers and provide follow-up service. One group of corsets offered in the Made to measure corsets range were outsourced and were actually manufactured for them by specialist firms like A Gardner and Sons. In fact, of the made to measure corsets for both ladies and gentlemen some of the Wilbro styles conform almost exactly to the styles in Gardner's mid-70s catalogue. Mrs Iris Norris dealt with "Margaret" while at Gardners right until it closed and continued to do so while working on her own account in the early 1980s. The comparison between the list of Extra available in the two catalogues indicates this relationship noting the mark up on the Wilbro prices.
Wilbro
Gardners
It is also noteworthy from the extras how during a consultation one might see how a discriminating corset wearer find the price of their intended corset could almost double when compared to the basic price quoted in either Gardners or Wilbros the catalogue. Simply by requiring double boning, reinforcing eyelets, back steels and ten, rather than the basic four, suspenders would increase the basic price by about 80%. 7 ITEMS ADDED IN THE 1980 CATALOGUE By 1980 a new range of Special Purpose Corsetry (Made to Measure had been added by Wilbro. This included Padded Brassiere Flattening Brassiere Padded Corselette Deep Suspender Belt Boned Neck Corset (Posture Collar) Shoulder Brace Gents Bodice The items were all available in materials to match corsets. All the times are self explanatory except the Gents Bodice which was similar to a bra but without the cups. At 11 inches long front and back and 10 inch at the sides it can smooth the line between the top of a medium height corset and the male wearers shoulders. 7.1 Ready to Wear It The ready to wear section was a representative sample by leading manufacturers such as Twilfit, Excelsior, etc is likely that many of the ready to wear corsets were produced by firms like R.&W.H. Symington & Co. Ltd, which drastically reduced production in 1980 and that the reduction in Wilbros ready- to-wear range in 1980 was indicative of this. 7.2 Extras A new item was really an old item - detachable suspenders of the traditional style with clasp. Sold singly , Narrow or wide, Black or White, 70p each. 8 THE CATALOGUE INFORMATION -
The sketches accompanying the descriptions of selected corsets in each class lacked artistic penmanship. However the detail of information given in the text and depicted in the sketches more than made up for those deficiencies. The reader was given a description of the style, the material sed, the design with flutes or elastic gores. Its length was given, either qualitatively or in inches above or below the waist or overall at back as well as busk length,
boning, back steels. It was clearly written by someone who understood that a corset is more than a name, it is something that has to meet the wearers needs or ambitions. with an excellent knowledge of what features are important to point out . This is well illustrated by the accompanying excerpt from page 8 of the Feb 1976 catalogue showing the range of four Back Lacing Bust Fronted Corsets with Underbelt.
Take the description of the BLBU2 from that page: Long back lacing corset designed for figures requiring the additional support of an underbelt. Cut from strong cotton material with elastic insets at waist and thighs. The underbelt fastens with hooks and eyes, and the corset has a covered busk fastening, 4 suspenders, Depth 16", Hip Spring 10" to 11". Waist sizes 26" to 42" (Even sizes only). Tea Rose
9 THE LAST DAYS Our source last saw Margaret on his last visit to the Oxford Road Salon in about 1984. He does not know the reason loss of trade, loss of the premises, a desire to retire, illness - its could (have been) be anything. After that Wilbro moved first to Lincoln and then back to 204 Corn Exchange Buildings, Cathedral Street, M4 3BQ. However, by January 1989 the name was bought and Wilbro traded out of a PO Box in Wales. The owner was a Dr. Yvonne Cawcutt, who for some time produced a small very informative catalogue and a Wilbro newsletter from about 1991-93. One customer recalls that: The first catalogue that I received from her was a photocopy of some of the original Wilbro pages with several of the styles crossed out. In the beginning I think she only offered three or four styles. I remember from one of the newsletters that as a girl in the 1930s she was brought up in the colonies or somewhere and was subject to quite rigorous corset training by a governess which started her lifelong interest. If any reader had any more news of Wilbro please advise Ivy Leaf
The Secrets of Dorothea Allen

The founder of Spencer in Britain
IRIS NORRIS 1921-2000 CORSETIRE EXTRAORDINAIRE

An appreciation of her life and work
INTRODUCTION 1: THE LONG JOURNEY TO INDEPENDENCE 2 THE INDEPENDENT CORSETIRE 3. FITTING CORSETS 4. IN THE MACHINING ROOM 5. HER LIKES AND DISLIKES 6 CUSTOMERS 7 FRIENDS, ACQUAINTANCES AND PARTIES
Appendix: Video Clip and Measuring Customers
INTRODUCTION
At the age of 78, Iris Norris is dead. The corsetire to committed tight-lacers all over the world for more than 50 years, is no more. Yet her spirit and understanding will live on her wonderful creations of broche, busk and bone that her grieving customers will lace on with gratitude in the years to come. No doubt each one will pause while they slot their busks, pull in the stay lacings or clip their suspenders onto their stockings to mourn and remember her as not just a skilful corsetire, but as a dedicated tight-lacing woman, and their confidante or friend. In her later years she became a corsetire in her own right, and was known wherever tight lacers met as one of the finest practitioners of the art and craft of bespoke corset making in the last 30 years of the Twentieth Century. It is ironic someone schooled in what were essentially Victorian arts should die within months of the third millennium. She enjoyed the conversations she had with her clients at appointments for measuring or fitting and, on the occasions when she attended the Bals de Les Gracieuses Modernes between 1985 and 1999. Most of these people would attest, if called on to say so, that without exaggeration, apart from her family, which always came first, the making and wearing of corsets were her life. Iris had made corsets for some of these customers for over 30 years, from 1962 right up to her demise. Not only were they customers, but after she set up alone, many became her friends. The first draft of this appreciation was originally penned by one of her customers shortly after her death. This text
is based on that draft which has been expanded, amended and corrected because close to 100 letters (60 written by Iris and the rest by other customers between 1981 and 1995) were recently rediscovered. Including the Gardner years and over a period of 24 years, the author was privileged to have had some 40 fitting appointments with her and to have been assisted with the lacing in of corsets perhaps 70 or 80 times. The account is structured in seven parts, beginning with a short review of her life, the journey to independence, and what life was like as an independent corsetire. It then goes on to record her skill, first in fitting corsets and then in the machining room. The next part writes of her likes and dislikes, her customers and finally there are some stories about her life with the friends and acquaintances she met through her work as a corsetire. Iris began her machining career making ordinary corsets for ordinary people, but every corsetire had customers who sought the 'out of the ordinary', and Gardners was no exception. By the end of her career Iris had a clientele that included demanding tight lacers. For Ethel Granger, Cathy Jung. and others, she made wonderful tiny-waisted corsets with the so-hard-to-perfect fluted panels that are so essential to accommodate comfortably any hip spring of more than 12 inches, let alone the amazing 26 inches in one case. The secret of her success was her advice being based on practical experience. She practised what she preached.
1: THE LONG JOURNEY TO INDEPENDENCE

1.1 LIFE AT GARDNERS Iris Norris began her long career as a corset maker during the War war as a machinist for the busy bespoke corset makers A Gardner and Sons (Corsets) Ltd of Barnsbury Square, Islington, in 1941. She would talk fondly of her days at Gardners, and much of what is written in Ivy Leafs section on 'Gardners and Iris Norris', was related by her to Frangard. To write any more of her times there would be to duplicate what is said in that section of Ivy Leafs site. Although young enough to be Alice Gardners granddaughter, she clearly had been very fond of the old lady whom she knew for more than 20 years. Likewise she appreciated Arthur Gardners skills. With Frank Gardner, who was her contemporary, the relationship was different and more formal. 1.2 FAMILY She had raised her own family and, in the early years, especially during clothes rationing, sewed many of their clothes and continued to make her own clothes, skirts, dresses and frocks, for the rest of her life. This was necessary because her clothes had to be shaped to accommodate her hip spring properly and of course they were cut to emphasise her waist. Not unnaturally, many were cut so that she had to tight-lace to be able to close the waistband when wearing them. She enjoyed her annual holiday, especially when her daughter and family moved away from London, first to Dorset and then to one of the Channel ports according to demands of her son-in-laws work with a financial institution. Not being a car driver, she relied on her husband driving to visit them since train journeys were irksome. Yet the introduction of cross London trains in the late 1980s pleased her very much because she could travel directly from Bletchley to the Channel coast all on the same train, probably unaware that in doing so, she was actually to pass within yards of her old work place at Gardners in Barnsbury Square. Her son and daughter-in-law lived in St Albans and it was their granddaughter Zo who was taught by her grandmother and who is in business as a corsetire today. 1.3 A PROUD WOMAN One way to understand Iriss personal pride in her appearance is to realise that in the harsh
post war years, while still in her twenties with young children and limited means, Iris had been very impressed by the elegance of sharply nipped waists, flowing skirts, seamed stockings and suede high heels that were all so much part of Diors 'New Look' in 1947. Such fashions were only available to wealthier people that could afford to buy clothes during rationing. Then in some nostalgic way, and as if she could freeze time to make up for what she had missed, she subconsciously tried to dress as much like that as she could for the rest of her life, and she did it with poise and confidence. One customer recalled going with her one cold winters day to a pub by the Grand Union canal at Bragenham, near her home. She wore a fur coat, but kept on her ankle length boots. Conscious of the effect she knew her waist would have, she took off her coat on entering. One of the party carried it for her to the table and recollectst that the combination of her figure, deportment and straight seams of her obviously real stockings turned heads.
Iris (1960's) poses for the camera in a way that would become famous on the cover of the "Corset Question".
In business, Iris was not tolerant of arrogance which she described as 'pushy'. However she had a great empathy for the sincere and those with a quiet disposition regardless of class. Many of her customers became her friends though she still called those she regarded as her social superiors as " Mr. A or Mrs. B." She had native intelligence far beyond the level of her formal education, having left school at the end of the depression to become a machinist in a clothing factory, sewing dresses. Her years at Gardners had made her into a good all around businesswoman. She was scrupulously fair, and if any criticism could be made, she was too generous. She had strong views on the direction in which British society was moving and was, if anything, a working class conservative John, her husband, was four years older and born 1917. He worked in a paint business three and sometimes four days a week. She referred to John in cockney parlance as "My Chap", causing more than one customer to think she
was a widow and that he was her lodger!
One would expect someone from her background to have been at least mildly censorious of men who wore any item of what society regarded as women's clothing, but she was not. Over the years she came to know many such gentlemen customers and would say that what they did in private was their own business. She did however remain somewhat critical of the increasingly brash attitude of real transvestites after the onset of more liberated times in the mid-1980s. However, it was clear that she usually liked a man more if, like his wife, he wore corsets. On reflection it is also clear that she especially liked those men who also wore suspenders and stockings with their corsets. As noted, she was proud of her waist and figure and she freely admitted that she liked to feel tightly corseted and to wear seamed stockings. She thought that men might like the feeling too. She would no doubt have agreed with the following three sentences contained in a response by Simon when asked: "Is your fascination for corsetry based on tightness or material?" "I think the derivation of pleasure comes from the rigidity of the corsets, and that firm reassurance that at every move one makes, the stiffness never goes away."
"...similarly the tightness, providing you have not laced in too tightly, though ever present, becomes natural and you just dont think about it." " I have never been able to ignore, nor wanted to, the lovely stiffness of a very firmly stayed pair of corsets, they talk to you at every step, and it is an ever present sensation, to me totally enjoyable and exciting. I suppose that wearing corsets is a total package of many parts, all of which contribute to ones enjoyment and satisfaction. As I have said, it is the control of the boning that is the most important single attribute to me."
Yet this feeling of pride was not shared by her spouse. In response to an observation that he was lucky to have such an attractive woman as his wife she wrote:
"I don't think he thinks he is lucky to have me. If you told him he very likely would not make any comment. I don't think he worries as long as he had got his food and the house is clean. He just sits and worries about himself. I think I could not tell you how he is as he never says. I just have to go by the way he carries on. He goes to work Monday and Tuesday but nothing more, otherwise he sits and looks at the telly or reads." (19 Feb
1987)
Whilst Iris Norris was proud of her figure and deportment, the realisation in her mid-40s that she was hard-ofhearing, while not causing despair, bothered her very much. She knew that to continue in work she would have to resort to a hearing appliance and was not pleased. She knew that the hard-of-hearing are often the butt of jokes. She knew that most of them were readily identifiable as they had to wear the earphone and the bulky amplifier/battery unit available on the National Health Service. The less visible behind the ear types were not common at the time and had to be purchased privately. Micro-aids had not been invented. As a corset wearer she was aware of another problem that made her feel uneasy. One of one of her more elderly lady customers, who was deaf, once complained that her aid even amplified the creak of her bask, with every breath. Iris always remembered this and not only did she not want people to know of her affliction, she certainly did not want to hear her busk creaking. The answer was the style, which fitted into spectacles, which she had recently begun wearing for close work such as machining and reading. The price was high but Iris wanted the style, paid for it out of savings, was satisfied with it and wore the style for the last 30 years of her life. Few of her customers were ever aware of her problem, which in characteristic fashion she bore with grace and equanimity. Yet, in retrospect, former customers might now understand the reason for the very loud ring of the bell at 28, Barnsbury Square that she could hear from the basement where she worked in the last years at Gardners. Likewise they would understand the real reason behind her request to go to the side door of her home "because I
can't always hear the front door bell". That door was by her sewing machine where as often as not she could be found at work and see the customer approach.
In general conversation during appointments with the customers with whom she had good relationships, she would talk frankly about her hearing aid problems. One of her regular complaints in later years was the price of replacements . Likewise the rates charged by the few remaining personnel who could to service the style, though in the
mid-1900s she talked happily of having found a technician who could service them more economically.
Despite all this she could be self-deprecating, writing on 27 Oct 1988 "Mr. C 'phoned on Monday to have a chat but I think sometimes he's harder of hearing than me he never seems to understand what I say, so I give up!" 1.4 A WOMAN OF DISCRETION Iris Norris was essentially a private person. She was no gossip. She had all the discretion expected of someone who ministered to customers of every possible taste and reason for wearing corsets. However, let it be said that while she would, if asked, make such items as posture collars, she tried only to make corsets. Her attitude might be summed up in this written note to a customer: "No, I didn't know a Mrs. Butler. You want to be careful what you say to the Ms otherwise it may travel; also that Mr. H he's the same. Don't tell them any think; they are too nosey. I should not give any address away as he (Mr. H ) is always asking me. I should write to Mrs. R first to see if she wants to write to him. I don't really want to write to anybody just for the sake of writing as you say they're nosey. I don't mind writing to you that's about all and if any body wants a corset." A review of the correspondence over 15 years shows that from November 1980 until April 1983, she signed herself as 'Mrs. Iris Norris' then 'Iris Norris'. until July 1983, then simply Iris. 1.5 THE 1970's -MOVING OUT OF LONDON On the domestic side of Iris Norris's life, she had seen a son and daughter marry and grandchildren appear. But now Iris and John were in today's terms 'empty nesters'. This coincided with the time of redevelopment of the part
of Islington where they lived. Growing up in the depression and raising her family in the post war era of rationing, Iris and John had saved little and lived in rented accommodation in Islington. Her dream was to own their own home. As her brother and sister-in-law had done a year or two earlier, they took advantage of the London resettlement scheme which meant that qualified persons could take advantage of preferential rates for mortgages if they moved to a 'New Town', the last of these designated in Britain was Milton Keynes some 60 miles from London on the Birmingham line. Its boundaries took in Bletchley, Old and Far Bletchley which had a stock of Victorian and Edwardian houses not too far from Bletchley railway station. In keeping with their roots, in the early 1970s, they chose to move, not into a new house but to one of Edwardian age within the new city in nearby Old Bletchley, Bucks. None of this would ordinarily be of note except that, in deciding to buy a home for the first time, albeit with the children off their hands, Iris and John were faced with paying the mortgage and that meant them both continuing to work full time. Whilst the adverts will tell you "Only half an hour from London" that is the time on the train, reality is different. It meant rising at 5 am, driving two miles in an older model Rover 2000 to the station and park, to catch an early train, three or four days a week to Euston, and even then their respective journeys weren't over. Iris took the 14 bus along Euston Road, left at King's Cross station, up Caledonian Road as far as the stop by the library at the corner of Lofting Street. From there she'd walk east up the steep hill cutting left into the former mews of Barnsbury Terrace and across the west side of the square to No 28. She had a key and would let herself in. Then she'd work 10 hour days and face the return trip. They would leave the house at six and be out until seven or eight in the evening. Recall that she always wore tight-laced corsets and did this journey, wasp-waisted with straight seamed stockings a proud and elegant example to the modern generation - for close to a decade. In the last few years, Iris's duties at Gardners had extended beyond simply machining, to taking all calling appointments at which she would give customers advice, expertly measure them or give trial or final fitting for newly made, partially complete or complete corsets. She dealt with most of the mail order side of the business that required careful record keeping, secure and discreet packing of parcelled corsets and trips to the Post Office. She met with sales representatives to ensure that a sufficient stock of material and findings was maintained in-house at a time when suppliers and manufacturers were closing and such things were not easy to find. In many respects she was Gardners in all but name, yet, was still an hourly paid employee. This breath of experience with all the contacts was to stand her in good stead after she retired. 1.6 SETTING UP THE BUSINESS AT HOME Although only 60 miles from London, actually finding No. 114 Church Green Road in Milton Keynes was never easy since, until the late 1980s, Milton Keynes was expanding and new road systems were being added. Once a route was learned it seemed that new roads changed everything and a car driver would have to start again. Some customers from overseas preferred to take the train from London and then a taxi. It was to be the first home the family had owned. It was a semi-detached house on three floors built with red brick, manufactured in the brickyards, which flourished in profusion in the area. It was one of the only three storey homes on the street and easily the most imposing house on Church Green Road. Although never discussed, it is almost certain that Iris Norris paid the mortgage. The house had two rooms on the ground floor and, and the passage to the kitchen had been shut off to make a storage area for all the material and fitting for making corsets. So to go from breakfast room/kitchen to front door one had to pass through the dining room. The garden began at the side of the kitchen and was long and narrow, and tended by Iris. At the end was a garden shed in which, before she built the extension, she first set up her the two eyeletting machines. From the day she moved, her industrial sewing machine was housed in the kitchen. From the moment she set up independently, her kitchen served as a consulting room. These customers would be shown a seat at the table and, depending on the journey that they had made, would be offered a cup of tea, a piece of cake or sandwiches. After the extension was built, it housed her chest of drawers for her supplies and her cutting table. Setting up to make corsets was harder than she thought. Gardners had a machine for every conceivable activity a corset maker might perform. Cutting and sewing she could manage, as she had the patterns, but eyeletting was all but impossible without a standard machine and a mini eyeletter for securing strong hooks and eyes such as were provided on Gardners 'Hook-side, lace-side', L 227 style.
1.7 EYELETTING PROBLEMS Observing a well made corset such as those produced by Gardners or Iris Norris, one sees that the pitch or spacing between eyelets' centres is rarely more than inch and closer on the six pairs of eyelets by the waist. Thus a 12inch casual corset typically has 14 to 16 -pairs of eyelets and the Godet 267 has 22-26 pairs depending on the height of the wearer. Such work requires a serious eyeletting machine and in no small part was Iris's reluctance to set up alone, the fact that she didn't have machines. Fortunately she found a person near her home who allowed her to use his machine to do the work she needed. However the hook and eye eyelets remained a problem. Anyone who has examined 'real corsets', knows that the type of hooks and eyes used in corsets are not bought in ready made strips from a haberdashery department. For a start they are much larger and made of a lower (thicker) gauge of wire. For attachment to the fabric they are to close, they are actually secured by two tiny metal grommets produced using a tiny specialist eyeletting machine. Thus the set of hooks and eyes does not rely on stitching, it relies on the combined strength of the facing and lining material of the corset into which the little eyelets are crimped. For a year or so, she was be forced to take all the corsets that needed these eyelets to London and use Mr. Gardner's machine. In this regard, there was no doubt that after she retired, Mr. Gardner had the not unrealistic hope of finding someone to wholly or partly replace Mrs. Norris and resume business. He may have even hoped that she would come out of retirement and work for him. Thus he did not want to part with his equipment. By 1983 it was clear that Iris was determined to succeed on her own. Only then did he allow her to take them on permanent loan, a fact of which she was always mindful. She set them up in the new extension she built to her house to accommodate the volume of work she had succeeded in attracting. In the meantime she was faced with the problem of making lacing eyelets. One can use a hand tool and do the job individually, but the job takes so long it is impossible. A machine to hand is the only answer. As she was to write on 1st May 1981: "I have written to somebody I know who I think has an
eyeletting machine to see if he will do me some eyelets. I think I will be able to get the material but if you get stuck for getting one send the pieces out of the old corset, and then I can use them if they are alright."
Until the extension was built she did her eyeletting in the garden shed. 1.8 MEETING CUSTOMERS Coping with customers was not easy after her husband began part time work. Initially she tried to limit customer visits to the days on which he worked. This proved to be impractical for many, and she had to ask him to retire upstairs or go down to the shops or the New City, which he often did of his own volition if a customer called. "I don't know what days my husband will be working as he's still waiting for his pension but I think it will be Monday and Thursday but will let you know for sure, but don't worry I can always ask him to go upstairs ." Jan 22,
1984.
"My husband didn't mind you calling but don't think he will stop in when I'm doing things for you." July 8, 1984. Her fitting room was her dining room and was accessed by a sliding door from the kitchen after the passage had been blocked off. When a customer was shown in, the curtains would be discreetly drawn to conceal the activities of the customer and corsetire from the passers-by, who regularly used the passageway between 114 and the neighbouring house. In typically British fashion, it was a public right of way and they would pass close by the side window.
Lacking a key to an inside door of the fitting room cum dining room, she would discreetly angle a chair-back under the door knob to preclude her husband inadvertently disturbing her and her customer during a fitting. The room lacked proper mirrors but she had set a carefully angled mirror high over the mantlepiece to which it was possible for a customer to observe their reflection as matters proceeded. Photos of the grandchildren were always proudly displayed, on the mantlepiece. In the early 1990s she became restless and missed her daughter and grandchildren and decided to move to live near them in one of the Channel ports. They went to the extent of putting the house on the market, even accepting an offer and planning the move. But it was not to be, the buyer failed to get the mortgage and the deal fell through. Such plans strain relationships and led them to think hard. They withdrew the house and she and John were destined to end their days in Bletchley where she died in April 2000. Iris was disappointed but compared to what she faced in the war and in childhood it was nothing and she carried as usual. 1.9 THE ANXIETY OF RETIREMENT Iris finally retired at early 1981 at the age of 59. Before she gave in to her imploring former customers, Iris had high hopes of finding work locally, but unlike today, part-time for older people was not common. On 1st May 1981, she wrote: "I haven't got a job yet but hoping to get a part time one if I can. It's nice not to have two hours journey night and morning but I always seem to find plenty to do in the home, cheerio for now" John continued his work in London with a paint manufacturer and was coming close to retirement with the loss of income that full time work provides. These were the concerns she had: "My husband is going on to a two day week after Xmas as the firm is putting him off. I think its because he's getting older. He was 67 in October its one way of making him retire." 3 Nov 1983. "When my husband packs up work and gets his pension, I also will get a little bit, so don't suppose it will be that bad and if I've got my odd jobs to do." Nov 27, 1983. "My husband retires on May 5 and will do two days, Monday and Wednesday but its alright to come when you wish." . April 15, 1984. 1.10 CONTACTS As noted in subsequent sections, Iris had customers all over the world. Sadly despite efforts made on her behalf with companies in North America, she did not retain any of the customers who had patronized Gardners. In compensation she did gain the business of a well regarded firm in the UK for whom she made off-the-shelf corsets for about 10 years. 1.11 SUCCESS Clients, were originally, totally sourced by word-of-mouth, but latterly she accepted having her name published in the directory of several magazines catering to interests that appreciate the wearing of corsets. In practice, few orders materialised as the potential buyers were more interested in the image of the corset than in the intrinsic pleasure of wearing a bespoke garment. Attendance at the LGM Bals (Chapter 7) helped too. By October 1988 her business had expanded to the point where she was doing much more writing, even investing in a rubber stamp to give her name and address. She corresponded with customers all over the world, and it is noticeable how much more articulate her letters became over the years. With the help of a customer she produced her own typed catalogue, which included the former Gardners range as well as new leaflets describing other styles. A group comprised of corset wearing individuals circulated her details to members of the group under the name La Gupire and in this way she gained a number of new customers.
continued ...
A. GARDNER AND SON (CORSETS) LTD, 1899-1981

1 INTRODUCTION Writing in 2006, it is hard to believe that close to twenty five years have passed since the old established firm of A Gardner & Son (Corsets) Ltd closed its door forever, after no less than 82 years in business. The very name will strike a chord of nostalgia in the hearts of almost every person who tight-laced in the post war era. Even if it is only the memory of the label 'Frangard'[1], sewn into an old and loved corset, many post war tight-lacers, some unwittingly, will at some time or another have entrusted the training and subsequent maintenance of their hard won figure to Frangard corsets. Sadly, as will be explained later, many all over the world might have done so without ever knowing actually knowing they were wearing a Gardners corset. David Kunzle, in his book 'Fashion and Fetishism', 1982 (reprinted 2004), twice acknowledges Gardners. In the preface, among others, he names 'Arthur Gardner' and in the final chapter he writes of Gardner's service to corset enthusiasts. Although this service was still available in the late 1970s when Kunzle did his research for the book, by the time of the books original publication in 1982, Gardners doors had been closed for more than a year. One can only speculate on what might have happened if the revival of interest in corsets, that dates from the mid-1980s, had happened earlier. By the time Gardners closed, the client base was indeed reduced but there was still more than enough business to keep going. However time is no respecter of age and, after close to 40 years in Gardners service, their last corsetiere, Iris Norris, had reached the age of retirement. Iris and the firm had tried and failed to find anyone willing to train and acquire the skills to make corsets. It is a skill that usually began with a long apprenticeship as a machinist to master the complex sewing that is required. Yet amazingly, it was only in the last twenty or so years of its existence that Gardners became something of a mecca for individuals who appreciated wearing a tightly laced corset or the elegance of the well corseted figure. At Gardners these individuals knew they could rely on the fact that their special demands would be conjured into the magical combination of fabric and metal to gird and cinch their figures. There they could be sure to find a sincere understanding of their very individual needs. In 1962, Gardners was still run by Arthur Gardner, the son of Alice Gardner, who set up the business. Yes, the initial 'A' stood for 'Alice' and not Arthur as many life-long clients had thought. He was the 'Son' in the firm's title and it was his son Frank, who
Kunzle actually met in the 1970s. As noted, they had always been more of a basic custom made corsetieres, whose machinists where used to ministering to the requirements of heavier, middle-aged women in need of the firm control of stays with under-belts. However their machinists, many of whom like Mrs Norris did tight-lace themselves, had no problem adapting to the special demands of the former Overett and Stafford clients. As the clientcorsetiere relationship flourished, so did an atmosphere of mutual respect.
2 VICTORIAN BEGINNINGS ALICE GARDNER Gardners began at the close to Queen Victoria's long reign in 1899, when young Alice Gardner was widowed with two young children. With no social security to fall back on, Alice had to 'shift', so to speak and make ends meet. She decided to put to good use the skills she had learned as a corset machinist in the years before her marriage. Thus she established a business at her modest flat catering at first to the corsetry needs of friends, acquaintances and neighbours. Later, as business improved, she rented a shop on Thornhill Road in Islington, which runs between Offord Road and Richmond Road and is parallel to Pentonville and Liverpool Roads. Women of all classes wore corsets in those days. Indeed when Alice set up it was still what is still remembered as 'the golden age' of corsetry. The wasp waist was de rigueur and only a strongly boned corset could produce the kind of silhouette that was guaranteed to please a husband or lure a beau. The Gibson Girl, the Grecian Bend and the Kangaroo Corset and the straight front were still in the Edwardian future. As soon as he was old enough, young Arthur Gardner joined his mother and her small staff in the business, Initially he was a humble goffer, or ironer, but as he absorbed the ways of the machine room he slowly worked his way up to the prized position of 'cutter'. Within a few years, Alice's business had outgrown the Thornhill Road shop [2] and she decided to find larger premises. She knew what she needed, machining rooms, an office cum consulting room, a fitting room and a cutting room. She found what she wanted, an early Victorian Villa large enough to house her family and the business. It was 28, Barnsbury Square, just off Thornhill Road where the business remained till it closed. 3 28, BARNSBURY SQUARE Barnsbury Square was one of the early squares built, probably in the 1820s during the rapid expansion to the north of the city of London in what were pre-Victorian times. Before the railways there had only been villages and fields, although some of the village high streets had been lined with Georgian ribbon development. The development of Barnsbury to the west of fashionable Islington was begun in the early 19th century and completed by 1835. Between the coming of the railways in the 1840s and the First World War, the whole of the rest of the section was covered with houses. Lying between Liverpool Road and Caledonian Road, north of Richmond Avenue, Barnsbury was laid out by Thomas Cubitt before his more famous speculations in Bloomsbury and Belgravia, and is a rather loose
composition of suburban open-cornered squares, crescents and streets either side of Thornhill Road. Barnsbury Square with its two partial crescents leading off to the northwest and southwest corners, Belitha Villas and Richmond Avenue, are its best parts. Before the coming of the lines of the Great Northern Railway, which terminated at Kings Cross n 1868, Barnsbury and the surrounding area, was a desirable and fashionable address. For those interested in the area, it can be found on pages 58-59 of 'A guide to the architecture of London' by Edward Jones and Christopher Woodward, 2nd ed., 1997. By the time Alice was house hunting, in the pre-World War 1 era, the wealthier classes of London had moved on again to the fresher air of what were then the outer genteel suburbs such as Highgate, Hampstead and Brondesbury. Barnsbury and Islington were no longer such a desirable addresses. If however your business was the making and selling of corsets to the ladies of the neighbourhood, you stayed put where you were needed. And so that is what Alice, later Arthur and finally grandson Frank, did. In time the wheel of fortune turned. By the 1960s, Islington was becoming a desirable and fashionable address once more, as the area became one the early examples of the gentrification of the inner suburbs. In more recent years 'yuppies' have invaded the area. Cleaning of the brickwork has revealed much of the handsome yellow London Bricks that had been concealed for decades beneath the accumulated layers of grimy soot deposited in the days before the Clean Air Act. Alice knew at once how her new house would be organised. Making corsets would come first and the family would live as and where they could. But first she secured a brass plate below the bell push which discreetly said 'A Gardner and Son'. She reasoned that those who needed confirmation of the fact that they had reached the right address would get it. Number twenty-eight is the first house you meet if you approach from Thornhill Road and is located half-way along the north side of the square, facing south. It is a two story detached house on two floors with a full height basement. Four steps led up from the pavement to the front door, which gave access to the lobby, the inner glass panelled door and a lofty hall. To the right, stairs led up to the family flat. The office, where representatives of the suppliers of fabrics and bindings would be received, was in the front drawing room, overlooking the square and adjacent to the hall. The office also served as the consultation and fitting room for individual clients. In one part of the room was a desk and chairs. Here Alice would sit with the clients and salesmen. In the other part was a table, some padded chairs and the essential long narrow mirrors on wooden stands. Here clients could conveniently disrobe and present their figure problems for Alice's trained eye to assess and advise how best to put things right. There was a screen behind which the client could retire if they wished and which could be pulled across the bay window. There were also heavy curtains, which could be discreetly drawn to ensure a degree of relaxing privacy for measurement or fitting. In the mellow gas light and later electric light of the room, Alice would deftly measure a client or wrap newly created corsets around their form as she laced away unwanted inches or rolls and bulges of fat in the cause of a nice line. Her experienced eye and touch sensed the goodness of fit. The back room, which had been the dining room, became the cutting room, the main feature of which was a long, wide, polished, mid-brown table of massive wood. As such it was characterised by its central cutting slot that had the essential width to render it stable and allow the cutting motion to be executed as truly as the cutter desired. On it the rolls of fabric were unrolled, cut into bolts laid one over another ready for action by the cutter. Apart from Haute Couture, the business of corset making is one of the most specialized and precise branches of the garment trade, demanding of both seamstress and cutter. It depended as much on the skill of the cutter because he, it was usually a man, was trusted to make the cuts that maximised the use of material and minimized the pieces of rejected cloth. The cutter's art was his or her ability to balance factors such as the needs of the corsets and conformity with the pattern. Around the walls of the cutting room, the shelves were filled with large rolls of corset fabrics. They were mainly
the utility twills and cambric, in shades of pink and white. There were smaller rolls of black, grey and drab as well as smaller rolls in a variety of broches and satins. In the corner was a heavy machine of cast iron equipped with dies suited to punch out the holes and a feeder to supply the eyelets and reinforcing rings, which would be crimped in the holes automatically to reinforce them. A second smaller machine could secure to the tape the individual riveted hooks and eyes that real corsets demand. Hung from a bracket on the walls were large spools wound with hundreds of yards of pink white and black Russian braid used for the stay lacing. In a drawer was the small crimper used to secure the end tags. In other drawers were the wooden patterns for the different styles, which in later years were supplanted by aluminium patterns. 4 ARTHUR GARDNER Once he had served his apprenticeship, under Alice's watchful eye, young Arthur became 'the cutter'. Every day he would cut the fabric to length, and lay ten to twelve bolts one on top of the other on the cutting table. He would take the appropriate metal pattern sheets from the labelled drawers and using the patterns mark the cut lines with a chalk on the face of the top piece of cloth. After carefully whetting his cutting knife on a steel, he would cut each of the corset panels out - remember - ten or twelve at a time. He took the cut panels down to the machine room, using the adjacent back stairs that led down to the basement. Only once in 40 years did his knife slip and when it did it almost cut his thumb off. A severe wound it needing instant expert dressing, which was done in the nearby Royal Free Hospital on Liverpool Road. Initially there was some concern as to whether the digit could be saved and fortunately it was though that slip was enough to instil more caution in the future! A corridor approached the basement, or more accurately, the half basement from the stairs. A door off this corridor led to a small storeroom, which in later years, when operations reduced and moved downstairs, became the fitting room. The other door led into the machining room. This extended from the bay window in front to the rear window, which looked onto a large garden. Four industrial duty sewing machines were set up around the sides of a large raised worktable, which occupied most of the space. There was ample room to deliver the cut panels to one side of each machinist, and for the work, in this case the corsets, to be supported flat all round, whichever section of the corset was under the shoe and needle. Initially all the machines were treadle operated, but they were motorized at the earliest opportunity after the war. 5 ALICE GARDNERS LATER YEARS For many years Alice helped with the machining but, as if widowhood was not enough, another personal catastrophe struck. She developed a whitlow on her hand, which turned severely septic. In the days before antibiotics it did not resolve and gangrene set in. There was no choice the surgeon said and she lost her hand and lower forearm to the surgeon's knife. Her positive personality saw her though this trying time and she emerged with her energy unabated, but of course her machining days were over. A cockney born and bred, Alice's enthusiasm for the business never left her. She eventually died in the early 1960s, nearly 90 years old, still active, when Arthur was thinking of retirement. 6 THE INTER-WAR YEARS In the inter-war years, tight-lacers had been catered for in London by the likes of Mme. Vermeuil of Baker Street, Mme. Lorrette of Islington, not far from Gardners, on Upper Street. In Fulham there were, on North End Road, Kedges, while the renowned Lawrence Lenton ably assisted by his wife operated in Crookham Road. Finally, there was Mr. Overett, originally a cutter with Mme. Lorrette, in Knightsbridge. Her clients had helped him to set up his business when Mme. retired in the mid-1930s. Overett, like Lenton, advertised in Sporting and Dramatic News.
Outside London there was Mrs E. Kayne, first in Portsmouth and later in Brighton. In the inter-war years Gardners business was slow. The 'walk-in' clients in the neighbourhood were barely enough to keep staff employed. Not only was money scarce, it was the flapper era younger women never took up corsets or gave them up tight-lacing had gone out of fashion, girdles were only a few years away. So, with a view to maintaining a work load in the depression a bigger catchment area was needed. Alice and Arthur used the firm's reputation to solicit business further a field in the east end and in south London. Alice would travel several days a week either measuring clients, delivering finished corsets, collecting repairs, weekly payments or IOUs. Money was hard to come by, corsets were still a relatively expensive and essential item of clothing, but for women who were used to caring about their appearance or needed them they were made affordable if bought on credit or in the vernacular of the time 'on tick' This method of credit, of course served the Gardner's objectives well. It kept them in contact with clients and got them extra referrals. Alice was always ready to give advice, supply a replacement as corsets moved beyond repair. A key feature of the business was their readiness to repair corsets - even those they had not made, or reuse - recycle to use today's jargon B the old parts, such as busks and bones which were still serviceable in new corsets. This repair service was gratefully taken up by clients of all classes and continued until the business closed down. It placed Gardners in marked contrast to some of the other well-known specialist names that would not deign to do even a small repair, it being 'beneath' them. 7 WARTIME - AND A NEW MACHINIST Early in the war a new machinist, Iris Norris, then in her twenties, joined the firm. Her husband was away in the war and with a young child to look after, she returned to work to supplement the family income. Times didn't get easier and in the end she stayed for 38 years, retiring in early 1981. Just before World War Two started, Arthur's son Frank, who was to coin the trademark 'Frangard' in the 1960s, was being prepared to enter the business. He was the only male in his class when he trained just before the war at Bloomsbury Technical School for Women and took the courses, passed the exams and received his certificates in corset making and corset design. However, unlike his forebears, he never practised his skills in the machine room. Instead he took up the work of collection and delivery, taking with him on his rounds one of the machinists to do any necessary measuring and fitting as well as to judge if a repair was still possible. At this time he also became an insurance agent and always combined this side of the business on his rounds. The war saw many changes for tight-lacers. Lawrence Lenton was no more having reputedly been killed by a bomb in 1941. Marie Stafford, a protge of Lenton, established a well-renowned, if peripatetic salon. Known generally as Madame Marie, she took over some of his clients who faithfully followed her, first to Luton, north of London, then to Catford in S.E London and finally to premises near the clock tower in Sunbury Cross, Middlesex, west of London. She maintained her salon in the flat above her husbands newsagent business. As for Overett, the business, now reportedly run by a Mr. Elliot, moved to Hanover Square, near Oxford Circus. Despite being close to major rail targets all around, Barnsbury Square and Gardners survived the blitz and continued with business as usual. Frangard provided the following addition in November 2008:By way of explanation, during my search of my files for Odyssey Part 6, I came across an original draft of Chapter 11 of David Kunzles unedited draft from which the final test of the first edition of his book, published in 1981-2, was prepared. The Chapter was not published and when Frangard1 back in the late 1980s, offered me the whole 500 page ring binder I declined but asked if I could have Chapter 11 which was material I hadnt seen. Page 11-7 to 9 covers Gardners with the new information that Frank Gardner was the only male in his class when he trained just before the war at Bloomsbury Technical School for Women. This wasnt all. I then Googled for the school which elicited the fascinating fact that Bloomsbury Technical College (sic) was evacuated to of all places ... Letchworth ...in Sept 1939. Could some of the women following the courses in Corset Design and Corset Making, which Frank Gardner took,
have been sent there as apprentices by Spirella, or were they recruited by Spirella when they got their diplomas? Perhaps all this influenced the choice of location for the School's evacuation. What does your curator contact at the Spirella Museum know? As to its history, another Google hit said it was founded as Bloomsbury Trade School for Women in 1913 and the name changed to Technical in the mid-1930s, Happily it didnt really close in 1960, it was one of several trade schools that were absorbed to form Risinghill Comprehensive School which opened in 1960. I dont know if you recall the cause celebre trouble associated with its closing in the mid-1960s. It was a victim of the Grammar v Comprehensive debate that raged with the LCC/GLC at that time. Oddly enough it was located on Rising Hill street in the area east of Kings Cross and bounded on its west by Caledonian road, on the south by Pentonville Road and on the east by Upper Street, the exact same area in which one found Gardners a little to the north and Madame Lorette on Upper Street itself. As for its original location it was Queen Square which is behind Russell Square (and the Imperial and Russell hotels) . This is not too distant from one centre of the London Rag Trade located in the NE corner from Oxford Circus, where Spirella used to have its shop. The area is bounded by Upper Regent Street and Oxford Street and Great Portland Street. The 1960s TV series with Miriam Carlin The Rag Trade was set there. I would guess other persons trained at the School could have ended up there.
8 POST WAR AND A CHANGE OF DIRECTION During Iris Norris' time at Gardners, the nature of the business changed. In the era of the 'New Look' a surprising number of fashion conscious women returned to back-lacing corsets or 'waspies', but this fad was generally short lived. By the late 1950s business was again in decline. It was compensated in part by the closure of other similar small businesses, which had referred grateful clients, usually older women in need of heavier corsets with underbelts, to Gardner's. New clients came as other firms closed. In the late 1950s, Madame Marie's husband closed his newsagents and so she was also forced to shut. Many of her clients moved, some to Gardners and many to Overett, but in 1962, he, or was it Mr Elliot, suddenly died casting many tight-lacers adrift. Many of these clients had little choice but to move to one of other of the few tight-lacing salons still in London. Gardners special appeal was that it catered to the demands of the tight-lacer while offering lower prices. The only concern of new clients was whether they could provide the fit and quality to which they were accustomed. For these clients were people for whom tight-lacing corsets had become an essential element in their lives. Above all else a tight-lacer extols the 'fit' of well-made corsets. They were often hard to please but fulsome in praise of a corsetiere who could achieve a 'good fit'. Then, as now, they were essentially private, educated people. For many years the moral climate would have regarded them as 'fetishists', a word that could easily damn and condemn those who had found for what was for them an entirely innocent pleasure. They appreciated what is, even at the extreme only a modest departure from what at times were the norms of fashion. Tight-lacing had after all been accepted as the height of fashion up to World War I, and had continued on a reduced scale in the inter-war years and had come close to revival with the 'New Look' in the 1940s. Impelled by their zeal to find perfection, tight-lacing enthusiasts used the grapevine to find what they wanted. Many were known to one another. They included people who knew more about corsetry than many a corsetiere and who insisted on dealing with people who understood, and more importantly could make corsets equal to their exacting demands. While Gardner's had always catered for a number of ladies who maintained very small waists through tight-lacing, they were hardly ready for this veritable invasion of enthusiasts. A new feature was the significant increase in male clients, though Gardners had always had male clients who tight-laced as well as others who needed corsets for medical conditions. Many of the new clients had actually started with Lawrence Lenton, had gratefully moved to Mme Stafford, and then to Overett. Above all else they needed stability and they found it at Gardners, who
knew and understood the needs of corset wearers. It mattered not if you were a wasp waist or were tending to obesity. It mattered not if you were male or female. At Gardners you were accepted or what you were; a corset wearer, first and last. They soon discovered that Gardners were professionals, though by now Alice Gardner was very old, and took no active part in the business. It was left to Arthur to continue with the cutting, deal with the many new male clients, who like him, had always enjoyed wearing corsets. Lady clients found in Iris Norris a seamstress, machinist, corsetiere and impeccably discreet confidante, equal to their needs. Although for Gardners many of them represented a new class of client, all felt both welcome and at home. The names of the new arrivals read like a veritable 'who's who' of tight-lacing enthusiasts. Many are acknowledged or referred to by David Kunzle. Predominantly British there were more than a few overseas clients including a number of women and men, often husbands and wives drawn from the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa, France, Scandinavia and Germany. Many managed an occasional visit but they usually dealt by mail order. New clients were often put in touch though the correspondence that the tight-lacers maintained on an international basis, even in those pre-internet days. Over the next twenty or so years, even Will and Ethel Granger patronised Gardners, as did half the names acknowledged in David Kunzle's book though, for the record it should be noted that David actually met Frank Gardner not Arthur Gardner, who had died before David did his research. 9 THE SIXTIES Gardners continued with their round of visits, once a week. Frank Gardner reserved a day from his insurance rounds, and went with one of his lady machinists to the clients mainly in the working class suburbs of London. By the mid-60s there was only full-time one machinist left. Her duties had expanded to dealing with most individual callers at No 28. They would be taken along the ground floor, down the stairs to the basement and shown into the modest fitting room. The Gardner family continued to live in the rest of the house. The change involved the removal of the machining table, to allow room to set up the cutting table, and drawers to hold the stocks which included a wider range of broches, satins and lace trim that some of the more affluent clients favoured, as well as the busks -spiral, straight and wedge - spirals and steels of every length, width and weight for boning, suspender fittings, elastics and lacings. The eyeletting and punching machines were set up on another table close to the garden window, to take advantage of the natural light. Although smaller, the fitting room was appropriately furnished and painted in pale cream. There was a small side table on which corsets could be spread out for lacings to be opened out and a chair on which to sit and place any clothes removed. There were full length mirrors behind the door, on the opposite wall and a half length one above the table. There was no window, but there was excellent strong lighting. All was arranged so that a client could self lace effectively or could assess the progress as a new or altered corset were being laced on by the corsetiere. Typically the door would be shut and the lacer would stand back to the door and minister to the clients lacings and help with back suspenders as necessary. On the table were copies of the UK trade journal 'Corsetry and Underwear' which went out of publication not long before Gardners closed its doors, which a client might read whilst the corsetiere returned to the machining room to effect any slight alterations that were found desirable during the fitting process. There were always copies of Gardner's latest catalogues at hand and the current price list pinned to the wall, adjacent to the half length mirror. The ladies information was printed on pink paper while the gentlemans was on blue paper. After a photo session in 1972, a whole plate original photograph of Iris Norris, was given pride of place on the wall. Iris had posed for the photos session in black dress or in a black skirt and white sweater. In all studies a narrow black patent belt accentuated her waist, which had been reduced and measured at nineteen inches for the
session. If needed, her waist gave full testimony to the figure forming efficacy of her favourite corsets, the 17 inch long Gardner 'Godet' style, known as their L 267 pattern and to Copere clients as the 'Jean'. The photograph also graced the cover of the first Fanny Copere book, 'The Corset Question'. On the wall beside the door, were posted the rules regarding employees pay, agreed to under the auspices of the corset Wages Council. In 1977, it was still only 90 pence (US$2) per hour. Adjacent were the two diplomas that Frank Gardner had earned at college, one for corset making and the second for corset design. With the coming of new clientele, the range of fabrics traditionally stocked and available was expanded to include the most expensive broches imported from France and Belgium as well as satins and that much favoured by men and surprisingly many lady clients 'gold spot' in matt black with shiny amber spots. The fabric is well illustrated in the photos of the 'Margarita' style in Fanny Copere's catalogue (see Section 10). The new clients cared not only for function, but were ready to pay for the aesthetics of their garments. They also valued the observations and advice of someone like Mrs Norris who clearly reduced her waist as assiduously as they did, someone who had personally experienced and understood the difficulty of coping with the dreaded yet periodic challenge of overcoming skin breakdown whilst continuing to tight-lace. Conventional corsetry still formed the bulk of the bespoke (custom made) business but Gardners found their skills expanded to the making of corsets of every style. Corsets suitable only to wear at corset soirees such as classical mannequin corsets (see Wilbro's catalogue style PCMM 5), worn by those seeking to train a delicately minced gait in the high heeled shoes or boots they probably bought at Regent Shoes before it became Ravel. They also made many more male cut high top corsets, and shoulder straps were a frequent provision of military type 'high top' corsets for the older male client. Deep suspender belts continued to be made bespoke, but other new sales were made in selling bulk production of standard styles for firms of outfitters in UK, USA and Germany who sold corsets to clients who were discovering the pleasures of corset wearing in the more liberated atmosphere of the late 60s and 70s, when dressing for pleasure by both sexes was becoming more acceptable. 10 THE SEVENTIES Several firms placed regular bulk and bespoke orders. One of the earliest was P. Cutler of Westbourne Grove run by Pauline Cutler who died in the late 1980s, and whose firm became Cover Girl, when it moved back from Paddington to Upper Street in Islington, not far from Gardners, in 1973. In 1972-3, Gardners took out a classified advert in a UK men's magazine, 'Men Only', which ran for several issues. With the help of a husband and wife who were both clients, new catalogues and price lists were prepared. The enthusiastic pair assembled all the artwork. The wife was laced into three styles of corset specially made for her by Gardners; a waspie, the Godet and a side lacer. She posed, sans stockings, for the camera. The resulting photos were used to illustrated the ladies catalogue, which was printed on pink paper and offered the three basic styles plus a narrower waspie. No mean artist, the husband depicted the four male styles, a casual, a high top and an Edwardian fluted style. This was produced on blue paper. These catalogues continued in print until the firm closed in 1981.
Fanny Copere's corsets were usually copies, or resold versions of the Gardner's corsets shown here.
Styles 'La Taille', 'Godet', 'Hook-side, lace-side' (couldn't they think of a name?), and the 'Modern Waspie Mini'.
A word about the patterns used. All corsets were based on patterns, which had at least five panels in each half corset. For fluted (Godet), high top and training styles, six panel patterns were used, not including the flutes or 'petals' in the models with a hip spring of greater than about 12 inches. All corset comprised a facing fabric and a twill lining. All were interlined to give the corsets the 'weight' and strength that tight-lacers appreciate, and which readily distinguishes the real bespoke corset from imitations. Bones were inserted between the facing and lining using a specially designed pushing tool which reduce the number of raised seams which can lead to skin abrasion even if a camisole or vest is worn. For those who insisted on diagonal boning, strapped across panel seams or if the client insisted on inside strapping, then Gardner's practice was to use not to use bone casing but to use a strapping fabric, plush faced if possible again to reduce the amount of seam contact with the skin, a luxury rarely found on
corsets today. Lace frills at top or bottom or both, were optional extras. Suspenders were always made to customers choice, sewn on or detachable and, with the move to narrower straps, inch became standard and the 11 / 8 inch width they usually used, and which appear on most of the styles photographed for the Fanny Copere catalogue, was classed as 'wide'. Until 1978, Gardners provided suspenders with stocking clips, or as their corsetiere called them 'ends', which had the traditional hard rubber buttons with a central reinforcing shaft rivetted to a backing plates and a cloth hanger. When this design went out of production in 1979, Gardners were forced to provided first thick button and then the thinner nobless rubber 'all in one' designs. A consequence of this change was that clients quickly complained that their stockings tops were slipping off their suspenders at the most inconvenient moment. Mrs Norris initially blamed the phenomenon on the sheen in the modern nylon used to knit non-stretch stockings, but in the end she found a solution. She eventually counselled clients to bulk up their buttons with tissue paper, although several resourceful husbands glued small discs of rubber cut to size using an eyeletting punch. They then painstakingly glued the discs onto each and everyone of their grateful spouse's suspender clips! 'Progress' is no respecter of preference. The security of their suspender clips was paramount and quite outweighed the questionable inelegance of a visible 'bump' being discernable through a close fitting skirt.
Bulk orders came from overseas retail firms like Finecraft of Hollywood. Even in the late 1980s, the corsets worn in most of the corset illustrations had been made by Gardners. In perusing photos from the 1960s, still in their 1980s catalogues, Iris would casually say, "Thats one of ours, and that". In 1977, Gardners ran an advertisement in 'Tit Bits'. The old established periodical, which coincidentally had encouraged tight-lacing in the early years of the century, had come full circle and was once more acting, albeit indirectly on behalf of a corsetiere, to contact potential tight-lacers.
I think it can fairly be said that whilst the Gardner and Copere girls were, let's say, classic 'English roses' that one might take home to met Mother, their American sisters were certainly not! Ivy
The encyclopdic mind of my husband remembered a scene from that marvelous WWII film "The Cruel Sea" where Moira Lister plays the part of a woman far more cruel. He reckoned that not only did Miss Lister resemble the lady on the right, but she probably wore similar foundations to
ease her figure into the satin sheath of her dress. - Ivy
Another agency was established in the early 1970s by A. Compton under the name of 'Fanny Copere' and operated from Castle Street, Richmond, Surrey, UK. A range of eight corsets was offered including six designs based on Gardner's patterns, and two based on those of Vollers of Portsmouth, Hants, a business which coincidentally had also been founded in 1899. Three models were used to present the range and all wore 'cat suits'. The cover featured a the youngest posing in Gardners waspie style, five other styles were modelled by a blonde woman while the Godet, known as 'Jean', was modelled by an older brunette woman. None wore stockings so the suspenders hung loose.
Isabella and Jean models
Copere also began publishing books on tight-lacing with the photo of Iris Norris on the fitting room wall appearing on the cover, with the caption 'A wasp-waist of the Nineteen-Seventies. Bust 38 inches, hips 40 inches, waist laced in to 19 inches' There were three other photos of Iris in the book. Another company, which used Gardners for special orders, was the large firm of J.D. Williams of Manchester, which by the 1970s had changed its name to Wilbro. In its range it offered three ranges of made to Measure: 1) Period Corsetry made to measure - 9 styles; 2) Made to Measure for Ladies - 5 styles and 3) Made to measure for Gentlemen - 7 styles. Miss Margaret Beck, their resident corsetiere, passed all their bespoke orders to Gardners, a fact which can be confirmed by comparison of its made-to-measure range with those in Gardner's own catalogues. Following is a cross reference between the names under which the three organisations sold the same Gardner's styles Gardner's Name Modern Waspie Mini, L79 The Cinch, L73 Le Petit Taille, L271 Old style, L257 (underbust) Old style, L257 (overbust) Godet, L267 Hookside, L227 Copere's Name Miss Anita Miss Copere Collette Margarita Isabella Jean Wilbro's Name MMCL 4 MMCL 5 MMCL 2
On the domestic side of Iris Norris's life, over the years she had seen a son and daughter marry and grandchildren appear. But now Iris and John were in today's term 'empty nesters'. A redevelopment of the part of Islington where they lived saw them take up the offer of assistance to relocate to a new town, Milton Keynes, some 50 miles from Euston on the Birmingham line. The choice was easy since Iris's brother and sister-in-law had settled earlier. However, in keeping with their roots, in the early 70s, they chose to move, not into a new house, but to one of Edwardian age within the new city in nearby Old Bletchley, Bucks. This would not have been of note except that in deciding to buy a home for the first time, albeit
with the children off their hands, Iris and John were faced with paying the mortgage and that meant them both continuing to work full time. It wasn't easy for it meant rising at 5 am, driving two miles to catch an early train four days a week to Euston, and even then their respective journeys weren't over. Iris took the 14 bus along Euston Road, left at King's Cross station, up Caledonian road as far as the stop by the library at the corner of Lofting Street. From there she'd walk east up the steep hill cutting left into the former mews of Barnsbury Terrace and across the west side of the square to No 28. She had a key and would let herself in. Then she'd work 10 hour days and faced the return trip. Recall that she always wore tightlaced corsets and did this journey, wasp-waisted with straight-seamed stockings, a proud and elegant example to the modern generation, for close to a decade.
The legendary corsetiere
Iris Norris
wears her normal Godet corset style corset
In the last few years, Mrs Norris' duties had extended beyond simply machining to taking all calling appointments at which she would give clients advice, expertly measure them or give trial or final fitting for newly made, partially complete or complete corsets. She dealt with most of the mail order side of the business which required careful record keeping, secure and discreet packing of parcelled corsets and trips to the Post Office. She met with sales representatives to ensure that a sufficient stock of material and bindings was maintained in house at a time when suppliers and manufacturers were closing and such things were not easy to find. In many respects she was Gardners in all but name, yet was still an hourly paid employee and time ticked by. Father Time reaped the last generation of regular corset wearing women, while their daughters and granddaughters had been beguiled by radical changes in women's fashions and were never to progress to the satisfaction gained in wearing real boned, busked and laced corsetry. Whilst few of them rallied to the extreme call of the cause of feminism, and actually burnt their bras, they did espouse the Mary Quant revolution, which gave women the 'liberation' of tights (pantyhose), which meant that almost overnight they consigned stockings to the rubbish bin. There they joined their girdles and suspender belts, the need for which had been obviated.
Ivy Leaf's website includes countless recollections of the period after 1970 which Note the waist and the satin skirt. saw such catastrophic attrition in the corset Mrs. Norris knew just how to dress to industry of which the first large victim was please a man in the nicest possible W and H Symington of Leicester, which way. closed their doors at about the same time as Gardners.
The Jean model that Iris habitually wore
11 CLIENTS The story would be incomplete without a few words on some of the clients of the final twenty years. Ethel Granger who had the smallest waist in the world at 13 inches patronised Gardners for a while though as many knew, while everyone liked the modest and long suffering Ethel, they found that William was usually overbearing, especially in his insistence on assuming the fitting duties customary entrusted to the corsetiere in the fitting room. On the ladies side apart from Ethel Granger there were many women, like Iris herself, who had cultivated and maintained a 20-inch hip spring for many years. Several wore corsets cut to a 17 inch waist. All of them needed, of necessity, the fluted hip style, either the high cut Godet, L 267, which Iris always wore, or the Petite Taille, L 271. These were always provided with lacing eyelets that were reinforced with brass washers for tight-lacing. The connoisseur of corset design will also notice that on Iris Norris's corsets the eyelet pitch is reduced from 3/4 inch to close to half an inch for the three pairs of eyelets on either side of the waist line which was defined of course by the mandatory tape reinforcement. All this in an effort to reduce eyelets tearing out under the strain of the tight-lacers pull on the stay-lace! On the other side of the business, Iris recalled that Gardners made corsets with a 16 inch waist for a gentleman client of Wilbro in Manchester. Of their own clients, Basil Costin, acknowledged by Kunzle, was one of several small-waisted male clients on their books who favoured corsets sewn up with a 19 or 20 inch waist. Several were
ex-army officers, who still wore high top corsets every day. Others were men whose initially accompanied their wives to appointments and who with the encouragement of both spouse and corsetiere opted to take up the practice of corseting too. Ever conscious of privacy, Iris would amusedly recount how, unless requested otherwise gentleman's corsets ordered by mail were made up with a set of four suspenders sewn on. The reason; just in case the parcel was opened by the hired help who would then naturally assume that the item was for 'the lady of the house'!
12 CLOSURE Throughout the 1970s Gardners continued to deal with regular suppliers of materials like Devine and Thurstons, both located in the Old Street district of London, not far from Islington and just north of the City of London financial district. By the late 1970s, the revolution in under-fashions was making inroads into the viability of suppliers. Demand was slackening at a prodigious rate. Devine relocated to Southend-on-Sea in Essex, 20 miles east of London on the north bank of the lower Thames estuary. Alternative sources of supply were not interested in the small, though steady level of orders that Gardners would place. Iris Norris would often voice to clients how discouraged she felt at these developments. She found that her ability to make corsets to the quality her clients wanted and her self respect and professionalism demanded, was severely compromised. Ever inventive she cannibalised old corsets wherever she could, especially in the search for spoonbusks favoured by herself and lady clients with large hip springs. In any case she was no longer young and, though still vigorous and full of energy, she found the lure of retirement in the country and the end to three hour a day commuting, to be too great. She retired as soon as she was of the age to take her pension. After 82 years and with no successor, Gardners was forced to close and an era ended. Yet closure did not occur without distress, as former clients searched for alternative salons but seemingly to no avail given their budgets. 13 REBIRTH: A HAPPY ENDING Happily this is not the end of the Gardner story. As so often happens, miracles do happen. In response to the near clamorous demands of the clients, who by now were often friends as well, Mrs Norris to most, but Iris to some, decided not retire from corset making. She continued for close to 20 more years, but that's another story.
INTERESTING POSTSCRIPTS [1] Frank Gardner coined the name in the 1960s. [2] The Thornhill shop later became a greengrocers, but that business closed its doors in the 1970s and in 1985, when much of this note was originally penned and reviewed by Iris Norris, the property lay vacant.
The MEDICI CORSET The story of Gardner's would be incomplete without reference to the logo that appeared on their letterhead. It was a depiction of the famous Medici metal corset cover. The story and related facts are the cause of a good mystery. A reproduction of it had appeared in photographs
advertised in Sporting and Dramatic News and sold by Madame E. Kayne of Brighton in the late 1930s. There was always controversy as to whether the model in the photo was actually wearing it or had contrived to stand behind it in a trompe doeil. But now, relying on the actually transcribed words of a gentleman customer of Gardner's for close to 30 years, some light is shed on the matter:
A picture of the replica Medici Corset
I suppose you knew that Gardner's had the 13" Medici metal corset cover. He (Frank gardner) showed it to me once and said that shortly after the war it appeared in the mail without any note or letter. I tried to buy it from him, but he always refused to sell. I just wanted to admire it. It was to remain in Gardner's and was indeed shown to interested, privileged clients such as the writer quoted above. However, sometime around the time Gardners closed the metal corset cover disappeared. Mrs. Norris believed she knew who it was but had failed to recover it. A newsletter issued in the 80s and 90s made appeals for its return. There is no doubt that it is out there somewhere and now, thanks to the world wide web, it is to be hoped that, whoever is its arguably illicit, and certainly temporary, guardian might contact Ivy Leaf and tell her of its whereabouts. If nothing else it would put the soul of Iris Norris to rest on a matter that troubled her greatly in her later years Maybe if it is returned readers can advise where, and in which museum, it might be placed.
The picture referred to above, is almost certainly faked. There were no women at that time that could wear a 13" waist and the disturbed curtains point to two women here - Ivy. The picture comes from the 'Corset Question'.
Anecdotes and Stories

We have collected over the years, a number of anecdotes, recollections and letters in two sections of the web-site. For convenience, they have all been indexed here. Many of the anecdotes come from my husband and myself, others are from friends and acquaintances and some arrived unsolicited in the mail. Of the latter, we apply the basic checks of veracity before we publish. To a large extent they feature the older woman, for during the last five decades, the corset has almost exclusively been the preserve of the elderly. Sometimes the stories are well written, but run the whole gamut from blatant fabrication through to fantastical wish-fulfillment; these are not published. Occasionally we receive true stories about women and their foundations, however, if these women are still alive or in the public eye, we have no right to intrude on their privacy. Those for which the provenance is uncertain have only been included if they pass our tests of plausibility. In the final analysis, my husband often says "Well, I'm sure it must have happened somewhere to somebody!"
Corsetires came from all age groups, but socially were quite structured into Middle and Working Class women. Their clientele, however, spanned anybody who could afford the merchandise from the top of government to the thrifty Scottish granny. A rare occurrence of lady from the 'horsey set' into the ranks of the corsetires was not a success. The clientele developed over the years by her aunt, was steadily reduced by the novice's conviction that her clients were as sturdy as her horses and, to paraphrase Tom Sharpe, "She laced and buckled her charges into their corsets with a vigour reminiscent of a race meeting." A corset (95 times out of a 100) is designed to support, not constrict. Our Thelwell refugee did not last long in the trade!
The Ladies' Man The Eccentric Lady The Major's Corsets Waddle In; Wiggle Out From a Dutch Corsetire Old Women and their Corsets Grannys Old Corsets The Squires Wife Mother's Bridge Friends What's in a Name ? Memories of a Marks and Spencer Girl Memories of a Marks and Spencer Husband 1 Memories of a Marks and Spencer Husband 2
Memoires de JACQUES Carols Questions Ghost of Spirella The Bra Buyer Memories from Mrs. C My Mother-in-Law's Girdle My meeting with Ethel Granger My Daughter's Girdle How I Lost my Best Friend Joanne's Camp Corsets The Dawn of the Panty-Girdle Memories from Holland The GM's Wife
Cautionary Tales of Vanity and Tight-lacing
Anecdotes from Corsetires

An Irish woman ordered a black corselette which was duly fitted and the corsetire watched another presumably satisfied customer depart. A week later the corselette was returned in the mail with a desperate letter asking for a refund. Apparently the woman had not slept for the guilt of buying black underwear and she wanted rid of the evil garment. A corsetire asked her husband to pick up a pair of corsets that needed repair from a lady in the village on his way home one evening. He went to the house, rang the bell, and a large formidable lady opened the door. Plucking up courage he blurted "I've come for your corsets". The harridan's gimlet gaze burned into him. "Old Mrs.Withering lives NEXT door" she shouted and slammed the door in his face. "Never again" promised the husband, as he realised he had mis-read the address. A lady's husband rushed in from work. "Get your corsets off" he shouted and raced upstairs. The lady followed, somewhat surprised by her husband's sudden ardour, to find him getting into his football gear. "I need the corset laces for my football boots; they broke in last game!" Granny was looking after her daughter's boisterous kids. After a long tiring day, and an hour getting the children to bed, she retired to her own room and divested her clothes down to her brassiere, corset and stockings. She applied a face pack in an unattractive pale green colour and re-arranged her hair for the night. She heard the children begin to increase their noise and at the end of her tether rushed into their room to give them 'what's for'. The children were stunned into silence and as Granny retreated to her room, righteous in her powers of admonishment, a small frightened voice whispered "What WAS that thing?" On a similar vein, the daughter of a Spirella client was lounging around her Mother's house in an old housecoat, her hair in curlers and with a hardening face pack of ghastly hue in preparation for the arrival of her boyfriend later that day. The boyfriend arrived an hour early and the girl in question fled upstairs where her Mother found her virtually in tears and frantically applying her mascara and lipstick. "Quick, get my new girdle" hissed the girl. As the poor girl successfully overcame the reluctant zip of the girdle, she cried "I want him to see me as I really am!" Spirella falls into this trap (right), and claims that a properly corseted figure is natural, not the un-corseted figure! It is a very feminine trait to deceive oneself by imagining that the welldressed, well made-up woman in the mirror is the 'real you', as opposed to the rather saggy object that emerges from the shower each morning! Two middle-aged sisters were attending an old school reunion. To save on expense, they shared a hotel room. After breakfast one sister complained that her clothes felt awkward. I must have lost weight. Everything feels loose. Her sister wriggled in some discomfort. Youre lucky. I could hardly get into my corsets this morning. They looked at each other as the penny dropped. They retired to their room and re-emerged after 15 minutes looking far more at ease. Yes; they had mixed up their corsets. Well trained by their mother, both sisters wore Spencers, identical in all details except size! I was showing a prospective couple around a house for sale. The rather attractive widow who owned the property took us up to the master bedroom. I couldnt help but notice that draped over the Ottoman were a sturdy pair of
pink corsets. I was fascinated by the intricate tangle of laces (it must have been a Camp or a Jenyns IL). I tried not to stare, but I knew that the lady knew I had seen them. And she knew, I knew. It felt very stuffy in that room and I blurted out my usual spiel to the prospective couple. A very spacious room, with a southern exposure and two built-in corsets I mean closets. I nearly died of embarrassment as did the owner. The couple told me afterwards that they thought it was hilarious. Mind you, they didnt buy the house. Younger brothers can be so obnoxious. I know I was. My elder sister was a keen equestrian and spent all her spare time (and our parents money) on horse riding. After several years, it became apparent that she had started to wear a corset, since oddly, it was pink and showed clearly through her shirt if she took her jacket off. I ribbed her unmercifully. Pennys wearing corsets I would chant. Its a special support for my back she would counter furiously. Ultimately, I reduced my sister to tears and our mother wisely and cleverly intervened. Penny. Timmys right. Of course you wear a corset; you need the support for your back. I wear one too occasionally (that was news to me), and so will Timmy if he ever mentions the subject again. So I didnt. A provincial newspaper reported this dreadful scandal in 1961. A teenage girl at a gymkhana 'dressage' competition was disqualified when another competitor's mother told the judges that the girl was wearing a backbrace to improve her posture. Whether this was illegal or not, it lead to a rather verbal exchange between the two mothers with accusation and counter-accusation culminating in tears all around. When I was in the WRNS, I developed a chronic back-ache from leaning over operations boards that left me unfit for anything after just an hour or two. The doctor was unhelpful along the lines of "If it hurts when you do that then don't do that!" A horse-riding friend suggested that a support might help and loaned me a corset that she wore for riding. It was quite short and adjusted by pull-straps. Frankly I was horrified, however, it did the trick and I had to admit that my uniform seemed to hang all the better for it as well. I knew the corset bones showed through my shirt when I leaned over the board but nobody mentioned it. I even got the Navy to pay for two corsets each year. Imelda Marcos is widely credited with her extensive, even excessive collection of shoes and designer clothes. Less well known is that this sartorial magpie had an equally extensive selection of girdles from which to chose. One of the less attractive epithets for the corsetire is a meat-packer. One man who was embarrassed to mention his wifes profession often claimed that she was in the meat-packing business. In Herman Wouks book Marjorie Morningstar, the chubby friend of the heroine takes a job in the corset department of Macys. When her experience was questioned, she replied Ive spent all my life forcing human putty into the shape of a women. Life was so confusing for the young women in the 1950s. My mother used to scold me that wearing tight girdles would give me varicose veins. My poor sister, however, developed alarming veins during her first pregnancy when she was only 28. The nurse attending her blamed the veins on inadequate corsetry. You cant win. (In the late 1960s) I was invited for afternoon tea with an acquaintance. This lady had a young son, seven or eight years-old I suppose, and his noisy presence eventually began to irritate us both. Get your toy cars out and stop whining the boys mother told him. He returned a few minutes later with a box of cars. The box depicted a lady in a rather elegant girdle and was emblazoned Gossard. My hostess blushed to the roots of her hair, although why, I couldnt imagine, for we all wore girdles then. We were driving with my aunt in the Ardennes of Belgium. It must have been the hot summer of 1962. My aunt's face grew redder and redder as the miles passed (there was no air-conditioning then). Finally she asked me to stop and she waddled hurriedly off into the undergrowth. Ten minutes later a cooler auntie returned clutching a large pair of white perforated rubber corsets, apparently not uncommonly worn in those days. I remember thinking that her shape seemed the same, however, her stockings had become distinctly baggy. She professed to wearing these garments every day as well as vest, knickers and her thick support stockings; no wonder she was hot! A female prisoner in Britain escaped from jail using a lock pick fabricated from a spiral steel corset bone. Corsets obviously were not confiscated after the event since female prisoners still form a small but regular clientele for the remaining British corsetires.
The spiral-wound stay, although a great revolution for corsetry, did sometimes cause embarrassment when it broke loose from its casing. In the Spirella magazine of October 1959, a lady recounts walking home at night when she was terrified by something that tapped her on the back of her neck. She ran home only to find that the tapping was an errant stay from her corselette that had ridden up. David Niven also recounts the episode of a large and heavily corseted actress who was dancing with her partner closely clasped to her bosom. At the end of the dance, the man didn't let go and she hissed "the dance is over". "I can't move" replied the man, "One of your stays is up my nose"! The phrase "bald, toothless and in her corsets" elicited a surprising response from our readers! Granny lived with us when I was a child in the 1950's and, being used to a maid most of her life, regarded my sisters and I in the same capacity. The duty I hated was lacing her up in the morning. Although her corsets were front-laced she always needed help. I never understood why her routine demanded that wig and teeth came after corsets; she truly was an unappealing sight and I often asked my mother "Will I end up like that?" Of course Mummy capitalised on this and replied with homilies about brushing one's teeth and the evils of hair-colouring. I stayed at my girl-friend's house one night (in the spare room I might add.) The next morning I went to the bathroom and flung open the door to be confronted by the back of my girlfriend's mother dressed in a pink corset, stockings, and apparently nothing else. She was bending over the basin and promptly stood up, her hands flying to her bosom. She didn't turn around of course and I stammered an apology and bolted. But I saw the toothless corsetted reflection in the mirror. It is said that a girl will ultimately turn into her mother. Whether this preyed upon my mind I don't know, but our relationship faltered soon afterwards! Whilst lying in bed and attempting to finish the Telegraph crossword puzzle, the gentleman in question made a mistake. Finding that the eraser on top on his pencil had expired (his mistakes were frequent), he rose from the bed, ferreted through his wifes underpinnings on the chair, and started to rub the offending letters with the rubber material of her Playtex girdle. This ruined both the newspaper and the girdle. This incident was portrayed in a 1960s situation comedy starring Freddy Frinton and Thora Hird. It is a fact of life that womens underpinnings do vanish mysteriously from washing lines. A corsetire that I used to visit near Croydon, lost a Spirella corset in this manner. Corsetires are not well paid, and although she had acquired the corset at cost price, it would take several weeks work to earn enough money to replace it. She connected the incident with the loss of a brassiere that she had put down to a stormy evening, however, her substantial corsets would definitely not blow away. Like all corsetires she had some samples that she used to show clients. Taking an old sample corset, she washed it and rubbed all the bone casings vigorously with Deep Heat cream. This cream, used sparingly, is excellent for the treatment of muscular aches, however, its a powerful irritant if mis-handled. Predictably, the corsets vanished overnight. Id love to say that some unpleasant youth had to attend the doctors surgery for an unexplained rash, but that would be too good to be true. Suffice it to say that the thefts stopped! Somewhere in your web-site where you talk of Older Women, you recall Richard Gordon's phrase "Bald, toothless and in her corsets!" Sad to say, this was not necessarily the preserve of the elderly. As a teenager in the 1950's, my all too frequent trips to the dentist revealed that my teeth would be better out than in and I wore full dentures from the age of 17. In many respects, this had advantages of being fitted later in life when dentures are far harder to get used to. Shortly after this episode, my hair started to fall out when I combed it and my mother explained that alopecia was a curse than ran through the female members of the family. My mother had escaped, but I knew granny wore a wig. I was shocked to learn that she had done so since late teenage. Whether it was this twin assault on my vanity, I can't say but at university I started to gain weight to the extent that my mother insisted that I wear a corset, at least whilst at home on holiday. Indeed, I was bald, toothless and wearing corsets in my early 20's. Fortunately, I secured a good job for a woman in those days as an accountant and realised that despite my shortcomings, I was fundamentally good-looking and potentially shapely and I spent quite some time and money on my appearance. I never had a shortage of boyfriends and was happily married for many decades.
Reunions and weddings can be guaranteed to send women into a frenzy of discomfort if not actual pain. Trying to don a uniform that fitted in one's early 20s when one is 50 is a recipe for disaster. The tight waist-band will pull the shirt into vertical creases and the collar will not actually fasten without throttling the wearer. At such reunions, the bulging eyes and red complexion speak not of thyroid and blood-pressure but rather collars and corsets! An elderly widow was asked if she missed her late husband, "Oh yes, I really do" she replied. "I've nobody to do up my back suspenders any more!" There was a British TV drama in the 1960's which featured the attractive proprietress of a corset shop in the Midlands. She was having an affair with an older man. The man's rather dowdy wife found out and decided to get her revenge. She invited the corsetire round to her house to be measured for some new underwear. The corsetire turned up to be greeted by the lady and her friends. Armed with some formidable corsets she suggests that the older lady try them on since they were suitable for 'someone of her age'. The older lady keeps her cool (remarkably) and asks what the corsetire is wearing. "I'll show you" says the younger woman (this was common practice for corsetires in the 1960's). Predictably the corsetire is wearing a rather pretty lace overlaid basque. At this point the older lady says "I think that's just what my husband would like" and proceeds to show the corsetire a photograph of him. As much it can on black & white TV, the colour drains from the young lady's face. The friends of the older woman grab the corsetire and eject her, in her underwear, into the rain. One assumes the affair ground to halt after that! The corset, inevitably one feels has to be the butt of many music hall jokes:My wife went into the corset shop and said "I'd like to see a corset that would fit me." "So would I" laughed the rude salesgirl. Our family was so poor, my Mum used the bones in her corset to make the soup! Les Dawson I'd love to slit my mother-in-law's corsets and watch her spread to death. Phyllis Diller. I always wanted to wear my mommy's girdle but I didn't have the guts. I went into a store to buy a new bra. "What bust?" asked the salesgirl. "Nothing" I replied "It just wore out!" (Professor) Jimmy Edwards always referred to Rimsky-Korsakoff as Ripzem-Corsetsoff. A bit crass, even by the late Professor's standards. A mother was reading in the sitting room. Through the open window she heard her seven year-old son discussing with his friend, and apparently with quite some knowledge, her own girdles. "My Mummy's got lots of girdles. She wears the really tight one when she goes out with Daddy. You can tell 'cause she walks funny!" Her son's friend was less of an expert but volunteered that 'Gran' wore a corset. Later that evening, she was sufficiently concerned to ask her husband if she did, indeed, walk funnily, and was re-assured that she didn't. But the doubt was always there afterwards! Weight loss is a common problem in the older woman, just as weight gain plagues her younger sister. Several years ago I visited a lovely old-fashioned corset shop in Rouen, France. The proprietress appeared from behind a screen and asked us if we would mind waiting for five minutes, as she was fitting a customer. My husband, who was with me, is quite used to the interior of ladies' shops, however, the groans and struggles from behind the screen eventually unsettled him and he wandered outside. He later explained that he felt dreadfully embarrassed and that somehow he was intruding on a rather private moment. After 10 minutes the corsetire and the lady emerged. The lady was in her 70's and explained that her corselettes were too big for her and she had decided to buy a smaller size. The groans were caused by the effect of the first corselette, which was far too small, and the ensuing struggle with the zip until the corsetire intervened and procured a larger size. Typical of French underwear, the corselettes she had chosen were beige, constructed from heavy elastic, well-boned and zipped up the front. Sadly, the charming satin panels were no longer included. An exchange of letters to a British ladies' magazine in the early 1970's was prompted by an opening shot from a
retired 'Colonel Blimp' character. He suggested that women were poor drivers since if they wore corsets like his wife, then they were quite unable to look over their shoulders to reverse! The final letter of a heated exchange came from a woman who said that if male driving standards were any indication, most men were also wearing their wife's corsets! At a formal dinner, a retired major discovered that the lady on his left was a Spirella corsetire. The lady was used to the stilted effect that such revelations could have on subsequent conversation, however, the major volunteered that his wife, "The old Memsaab" as he called her, wore abominable corsets to hold in her tummy. "I think you mean abdominal" the corsetire replied. "Exactly!" retorted the major, "That's what I said." At my first embassy banquet in Montivideo, I was amazed at the figures of the other embassy wives. Coming from London suburbia, I was used to mother's corsets, but surely here was engineering of the highest order. I was soon to visit a corsetire recommended by one of my Uruguayan friends and I too learnt how to walk, talk and eat with a waist-line six inches smaller than was strictly comfortable. When my husband was awarded his first of many honours, I thought that at least I could have got an MBE for all those evenings confined in my steel and brocade prison! A hostess at a bridge afternoon, took the chance of being dummy to leave the table and prepare the afternoon tea. Her friends were alerted by a cry from the kitchen and they rushed in to find their friend bent over in some discomfort. "I think my back's gone" she moaned, and a closer friend helped her upstairs to lie down. As the others prepared to wind up the game, the hostess and her friend re-appeared, the former returned to the vertical, but extremely red-faced as she busied herself back in the kitchen. Her friend explained in a hushed voice, "Her bra flipped under her corsets when she leaned forwards" and, being a substantially boned garment, it wouldn't let her straighten up again. The bones were digging painfully into her back! The nu-back corset (right) was designed with the advantages of a corselette but had the back top and lower separated with enough overlap to prevent exactly the discomfiture of the lady above. Spirella set great store by their corsets' life-saving properties, although I doubt if any withstood the test that my aunt tried. In a London Hotel (and thank Goodness it was the foyer), she entered the open doors of the lift, and fell into the machinery below, since the lift had stuck one floor above. She was recovered unharmed, except for the loss of her dentures, although completely filthy and covered in grease. The hotel staff were most solicitous (as well they might be), and provided a room and a doctor in short order. "It's amazing" he said, "she could have been killed." Ever after my aunt claimed that her sturdy corsets were her salvation, although we suspected that the cushioning effect of numerous gin & tonics had something to do with it! In the early days of the metal zip fastener, there were some catastrophic zip failures on girdles, which is why, these days, all such zips are backed by hooks and eyes. The old corset shop in Croydon, sadly extinct, refused to stock zippered girdles for several years. Talking of which, yet another euphemism for girdle was zipper. It wasnt so common but Ive heard of a mother asking her daughter at a wedding I hope youve got your zipper on today. My husband speaks of a girl-friend who referred to her waist nipper as a zipper nipper, although whether this referred to the garments zip fastener, or to the poor girl catching her flesh in the zipper was more than my husband dared to ask! This girl, who was somewhat overweight, later purchased a basque, however, the boning on the garment simply wasnt up to the task, and every time she sat down, her tummy would force the front bones to fold back on themselves. The origin of the phrase My girdles killing me is lost in history. It was probably uttered too often to be associated with any one source, although Playtex cemented it into advertising legend in the 1960's. My husband claims that at least one girlfriend uttered the phrase after a long (and expensive) dinner. A female cynic might add that the phrase originated from the first woman ever to wear a girdle.
This was heard at a restaurant in Aberdeen, amazingly in 2001. "Oh, my girdle's killing me." My husband and I turned to identify the source of this archaic expression and were stunned that it came from a pre-teenage girl, and by no means plump or chubby. We were astonished!
Another amazing story from my husband, which he swears is true, was the woman who he gallantly drove home after a ball. She invited him in for a nightcap. Could you help me remove my brassiere? the girl asked my astonished husband. Gallant to a fault, my husband replied in the affirmative. The girl vanished to the kitchen and returned with the back of her gown unzipped and a pair of pliers in her hand. Apparently, the girls only strapless bra (which she called a cathedral bra) had been stolen from her washing line, and the solution was to modify an ordinary bra with wire twisted to secure the shoulder straps out of sight. My husband removed the wire and was bidden farewell! A beautiful Twiflit 'cathedral brassiere' from the late 1960's. During a mixed foursome of golf at the RAC Club near Epsom, I drew the 'short straw' and ended up with two women of the 'jolly-hockey-sticks' sort. Formidable, opinionated and loud, they made for uneasy golf companions. After a couple of hours, Agatha was driving and on the back-swing, we heard a distinct snap. She lowered the club and stood back. "Excuse me" she said, and took her friend off into some convenient bushes. The friend returned and asked if we had a safety pin. Actually, I had. (In the early days of the zipped fly, failures were not uncommon and I always carried a few safety pins just in case.) I gave her the pin and tendered my help. She looked at me in what is known as an 'old-fashioned' way and said "No - but thanks." Her companion returned and play was resumed. I told them why I kept the pins and it seemed to break the ice. The lady revealed that a suspender had been torn from its moorings. We all laughed, and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the game. I married the 'broken suspender lady' a year later, both of us having lost our partners some years before. My cat had been missing for two days when, just preparing to retire for the night, I heard a mewling sound from the garden. I quickly slipped on a dressing gown and some slippers, and went downstairs into the garden, following the sound which emanated from a patch of wild roses. As I moved over to the flowerbed in the dusk, I tripped and landed in the rose bed. Not seriously hurt, I was, however, stuck, as the barbs pulled at my hair and dressing gown. I wasn't going to spend the night there, so I managed to back half out of my dressing gown and with a convulsive jerk I pulled myself free, unfortunately leaving my expensive wig and gown in the rose bed. So if you were the gentleman walking his dog who was startled by a middle-aged, bald woman running across the garden in her corsets, then I apologise! In the days before central heating (Britain in the early 1960's), a woman wrote to an 'agony aunt' that her latex girdle was so dreadfully cold to put on in the morning. Rather than receiving a helpful suggestion (my old aunt slept on top of her rubber corsets to avoid this problem) the 'agony aunt' retorted that one must suffer to be beautiful! British public schools (which in the quaint English terminology mean private schools) to this day boast the position of matron, a female cross between house-mother and nurse. As late as the 1970s, this character would wear, as part of her office clothes, the full regalia of a nursing matron from the white head-dress to the watch pinned to the left bosom. At a famous south London public school, the matron was very much a formidable character in true Hattie Jacques style. At the beginning of one Easter term, the assembled staff were surprised at the laughter that greeted the raising of the school flag. As their collective gaze swiveled to the flag-pole, there, for all to see just below the school flag was a large pair of corsets. Any doubt as to their owner was dispelled by Matrons scarlet face. There is a small addition to this episode. A school-wide hunt went out for the perpetrator of the act, and a 15 year-old pupil was found to have secreted away beneath his mattress, a good collection, not just of Matrons foundations, but those of some of the masters wives as well. The pupil quietly vanished from the school. I must confess that during the mid 1960's whilst at boarding school I too played a similar prank when I noted our
own Matron's Marks and Spencer white satin-panelled girdle on her washing line billowing gently in the breeze. Clandestinely, I removed it and hoisted it up our particular flag pole. I made the mistake of bragging to other boys of my prank and an unknown school snitch reported my misdeed. Fortunately I was not expelled like the other boy. However, our headmaster was furious and I was given six of the best with one of his canes over the seat of my own white Marks and Spencers "St Michael" underwear! They were far less substantial than the girdle so the Head's cane really hurt! Still on the subject of schools; between the wars, at a girl's boarding school near Perth in Scotland, the girls would wait until after lights out to start making a noise. The new housemistress, who slept in a separate room at the end of the corridor, was a young and inexperienced teacher. If the girls timed it properly, the teacher would rush in to scold them without taking time to reinsert her dentures. A lady in her late 80's recounted this tale (for she was one of those girls) and added, it's hard to take anyone too seriously when they're standing in their corsets shouting "Go to shleep, girlsh!" My husband and I were walking past the Corset Shop in St. Leonards (It sadly closed in 2009 - Ivy) when I saw a stout old women emerge from the shop with her daughter (perhaps even grand-daughter). The old lady was crammed, not to put too fine a point on it, into a classic twin-set over a white blouse. A rather lovely Jaguar saloon car pulled up and the younger ladys husband emerged. Jaguars look superb, however, in reality, they are very low and quite cramped in the rear. The performance that ensued with husband and wife, at first helping the stiff old biddy into the car, and latterly pushing and pulling, was quite comical, but rather sad. The whole story was clear to see. The old lady would come to the shop once or twice a year to replace her corsets. This expensive habit precluded the purchase of newer more fashionable clothes. Ironically, if she had purchased even a new suit that fitted her stouter body, she might not have needed such tight corsets in the first place. The proprietor of the shop (for it is owned by a man), confirmed that she came in every six months for two brand new Twilfit corsets; one in white, and one in tea rose brocade. Walking along the Embankment by Waterloo Bridge in 1988, my husband saw the most obviously corseted women he had ever seen. He takes up the tale. She was a big woman, but her waist was incredibly small by comparison. About 42-26-42 I would guess. Stunningly dressed. I asked him if he was sure it was a real women; there are many theatres in the area, and Covent Garden is only just across the river. "You know" he replied, Ive never been certain, and I never saw the woman again. Madame Chang Kai Shek was famous for wearing a pair of bullet-proof corsets. When her husband was forced to leave China, they left behind many items in the rush, and her pink satin corsets became the proud trophy of one of the bandit chiefs. A woman hurried into the restaurant at Selfridges in a waft of powder, perfume and parcels. As she joined her friends for coffee, she gushed in a voice audible several tables away, Im so sorry to be late. I was trapped inside my panty-girdle! A modern tale from a few years ago (2001). Three student girls were walking down a street in Sheffield when two of them started to lag behind the third. They started to giggle, as did several passers-by. "What's so funny" the third protested. "Look at the bottom of your jeans". And there for all to see, was yesterday's discarded panty-girdle hanging out and being dragged along the street. Mortification knows no bounds! In Britain, well before the advent of the Charity Shop (Thrift Shop in the USA), or even the car boot sale, was the Jumble Sale. These sales took place in Church Halls and the like, and represented the unwanted items that clutter a persons life, yet cannot really be discarded as pure rubbish. During one such sale in the late 1960s, whilst rummaging through a pile of old clothes, a teenage girl discovered an old pair of corsets that she held up and showed to her friends. Waving them in the air she crowed Coo, just look at these; can you imagine anybody wearing these things? All the assembly laughed, except, that is, for the haughty lady, who had in fact organized the event. Shortly afterwards, the corsets were discretely purchased by that same lady. The elderly women who recounted this tale laughed at the memory. Those were her own corsets. I know that because the Spirella lady visited me after fitting her. She couldnt bear to see her old corsets flourished in public and had to buy them back!
Tom Sharpe in his extremely funny book Porterhouse Blue had this to say about the Deans wife:- Lady Mary adjusted the straps of her surgical corset with a vigour that reminded Sir Godber of a race meeting. Very eloquent, and very true. Mr. Sharpe, Im sure had a standard Camp corset in mind here. Later in the book "Lady Mary disembarked languidly from her corsets." At a rather posh garden party, a very smartly dressed woman had been irritating her rather plump hostess by making a number of personal suggestions about her frumpy figure. Eventually she retired to 'powder her nose'. On re-emerging from the house, the hostess couldn't help but notice a couple of feet of corset lace dangling below the hem of the lady's skirt, and re-engaged her in conversation. "Do you think I should wear corsets like you do" the hostess asked ingenuously. The smart lady retorted "Oh I don't need to you know. But it would certainly improve your figure." Nobody mentioned the very obvious corset lace to the woman. (In the 1960's and 70's, there were numerous corsets designed with invisible lacing for those ladies who wore a corset but pretended to their friends that they didn't!) My wife was preparing to go out and, as was almost a ritual in the 1960's, called me into the bedroom to 'do up her zip'. My wife stood up, turned around and asked me how she looked. I resisted laughing and slowly built up for the punch line "You look like a million dollars, your hair's fantastic and that dress will drive the other women wild." She almost purred. I turned to leave the room and added "What's that hanging down?" My wife looked and squeaked as she saw that a corset lace had broken its moorings and was dangling for all to see. Cats can hiss as well as purr and a good five minutes of 'engineering' was required to secure the errant lace. My wife's confidence was ruined and throughout the evening she kept asking me if she looked alright. My husband and I turned up for a rather posh dinner party (rather above our social level I felt). On entering, probably unfashionably early (10 minutes late) we were greeted gushingly by our over-large and over-bearing hostess who obviously had already sampled some of the excellent wine on offer. As she turned to lead us into the drawing room we noticed that her zip was completely undone revealing 'not insubstantial underwear'. We were the first guests; what should we do? I shooed my husband away and politely asked our hostess if I could help with her zip. She appeared momentarily transfixed then recovered her composure. "Thank you, but I'll call the maid and join you shortly." We were never invited again but I couldn't have left her like that, could I? My ancient auntie was visiting us for the afternoon. As we toured the garden looking at the flowers, I noticed our recently acquired kitten beginning its stalk and dash game. I looked around for the object of its attention and noticed that aunties corset laces were dangling down. Before I could intervene, the kitten pounced on the laces and swung there, its front claws firmly caught in the laces. Auntie and the kitten panicked as one. The kitten went mad, auntie screamed, tripped and fell. The kitten killed the laces, disentangled its claws and rushed off after the next victim. Mercifully auntie, although slightly the worse for wear, damaged only her pride. My husband was so pleased to hear of this tale. He said he was sure it must have happened somewhere at some time, and indeed it did in Wyke Regis in the late 1960s Ivy. I rarely got to see my wife dressing in those days. Our caravan holiday was the exception (it's hard to be private in a caravan on a rainy day). Each year, my amazement was renewed as I watched my 'well-built' wife struggle into a girdle that seemed impossibly small. The force required to do up the hooks and pull closed the zip made a mockery of the "Could you open this jar for me?" typically female request! I was always forgiven my blatant voyeurism by remarking how fine she looked, for she did too! On a camping trip one year, I heard my two sons laughing and sniggering behind the tent. They were making fun of a pair of sturdy pink corsets drying on the line beside the neighbouring tent. I quickly scolded them, concerned that the occupant might hear their rude remarks. They were, however, a seriously firm garment and must have been a nightmare to dry. Sometime later a huge, humourless woman retrieved the corsets and cast an angry gaze in my direction. I did, however, enjoy the five minutes of sound effects that followed. Donning corsets in a tent is apparently not an easy task! For several years pre-university, I would watch as my daughter struggled into heroically tight pantie-girdles. After a year at university she abandoned her foundations with I cant believe I used to suffer like that! I then found
her reclining in the bath one day wearing a pair of new jeans. She was shrinking them onto her body in the style of the mid-60s. So tight were the jeans, that the zip had to pulled closed with a shoe-lace (a trick she learnt from her girdle days). I pointed out the similarities with her girdles but she retorted this is the uniform of freedom (a contradiction, but I didnt interrupt); my girdles were objects of male subjugation. Youth! My son 'discovered' corsets in 1962. We were on holiday in Berwick and our walk down the High Street was interrupted by the loss of his presence. He was 20 yards behind us gazing at a shop window that was, embarrassingly, full of corsets. "What is that for" he asked, pointing at a particularly complex Camp creation. "They're women's things" I replied, hoping that would suffice. It didn't. "They keep their tummies flat" I explained. That same week, we had travelled onto Edinburgh and were staying with relatives. Their elderly neighbour had a pair of corsets hung on the washing line. We met her for tea subsequently and my son came up to me and said in a quiet, secretive voice, "I know why she's got a flat tummy!" In the 1970's, before property buying for personal gain became common, a retired couple bought a villa in Spain. In those days, selling the property and exporting the money was prohibited by Spanish law. (The Spanish believed that price inflation of property would kill the market for local people, and lead to rural and social decay - as it has all over most of Britain. It seems that the Spanish were rather perceptive, but I digress.) Eventually, the lady's husband died and she wished to cash in the value of the villa. Transferring the money legally was out of the question so she bought an oversized pair of corsets, withdrew as much as the bank allowed in cash (they were not stupid), and stuffed the corsets with as many pesetas, dollars and pounds as she could manage and fled the country. Paper is an excellent insulator, and she nearly passed out several times from heat exhaustion in the attempt to relieve rural Spain from 20% of her property's inflated worth. Another corset smuggling episode was widely reported in the British press in the early 1980's. A middle-aged lady shop-lifter modified a pair of corsets to carry all manner of hooks and straps. She wore it over her dress but underneath her voluminous coat. She would enter a supermarket and surreptitiously hang items beneath her coat on the corset. The theory was that in emergency, a quick unfastening of the busk would drop the evidence and she could then make a dash for it. Unfortunately, when she was queried by a suspicious saleslady, she panicked, tried to release the busk whilst running and tripped over her stays. This lady, at least, was caught; red-handed, and one presumes, red-faced as well. Old women and their corsets! This was the despairing cry of an Edinburgh corsetire with whom I used to correspond. Old women, who, she had to admit were the mainstay of her income, seemed to drive her to distraction. The purchase of a corset seemed to imply to these ladies that a lifelong confidante was also acquired as part and parcel of the service. A corset is hardly a complex garment although some of the creations that these old biddies ordered were indeed not easy either to don or to remove. Weve mentioned elsewhere that the term Granny Knot almost certainly comes from the habit of these ladies to fumble their corset laces into an impossible knotted tangle. How many times was my correspondent called out late at night to help some arthritic victim release herself from her stays? Certainly, the 'Thief Knot', (that is a knot tied in a particular way so that any illicit undoing of the knot will be obvious) was used by jealous husbands when fastening their wives' corsets. This tale had been backed-up on several occasions. I know of a London Spirella corsetire who gave up the business. Apparently, having sold a corset, the elderly recipient would often regard the corsetire's lifelong attention and advice an integral part of the service. More than once at bed-time, the poor fitter was called out to untangle the back-lacing on some poor old biddy's corset! The charming lady on the right was asked to try on a relatively
simple Spencer front-lacing corset. Despite being in her 80's (2009), she had never worn such a device although knew exactly what was required. This didn't stop the inevitable tangle that sooner or later had to be sorted out by a friend! My Mother-in-Law used to drive me to distraction. She visited all too often and from the moment of her arrival to that of her departure, she recounted a litany of her ailments. Her teeth, her back, her legs, her neck. All seemed to rebel against their owner. Everything she wore seemed to be 'surgical'. Her surgical stockings and surgical corset might have thwarted the aches and pains, but in concert they caused her to walk like a marionette. Occasionally, her ensemble was joined by a surgical collar when a trapped nerve in her neck caused her to lose the strength in her left arm. The benefit was less chatter, since talking through clenched dentures is not easy; the disadvantage was that she needed to be unlaced from her complex foundations at night and re-assembled each morning! A knight in armour would have been less bother. We received a similar missive and I'm not surprised. Older ladies love to talk about their ailments - Ivy Granny used to talk freely about her surgical corsets and surgical stockings. I wondered why her bra was never called 'surgical'; it certainly qualified on lacings and number of bones! My sister and I used to snigger out of earshot "I wonder if she's got her surgical teeth in today?" or "Pretty surgical blouse!" Oh how we mocked our poor granny. Another reference to armour: R's mother was anything but coy about her underwear. "I've got my armour on today" she would announce, slapping her rigid stomach with gusto. "But isn't it uncomfortable?" chorused our young daughters. "You'll find out when you're my age" she promised them as they shivered in horror. Watching her sit down was basically fascinating. She'd lower herself gingerly toward the chair and then, unable to resist gravity, she would collapse into the seat. She would exhale noisily, the seat would creak and her thighs would spring apart revealing her old-fashioned bloomers. Most dramatically was the alarming rise in her bust, as her corset impacted the seat and forced everything violently upwards. In an incredibly unprofessional act, a corsetire, driven to distraction by an obnoxious client, submitted her measurement forms with one inch subtracted from each dimension. She hoped that the ill-fitting garments would lose her the client forever! In a cruel twist of fate, the lady actually enjoyed the tighter foundations and maintained her relationship with the corsetire for many more years. In contrast to the tale above, a client refused to accept a corsetire's measurements and demanded that a couple of inches be removed here and there to accentuate her waist. Despite the fitter's protests, the client prevailed and a
month later was fitted with her new corsets. She then had the nerve to complain that they fitted badly and refused to accept them. This could have cost the fitter dearly except for the fact that they actually fit her quite well and she wore them regularly (against all the advice from her training) for several years afterwards. My aunt was very proud of her erect posture and frequently admonished the younger generation for their dreadful slouching. We all knew that if the younger generation wore corsets like hers, they would have perfect posture as well, but we were far too polite to mention it. That is until one day when she fired off a tirade culminating with .. look at my ramrod posture. My son (who would have been about eight at the time) piped up, Thats because youve got ramrods down your back! Pardon me, young man. What do you mean by that? Every time you bend over I can see two great rods up your back. I scolded him and told him not to make personal remarks. I explained to my aunt that, indeed, the bones in her corset were quite visible when she bent over. She was mortified that people knew her secret! On the bowling green at Eastbourne I was involved in a mixed tournament. My partner was a lovely, if rather stout, elderly lady and an excellent bowler. Half way through the match I realised that the sprinkling of spectators were amused by something when it was my partner's turn to play. I moved behind her and realised that as she bent to play the ball, the ridge of her corset top was revealed taut against her blouse. Each time she played more and more of the blouse was pulled from the waist-band of her skirt. I discretely drew her attention to the fact. She was most grateful but it ruined her game, and I suspect the enjoyment of the crowd! In the snooker hall of the Conservative club in Stafford there used to play a disagreeable fellow. We laughed behind his back since when he leant over the table to play, the outline of a surgical corset was clearly visible. He was notable for taking his ale from a quart tankard although not in the presence of his wife, who was similarly abrupt and 'tweedy' in that ex-military family sort of way. I suspected she was as stiffly corseted as her husband, for when she sat down her back never left the vertical. They were a classical 'shoulders back, stomach in' couple, and with the sort of corsets available then, there would probably be no other choice! We often joked that the 'old Major', as we used to call him, wore his wife's corsets, and in the jovial male preserve of the snooker room, this supposition would call forth a bevy of ribald jokes and supposedly true anecdotes (which blatantly were not*). *A curious verification of this tale is recounted elsewhere. One of the strangest accolades for a corselette comes from a lady who was an unfortunate passenger on the Morro Castle, the ship that caught fire off New Jersey in the 1930s and was a total loss. The poor lady spent some time in the sea, and later wrote to congratulate Spirella that the bones in her corselette didnt rust after the harrowing experience. Ive known several people, usually women, who cannot wear watches. Im not talking about the allergic reaction to base metals, but simply that the watch would stop or keep bad time. On other women, the same watch would be fine. I mentioned this to my husband who was about to retort along the lines of silly women, however, he thought for a bit and said Take some old biddy with alloy stays in her corsets, steel under-wires in her bra and chromium plated suspenders. As she walks through the Earths magnetic field, she probably generates enough electricity to stop a watch! What about the poor old souls heart of gold I replied, and the argument came to rest there. But I wonder if he has a point. Famed Olympian and golfer, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, was once asked how she managed to hit 250 yard drives. "It's not just enough to swing at the ball," she replied. "You've got to loosen your girdle and really let the ball have it!" Some women are incredibly coy about their underpinnings, whereas others blether on about their latest girdle or corset (that's when women wore such things of course!) The most devious lady of my acquaintance regularly hung out her Monday washing that always contained a few modern panty-girdles. These weren't part of the wash, simply a ploy to show the neighbours that she was 'with it' (this was about 1970), and had kept her figure. Her fitter, and the corsets that dried discreetly in the airing cupboard, told another story. The panty-girdles were her daughter's
cast-offs! When I started working on the south coast in the early 60s, I stayed in digs owned by a stout, elderly woman called Ada. She was a member of the Salvation Army and had strong attitudes towards drink and staying out late. Every Thursday wash-day, the hot water pipes in the kitchen would receive their weekly insulation in the form of a pair of sturdy pink corsets wrapped around and between them. They were a devil to dry she would say, but dry they must by Sunday since, she candidly admitted, that without them, she would never get into her uniform skirt. My mother was in the WRNS (Wrens) during the war before she married and raised a family. She started attending re-unions when I was a teenager, and for that one day in the year she relinquished her trusty M&S girdle for an old corset her mother had passed on. I knew granny wore corsets but this was the only time I saw them in detail, as mother roped me in to help with the unaccustomed hooks and laces. It was quite a process and not without a degree of language! Still, she looked very smart, if slightly red of face, but the uniform was awfully tight. Still on the subject of the WRNS (or any uniformed service I imagine), keeping stocking seams straight on parade and maintaining the requisite tightness of stockings and shirt lead to numerous tactics. An acquaintance who was in the WRNS for two decades swore by her six-suspender girdle. Any less was to court disaster on parade. A firm brassiere was essential whilst marching, and her shirt bottom had several hooks sewn on to attach to her girdle (in the manner of a brassiere's girdle hooks). Airline stewardesses went further, and more than a few airlines supplied their stewardesses with blouse-knickers combinations. As is so often the case, a recollection placed on the web-site elicits an enthusiastic response in kind - Ivy When I was in the Wrens, the drills and marching played havoc with my legs and I decided to wear a pair of support stockings underneath my service issue blue pair. I hooked the support stockings onto the side suspender of my girdle and the service blues onto the front and back. I hoped that if the single side suspender let go, friction against the other pair would hold them up. We received a swift riposte on the story above - Ivy I was never in the forces, but I did try exactly what the lady above recommended. It might have worked for me in the old days of the knobby suspender button, but I tried it with a standard Marks girdle and the middle buttons would simply let go after a while. I'm afraid friction was not sufficient to stop my support stockings from descending embarrassingly down my legs in a fashion made famous by Nora Batty! The solution was to sew on extra suspenders. In the 1960's, my mother wore a corset as she always had done, I wore a girdle and my daughter wore a pantygirdle. We were all fitted by Mrs. S of Winchester. Towards the end of the 1960's my mother died, unchanged in a lifetime of habits, and I adopted the panty-girdle as my friends were doing. Still Mrs. S. would supply us with the best Spirellas (probably Coppelias or Spirelettes - Ivy). My daughter, suddenly inspired by the freedom of university, disposed of her panty-girdles but I rescued these (expensive) items and waited. Four year's later and going for a job interview, I laughed as my daughter bemoaned the loss of her girdles and was going to visit M&S when I produced her faithful Spirellas. She wore them and swore that the confidence they inspired helped her land the job. (Spirella should have used this as advertising material - Ivy) As a policeman on the beat you come across some amazing sights, but none more so than the elderly lady I surprised late one night. Wearing her corsets over her nightie, she was rummaging around the front garden. Im looking for my teeth she quailed, and indicated an open window upstairs. I found the teeth amongst the ruins of a shattered glass and returned them to their grateful owner. How they got there I do not know. Some things are better not asked. (The wearing of corsets over ones nightie is simply the recourse of the elderly when forced to walk around after having prepared for bed. Virtually unknown today of course, thirty years ago, there were women who had worn corsets most of their life and any physical effort without their support was almost impossible. Gerald Durrell and Ian McRoberts both describe elderly women arising from bed and putting on their corsets before venturing further. - Ivy)
My mother's sister gave her a brand new Excelsior girdle that she had tried on but was too tight for her. It wasn't my mother's brand (which was Marks) but it was her size and she was far too thrifty to refuse the gift. A few mornings later, I heard 'language' coming from her bedroom and I went in to see what was up. The girdle's zip was on the left hip, not on the left front as her normal ones and she had managed to do up the girdle all twisted round. She was trying to wriggle it round without unfastening it. She persevered, however, either the girdle went on twisted, or my poor mum's back was twisted as she tried to do up the hooks-and-eyes under the zip. How she suffered with this unaccustomed garment every other week until a year later when it was consigned to the dustbin. As a teenager in the early 60s I was used to wearing a girdle and enjoyed the luxury of fitted Spirellas like my mother wore. As panty-girdles came into vogue, mother showed me the Spirelette catalogue and I was fitted for a long-leg model that according to the brochure was aimed at the young market. When the girdles (mother ordered three) arrived I was horrified at their weight and firmness. I couldnt do much about it because shed spent a great of money on them and I could either wear them or revert to the old style. I called them my chastity belts which caused mother no end of concern since I had just discovered boys. She neednt have worried because no boy was ever going to see me in those things! (I suspect a Spirelette 105 was the culprit - Ivy) When my mother came to stay, our crowded Monday washing line received an addition with Mummys pink corsets enjoying their weekly wash. Our young son was always amazed at these heavy garments and would ask what they were. I would explain that older women wore them to keep their figures trim. To this he would ask if I wore them. How do you explain to a seven year-old that a 36 year-old mum is not an older woman. No. I wear a lighter support called a girdle, and I would show him one of mine to avoid any unnecessary curiosities developing. At this my 10 year-old daughter assumed a haughty air and announced that in a few years, she too would have to wear a girdle. My ex-naval husband simply used to comment in his dry way I see the Admirals raised her flag! When 'Bob-a-job' was common (Boy Scouts searched the area for job to do. One shilling - a Bob - was given to the scout movement for each job) my son used to roam the houses of our neighbours. Apparently one arrogant woman, who I disliked, had little time for boy scouts and in an effort to be rid of him just handed him a plastic bag and told him to dispose of it somewhere else. My son's curiosity was aroused (why didn't she throw this in her own bin?) and he investigated the contents and found a pair of sturdy pink corsets. They became a clandestine trophy of his troop, and I got one up on my snooty neighbour! I visited the daughter of a famous British politician (this was in the mid-60's) to fit her for a girdle. When I arrived at the house, a party was in full swing although it was early afternoon. The lady was gushingly enthusiastic and wanted to be fitted in front of her friends, however, I had my standards and refused. Reluctantly she retired to her bedroom where the fitting was accomplished. (What a sign of the times. Even when intoxicated, a women put a girdle fitting high on her list of priorities - Ivy) The husband of another famous politician related how his wife practiced an entire speech before going to bed clad only in her bra and girdle. She was highly animated in the theatrical way that politicians affect and it was all her husband could do to stop laughing out loud! "You're not listening, are you?" she admonished. Her husband's reply of "No Darling, just looking!" did not go down well. I love understatement. This gem comes from the dressing rooms back-stage in New York. Everyone turns around, and suddenly Ethel Merman bolts into the corridor, wearing only bra, panty girdle, hose, platform shoes, wig and jewelry. Somebody asks, "Is anything wrong, Miss Merman?" Miss Merman's panty-girdle is well displayed on several occasions in the hilarious film 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World' and another such garment remains on display in a museum on Hollywood Boulevard. "Suit, shirtwaist, hats, stockings , girdle. I can go into a ladies' room any time and emerge a complete Amerikanka, full of indignation and waving dollars." Thus quoted the heroine from Herman Wouk's 'Winds of War'. Vivian Vance once said before meeting the Queen, Well, I cant get into my good dress with my girdle off, and I cant curtsy with it on!"
Movie star Lana Turner is credited with saying: "I'm telling you, the merry widow was designed by a man. A woman would never do that to another woman." At a diplomatic party in Argentina, a British diplomat was heard to remark on the elegance of the women. His wife was less enthusiastic. "All the elastic in Buenos Aires is here in this room!" she replied caustically. An old school friend was staying with me for several months whilst her house was being re-decorated after the death of her husband. Being a widow myself, I was grateful for the company, despite her rather forceful manner, and we got on as well as in the old days. After the first week I was horrified to see that she had washed a pair of corsets and hung them on the washing line to dry. I certainly didn't wear such things and I didn't want my neighbours to think that I wore them! Trying to explain that (diplomatically) to my friend caused quite a discussion since she was the sort who cared nothing for other peoples' opinions! She even got one back on me by suggesting that a corset might improve my figure! There was a temporary cooling of our friendship that thankfully didn't last the day; however, she dried her corsets in the airing cupboard thereafter. I was getting dressed one morning (this would have been around 1972) and forgetting that it was the weekend wandered to the bathroom in my underwear. I was shocked to bump into my teenage son emerging from the bathroom and, unusually was lost for words or actions or anything; I just froze. He recovered first and said "You look good, mum; but why don't you wear a panty-girdle?" I retreated to my bedroom, my mind a flurry of thoughts and mixed emotions. How DARE a 16-year-old have views on such matters? How COULD a 16-yearold have views on such matters? As a teenager in the 1950's, I was called in (and not for the first time) to help my granny lace her corsets. She was accompanying granddad to some function. I was quite impressed by these 'evening corsets' being far more Victorian looking that her normal day corsets. "Would you like them any tighter, gran?" I asked after a few minutes struggle. "If you hear two pops, that will be just too tight," she replied. I must have indicated some confusion for she added "That will be be my eyes popping out!" A customer's corsets had been returned for repair. Corsets are rather intimate and do get soiled and therefore must be laundered prior to return. Although this lady's corsets had been cleaned, there was permanent discoloration outside the corset on the back laces at the bottom. The cause for this stumped my friend until the old lady explained that those were the marks left by her husband's boot when he tightened the laces!! My son must have been only nine or ten when he returned from school one day and asked me "What's a girdle?" Ah-ha I thought; he's growing up. Better to explain and get it over with rather than let him develop some terrible closet desires later on. I explained all about girdles and corsets and even selected my expensive Excelsior girdle from the wash to demonstrate what these garments look like. He looked on in that irritatingly blank manner that confused children adopt and after some time said "I thought a girdle was for cooking!" Oh Good Gracious! Here was I trying to avoid confusion and I had done the opposite! (A girdle is a Scottish iron plate used for scone making - Ivy). At the Eastbourne Hydro, a hotel that used to be patronised by geriatrics, I heard an elderly lady booming away to her companion in the manner of the rather deaf "I really can't get on with these new corsets!" A vigorous tugging at a point near her waist put action to the words as her friend mimed a volume switch being turned down! An elderly Scotsman was accosted by a Edinburgh bobby* for a driving offense. "Did ye no see the STOP sign?" "Aye. I did fine." "Well, why did ye no stop then?" "I cannae obey all yon daft signs. I'm no goin' tae wear Spirella corsets and tha's a fact!" Across the street was a huge advertisement 'Wear Spirella corsets' My husband received this story (warranted true) from a Scottish policeman. *For our American readers, a 'bobby' is a policeman, derived from Robert Peel who conceived the police force. Policemen were also called 'Peelers'.
The secretary at a doctor's surgery in the late 1950's was sentenced to a three months suspended sentence for altering the order form for a surgical corset that had been prescribed for a local woman that the secretary loathed. She had subtly reduced the waist measurement and increased the length and weight of boning that turned the corset from a comfortable support into an item of torture after a few hours wearing. The victim was the magistrate herself who extracted this just revenge on the secretary. History does not relate if this intriguing battle was ever continued. A fanatical bridge player used an opponent's corsets as a weapon against her. The opponent wore corsets of such a severity that she could only sit in the most upright of chairs. Our fanatic always arranged the seating so that the poor woman sat for hours in the softest and least supporting chair that she could find. Her concentration never lasted the match and the hostess unashamedly won a regular income from the unfortunate woman. "Auntie M. used to stay with us. When she went to her room each night I could hear this terrible ripping sound. My mother explained that it was the velcro on her corsets!" Many older women tried Velcro fastenings; it was marketed as easier for those with arthritic fingers, however, the sound effects put as many off! On the death of my aunt, my uncle asked my mother and me to help clear out her 'effects' (her clothes and smalls). These were dutifully sorted for the charity shops until mother exclaimed "Well! I never knew she wore these!" as she brandished a couple of obviously rather expensive corsets. These lace-up items that bore the Spencer label were 'rescued' by mother for more discreet disposal as she tut-tutted about the vanity of her poor sister. Good for you Auntie I secretly thought! I had always admired her figure. When shopping for a new girdle with my mother, she always used to exclaim "If it can't stand up for itself, it won't stand up for you!" At a seaside hotel, I was woken up one morning by noises from the adjoining room (the walls seemed to be paper thin). "Help me would you; there's a dear!" was accompanied by a repeated huffing and puffing. "Surely that's tight enough?" "No; keep on pulling!" I was fascinated by this discourse and took care to keep silent. There was little more in the way of 'sound effects' other than some rustling and the swish of a long zip being closed. I dressed quietly and exited my room as the occupants of the other room emerged. What a contrasting pair! One lady was short and barrel-like, the other tall and thin. Who was lacing who remains a mystery but both women seemed pretty well corseted to me, for neither could descend the stairs with any ease at all. A dear old lady of our acquaintance passed away last month. She was 99 years old and fiercely independent until a brief final illness. Her niece, who stayed with her during her last failing weeks, simply noted that she needed help with her elastic stockings. She managed her own corsets to the end. I barged into our dressing room to find my wife engaged in the extremely private and female task of trying to get the hooks and eyes of her girdle to meet. I was ejected in short order and marvelled at the power I had witnessed in hands that (apparently) could never remove the top from a jam jar! Before retiring that evening, I noticed the girdle discarded on her chair and dared to take a look at the waist size. The label proclaimed 28" and the lack of fading suggested that this was new and therefore close to its intended size. I knew for certain that my wife's relaxed waist exceed 34". No wonder she struggled, however, the result was a very sleek silhouette. I had no complaints at all! I was on a tram in Amsterdam one evening many years ago. The Dutch are famous for not closing their curtains and every tram ride was a series of cameo glimpses into the Dutch way of life. I witnessed eating, watching TV and amazingly one night, a lady disembarking from her corsets. That her hair was in curlers detracted from the potential eroticism, but the scene was etched indelibly on my mind. We were giving my elderly granny a lift home after a stay of several weeks. The car was loaded with her belongings and on the corners, the car's lurching caused a strange groaning sound from the suspension. "Yours stays are creaking, Gran!" said my husband artlessly. She laughed, but night-time thoughts are the bane of the elderly and she phoned me the next day to ask in some concern "You couldn't really hear my corsets could you?" Why was it that a girl could romp and play in that indestructible way that all children possess until somewhere in mid-teenage when, unless covered from shoulder to knee in layers of industrial strength elastic, she would
somehow fall to pieces? I have read on these pages how the daughter would reject the underpinnings of a previous generation. I have an example of something entirely opposite. In the early 1960's, my teenage daughter was a huge fan of the Springfields, in particular the female singer Dusty. Against my wishes and copying her heroine, her eye make-up became more and more pronounced, although I had no objection to the tight fitting all encompassing satin blouses and flamboyantly petticoated skirts. One day she approached me as she was preparing her ensemble and asked with some embarrassment if she could borrow my corset. "I don't wear a corset!" I retorted quite sharply. "But I've seen it" she persisted and I realised that she meant a laced waspie that I used to wear for formal occasions (sadly rather rare). I dug out the white laced article in question that I had bought years before at Dickens and Jones. Fastening it around my daughter we laced about three inches off her natural size, far more than I thought healthy, but my daughter was delighted. For a girl effectively covered from neck to knee, I felt that the combination of the narrow waist, the impossibly flared skirt and the shiny blouse were very attractive. I was somewhat concerned that the teenage boys would think so too! My daughter recently discovered 'shapers' and discovered, as I did many years ago, that wearing more than one foundation garment compresses the torso about as much as the extra layer of elastic adds! If the first girdle doesn't get you into the dress, the rest won't either! My daughter discovered an old trick that I used to employ to pull the zipper up on my girdle. Instead of the pathetic little ribbon usually supplied at the end of the zipper tag, I tied a firm piece of string. My daughter also discovered the down-side of this strategy when she was struggling into her girdle one Saturday night. She pulled the tag clean off the zipper that was then left jammed at 'half-mast!' Unable to escape from garment without recourse to scissors (it was very expensive), she solved the problem by wearing one of my girdles over her own. Returning hours later she uttered a heart-felt "My girdles are killing me!" I got my first grown-up panty-girdle when I was about 16. I felt so proud now that the womanly things in life like make-up, heels, proper adult clothes and all the accoutrements were permitted to me. Shortly afterwards, I was helping my mom by bringing in the coffee for the bridge friends (an adult game still denied to my developing brain) and I overheard one of her friends say "I see Stella's into girdles now." How did she know? Was it my age and demeanor, or was it the slightly controlled way that I walked? It is strange how an off-hand comment can ruin a girl's confidence. I grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC in the 1970s. From about 1978 on I had a girlfriend who was actually from up in Canada. She wore girdles regularly any time that she was out in public. The first time I brought her home for dinner at my parents house, my Mom insisted on fixing dinner. I would have preferred to do it myself. The second time, I insisted. We were almost through dinner, and Mom offered her a second helping. She refused, and when my Mom asked her why, she put her arm across her tummy and whispered to her, This is NOT EXACTLY an 18 Hour!! Mom just said Oh! and didnt force the issue after that! My 11-year old son wandered in from the garden one summer's day and I could tell that he wanted to ask a question but was embarrassed. All mothers will know the feeling. What is coming next? What answer will I be able to give to possibly a difficult question? Can I palm this off on his father? "Mummy" he asked eventually, "Why do sister's knickers have a zip fastener?" OK; not for his father this one! I explained that his sister has reached that certain age when she was becoming a woman and needed more support than that provided by a simple pair of knickers. I explained that the garment was called a girdle. He nodded. "Do you wear a girdle?" I explained that I did, but I did not dry them on the washing line. "Why?" In reality because I was not going to have the neighbourhood ogling my somewhat substantial foundation garments. So I lied about them drying better indoors around the hot water pipes. "Does granny wear girdles too?" Biting the bullet I launched into a rambling discourse on panty-girdles, girdles and corsets, brassieres, and the female requirement for support (I omitted the bit about vanity). "Will I have to wear one when I grow up?" I explained that men didn't wear such things and his little face relaxed. Problem solved!
Cautionary Tales of Vanity and Tight-lacing
On the theme of vanity and women in cars, the lady in this tale had taken delivery of new corsets to wear to a wedding. As any corsetire will explain, this normally ends in tears, since the lady will usually be lacing tighter than normal to get into that 'expensive new dress' that wasn't quite in her size, and, any corset needs to be 'broken in' to ensure both comfort and long life. Indeed, the lady in question had been silly on both counts. Dressed in her finery, the taxi arrived but unfortunately, in the confines of the rear compartment, she discovered that it would be impossible to sit down without splitting something expensive. The taxi driver, displaying unusual perception, offered the lady a rug that he placed on the floor. With no words exchanged, the lady crawled on all fours into the rear of the cab and stayed in that humiliating position for a journey of over 20 miles! History does not relate whether the same exercise was repeated on the return journey. The dangers of over-tightening are well-known to corsetires. Regard the rather splendid American Spirella corset from 1954 ( right). It is a very uncommon example of a corset with 'no entry'. The only way to don the garment is to release the lacing as far as possible, pull the corset up over the hips and then tighten the lacing. This time-consuming procedure was used by ladies whose vanity could overcome any amount of trouble or discomfort. The typical wearer would lace tightly. But look closely at the picture on the right. The corset has split (actually on both sides) where the fabric would bend as the wearer sat down. Obviously this corset was strong enough to resist catastrophic failure, however, the lady could never wear it again for fear of a more permanent rip. A major resewing of the corset is required here and, I suspect, the vain and wealthy woman simply ordered a new pair, whilst admonishing the corsetire for a faulty product! I have only ever encountered two of these corsets with no entry and the one shown here is in our collection. At a family gathering one Christmas, a young boy was heard to ask his Aunt whether she wore her corsets too tight like his own Granny. Apparently, like his Granny, she suffered from the slightly pronounced eyes of the thyroid sufferer. The young boy had been told by his Mother that it was a side effect of too tight underwear. My Mother, who lived for many years near Ascot, regularly visited the big horse races since, like many of her generation, she was a firm royalist and loved to get a glimpse of the late Queen Mother or the Queen herself. One year, by dint of queuing, and not a little elbowing and shoving, she got right to edge of the Royal enclosure where the great ladies and a retinue of lesser Royal mortals would walk past. Oh dear. My poor Mother, how disillusioned she was. Pancake she told me later Pancake makeup and corsets! There was one old dowager Duchess who looked like she was wearing a mask. She could barely move her face and there wasnt an inch of movement in her torso. Vanity and its consequences are well-known to the St. John's ambulance crews who attend Royal Garden parties. These days it is usually heat exhaustion and the blistered feet caused by new and tight shoes, however, (and it still occurs but rarely - IL), in days gone by, the word would go around the marquee for a female helper. This almost always meant that some woman, often in a dead faint, required the loosening of over-tightened corsets. Pursuing this theme, I have seen women in such tight dresses that not just walking and sitting was an effort, but the very act of eating and breathing was impeded. My aunt attended a Royal garden party many years ago. According to the warnings contained in this site, she broke every rule in the book. New stiff corsets, new stiff shoes, a new dress, a new hat and a new bosom-hoisting brassiere. The ensemble was tried on once, briefly at the final dress fitting (so at least she did check that it all worked together) and then put away in preparation for the big occasion. On the great day she even put in what she quaintly called "her teeth for smiling with", a rarely used set of spare dentures that were pearly white but a poor
fit. She suffered agonies during the event as her brassiere poked her, her corsets dug into her thighs, the suspenders chafed and her teeth seemed to have a will of their own. On returning home half-crippled by her shoes she recounts divesting the lot in an explosion of relief. Nothing had been broken in, except that is my poor auntie! Daughters! Bringing them up is a fine balance between letting them experience that which will teach them and protecting them from experiences that will harm them. So it was in the 1960's when my daughter was getting ready to go out. I observed her struggling into a panty-girdle of tourniquet strength. "That's going to become awfully uncomfortable later on" I warned. "It's uncomfortable now" she wailed "but I want to wear the blue sheath." I neither approved of these new panty-girdles nor the dress but that argument had been fought and lost before. I let her go, realising that she was a woman and not a girl any more. Earlier than expected she returned in a taxi and burst into the house in floods of tears. (I had to settle the bill with the driver). Apparently, after eating, the girdle became intolerable and she retreated to the loo to get rid of it. Once dis-embarked from its constricting embrace she could no longer get the dress to fit, and she could no longer get back into the girdle. She left the party, her embarrassment covered by a friend's coat. She sobbed out her tale of mortification on my shoulder. Perhaps the young woman was still a bit of the little girl. Ah well! That's one experience that taught her a lesson without causing any real harm, except to her ego! The perils of tight-lacing are legion, and not simply confined to the health of the wearer either. Heres a wellknown trick if you really want to tighten a corset (either front or back-laced). Take the two loops of the corset laces and put them over a smooth, but strongly anchored object and lean away from the object. You weight will automatically pull the laces tight. The dangers are, the laces snapping, or the loops coming off the anchorage, both of which can precipitate the wearer to the floor. Since the commonest strong-point is a door handle, make sure the door is secured shut. I know of one hotel guest who was proceeding to dinner, when she was startled by the explosive opening of the door she was passing. The sight of middle-aged woman crashing backwards to the carpet was even more alarming. Its one of those situations that you cant just ignore, the woman may have been injured. Fortunately, it was simply a case of injured pride. There is a humerous modification of the classic 'Mills & Boon' movelette that goes "She stood alone; her hair blowing in the wind, but far too proud to run after it!" This actually came to pass (and it must have happened elsewhere) at a wedding in the Yorkshire Dales, where a middle-aged and rather over-dressed woman was assaulted by a gust a wind that first removed her hat and then her wig. A bald woman is a rather arresting sight and with the other guests rooted to the spot, she leapt after her wig with a vigour that split her skirt clean up the back revealing her slip through which her corsets were clearly visible - not that anybody was looking!. The poor woman simply did not have enough hands to conceal her embarrassment. An elderly and rather vain lady was being fitted with a new pair of corsets. The corsets in question were long and rigid in the back and fastened at the front by means of straps and buckles. She exhorted the fitter to fasten it as tightly as possible, against the fitter's advice, since new corsets do need to be 'broken in' for the first few days. The fitter left and agreed to pass by the following week. That evening whilst preparing for bed, the elderly lady realised that the strength in her hands was quite insufficient to budge the buckles (which once fastened have quite a strong over-centre action). It was several days (and nights) before the poor lady ate humble pie and phoned the corsetire to free her from her corsets. The lady subsequently reverted to front-lacing corsets since, in extremis, one can always cut the laces. Above we have shown one of the classic disasters of tight-lacing, the split corset fabric. The example here also has this evidence of tight-lacing, but, regard two other tell-tales, the permanent horizontal creasing and the eyelets hole surrounds coming free from their anchorage. The wearer of this corset probably had laced far too tight then, to compound the folly, attempted to sit down. The forces that come into play can tear even a strong corset asunder.
It's an odd fact. I've known a number of women who have, let us say, laced for vanity rather than comfort. Often wealthy and self-centred, these ladies would spend a fortune on their corsets and clothes, yet would never wash their corset regularly (if at all). One way to prolong the life of any garment is to maintain its cleanliness. Were these women lazy, or did they not want their evidence of their vanity on the clothesline or in the airing cupboard? I was dressing up to go out with a new boyfriend and, wanting to look my best, struggled heroically into my tightest pantie-girdle, fastened my stockings to the garters and finally got the hooks and eyes to meet so that the zipper could be pulled up. My, but I was firm and tight, and I pulled on a new pair of fitted white trousers to contrast with a loose pale blue jumper. I looked fantastic. My mother regarded me descending the stairs (not without a little difficulty). "You're not going out like that are you?" she asked with a faint amused smile. "Why not. I'm wearing a girdle" I retorted (this was in the days when girdles were a bone of contention between mother and daughter.) "I can see you are." Mortified I realised that the unlined white trousers not only showed off my trim shape, but also showed exactly how I had achieved that shape. I wore a lined white skirt that evening instead, but it was a shame about the trousers.
Letters from Clients

We often get letters from browsers of the web site, occasionally from corsetires and, more often from women who have experience of corsets. The browsers provide a wide range of subject matter from the 'unbelievable', through 'wish fulfillment' to genuine interest and curiosity. Those with corsetry experience, however, are always gratefully received. Often, it is not a personal experience, which would be unlikely these days, since traditional corset wearers, and email familiarity don't cover the same target groups. It is usually, daughters, or even sons with a somewhat prurient interest in their female relations' underwear, that provide the best detailed accounts of what was actually worn during the 'halcyon days of corsetry'. Sorting the 'wheat from the chaff' is neither an easy task, nor even probably accurate. We've included letters that bear the hallmarks of authenticity such as correct dates, reasonable grammar, and appropriate attention to detail. Others, that we find equally interesting, but without the credentials that befit this page can be found elsewhere. One substantiated letter is shown below. The letter mentions Spirella (hence its inclusion here), however, it is quite honest in its description of the trials and tribulations of growing old. The dates quoted indicate the period of the story.
The Eccentric Lady (Cobham, Britain 1954 - 1990)

I know the history of this lady unusually well. She lived before and during the War in South America, returning to Britain in 1950, where she settled with her husband near Dorking in Surrey. At age 40, she adopted the conservative dress of her peers, which mandated a girdle and long-line brassiere. The girdle was a Berlei, which, although not made-to-measure, did come in a wide variety of lengths and hip-spring sizes. Like many women of her generation she suffered badly from varicose veins, and the girdle that she wore was not so much to control her enviable figure, but to anchor the powerful surgical stockings that she loathed but needed to wear. Her posture was excellent, but once again, this was nothing to do with her foundations but simply years of horse riding on the pampas as a young woman. In the mid 1950s, she experimented briefly with Spirella, in order to get extra suspenders fitted. She ordered a girdle (which I believe was a model 234) with five suspenders on each side, three for the elastic stockings and two for a pair of fashionable stockings worn to disguise the shiny elastic of the stronger pair. This was not a success. The marginal improvement to the appearance of her legs failed to outweigh the discomfort of the suspenders. She also felt that the girdle was too expensive, although undoubtedly of a high quality. As she said at the time, Its beautifully made, but whos going to see it? In the late 1950s, resigned to her surgical stockings, she decided, like the majority of British women, that Marks and Spencers girdles were the equal of the more expensive brands, and she bought three high-waisted girdles from M&S each year for a dozen years. These were originally the famous satin elastic girdles, that latterly evolved into the equally strong, but less elegant, nylon-fronted girdle. In 1971, now into her 60s, a visit to friends in America convinced her that she had fallen behind the times. She returned to Britain armed with Sears and Roebucks best panty-girdles and her M&S girdles were consigned to the dustbin. Over the years, she had developed a blind spot for the knobbly appearance of her legs, however, she was acutely conscious of her thinning hair and her yellowed, and somewhat random teeth. In the post-War period in Britain, an amazing 25% of adults over 25 year-old wore full dentures, so, in fact she had lasted rather well. Deciding not to wait for her hair to turn silver (or fall out, whichever might come first), she bought an elegant, and very expensive wig. Against strong advice from my Mother, who lost all her teeth as a young adult, she went to the dentist and had all her remaining teeth removed. She suffered from this mistake, and although immaculately coiffured and with gleaming white piano keys, she thereafter talked as if she was rather tipsy; a bit like the dotty old Aunt Clara in 'Bewitched'. In her late 70s, this hitherto remarkably energetic lady, suffered a bad fall that exacerbated a back problem caused by a horse-riding tumble many decades before. She developed a pronounced stoop yet still managed to live alone in her large house, her husband having passed away in the late 1970s. I lived abroad for a few years and didnt visit her again until 1992. Into her 80s, she was, once again in excellent shape. Her hair and teeth were, of course unchanged, but the face was older, the lipstick bearing only a passing acknowledgement of the edge of her lips. She still slurred her words but she was once again fully erect with a remarkable figure for her age. I noticed that she elected to sit down only in upright chairs and then quite carefully. I asked after her back and she commented that it was fine just so long as she wore her armour. On further enquiry she confessed, that for the first time in her life, she had started to wear a corset provided by the same corsetire that she had briefly encountered over 45 years before. She told me You wont believe it, but its got 28 buckles! Was she complaining or boasting I wondered, however, she was right, I didnt believe her and it must have shown on my face. She strutted off to the study that had become her bedroom, the daily assault on the stairs being too much for her. She returned with a Spencer dorso-lumbar support, and indeed, it had 10 buckles to close the front, four on each side for an under-belt, four for the shoulder straps. This total of 22 buckles was standard Spencer. However, I thought that the under-belt was totally unnecessary. The corsetire had modified the back lacing and inserted three cluster-lacers (never a Spencer option), which would allow for much easier adjustment of the garment. I felt that she had been taken advantage of by her corsetire since the corset could have been far simpler, and of course cheaper. I noticed that the corset was fashioned from white orchid material (washable satin), by no means the cheapest option. The rest of the tale becomes rather sad. A few years later, her car was stopped by a policeman. She had been driving erratically (she always had done in fact), however, her slurred speech was misinterpreted by the law. She was asked to accompany the officer to the police station. As she alighted from the car, he saw that she was in her
stocking soles, and as her coat fell open, wearing her corsets and very little else! The end was near. She was getting very eccentric and was transferred to a nursing home that she tastelessly, but not inaccurately, referred to as Death Row. We visited her several times and I do believe that she became the bane of the nurses existence, although I suspect they admired her spirit. She died after a short and probably disagreeable stay in the home. She was found in bed, corseted, with her teeth and wig immaculately in place, in total defiance of her nurses instructions. They dont make them like that any more I told my husband. Corsets? he replied. Dont be silly. Women!
Waddle In; Wiggle Out (I must apologise. This was taken from the internet. It is, however, so real, and it corresponds so well with a Spirella magazine cartoon from August 1958, that I couldn't help but include it. Ireland 1958).
The Spirella corsets were fantastic feats of engineering. I remember suggesting to my mother that she would be far better off without a corset, as I thought that they caused more trouble than they were worth, but she was horrified at the idea. "They are a great source of warmth and comfort", she told me. "Plus, they have the added advantage of pulling in the stomach, and making me look in much better shape than I am". "But Mummy," I protested, "You tell me that theyre most uncomfortable, that they hurt when you kneel down, and the bones stick into your ribs and thighs, that they are impossible to dry after they are washed. Why do you have to put yourself through such torture, just to feel that you are looking right." My protestations were met with a tight lipped. "Just you wait until you have lost your figure through having babies and youll know why people need corsets for their selfesteem". To get back to the corsets on approval, I remember, on one occasion, my mother getting trapped into a corset that she couldn't get out of. It had the usual hooks and straps, but, in addition, it had a zip which went from the thigh to the waist. When she got into it after much difficulty, she couldnt get out of it. I was called to assist. Eventually, I had to make her lie on the bed while I endeavoured to get the zip down. After a long struggle, I was able to get the zip down and I unleashed the hooks and clamps. Her reaction was, "I dont think Ill be buying this one this year".
The Major's Corsets (near Stafford, Britain 1974 - 1977)

We often receive interesting feedback on our articles. Virtually always constructive, they range from the Yes; my mother wore those to the frankly skeptical Are you sure anybody ever wore that sort of thing? It is, however, rare to get specific feedback since all our anecdotes and recollections are disguised where locations or names are mentioned. The code of the corsetire is much the same as a Doctor, and confidences must be respected. Of course, we know the identities of the famous politician who wore Spirella, and the American lady who bought the Camp corset in Holland, but these confidences are inviolate. It was, therefore, with some excitement that we received a letter from a lady who had heard about the couple that we described last year. She said that if we hadnt described the couple as coming from Stafford, she could have sworn that they were a couple she knew from her own home town. Of course, this was the actual couple; we had simply changed the name of the town. We phoned the lady to ask for more information. She confirmed the story since she had served behind the bar at the club for several years in the early 1970s. It was a very tweedy club she recalled, All wooden panels and old fogeys. Mind you there was an early evening younger crowd; mainly local solicitors and a few professional people. They played snooker for money. They used to chat me up in a harmless way. I was old enough to be their mother (almost). I always dressed well; it was that sort of club.
She recalled the couple vividly, largely because they were far more abrupt and haughty than their peers. Our friend was more charitable than most, and simply gave them the benefit of the doubt. They both had bad backs. She suffered with her legs as well. She went on to catalogue the poor womans deficiencies in some detail and with some relish. I suspect she had been at the receiving end of some harsh words from the miserable old woman. I enquired whether she and her husband were as obviously corseted as the tale related. Oh yes. The younger men used to joke about the Major. They both wore Spencers; I know because I visited the same fitter and met them leaving the fitters house. Apparently, this had not improved their relationship. The lower ranks (our friend) were not supposed to use an expensive corsetire in general, and to know that their superiors did in particular. I was always fitted for my brassieres since I used to be very large up there. Men! They always confuse large breasts with voluptuous promise she digressed, I expect thats why the young solicitors used to joke with me. I must have been some sort of mother figure. She added that the appellation of Major was a wind-up, for the gentleman had never risen beyond the rank of Captain! It seemed that the poor fitter suffered from the caustic tongues of the couple as much as our new friend, and thus volunteered more information than would normally be forthcoming. Apparently, she never fitted gentlemen, however, the Majors wife had originally produced a drab grey corset from her husband that had been faithfully copied by Spencer. Although Spencer provided gentlemens supports, the choice of fabric was simply a grey or beige drill. The Majors wife had originally demanded a white material, and had been informed that these only came with womens corsets. The bottom line was that the Majors corsets were actually womens, but cut to male measurements. The material they chose was the same as his wifes, an ivory-coloured artificial satin (it sounds like Spirellas orchid IL). Whether this choice was the Majors or his wifes is not known. In all likelihood I suspect, it seems a simple expedient to have all the family corsets made from the same material. Practicalities such as washing are rendered far easier. She went on to describe the old ladys corsets. They would go upstairs for the fitting, leaving the Major in the lounge. The poor old lady. It was the one time that the corsetire could extract some revenge, and by devising an expensive engineering triumph of steel and rubber, she maintained the elderly ladys ramrod posture. Not that the corsets were particularly unusual, but simply very heavily boned, with spinal steels and front-laced. The only real difference between her corsets and the Majors were the shoulder straps that pulled the top of her spine into the steels support, and that the Majors corset buckled rather than laced. So although the Major didnt actually wear his wifes corsets, the ribald jokes of the snooker room were not so far from the truth after all!
Many elderly women used to crow about "how they had kept their figures." With devices like this Spencer back support, any posture, other than 'stomach in, shoulders back' was not an option. This would be the sort of corset that the Major's wife wore, albeit in the satin orchid material. In all likelihood, it was donned immediately after morning ablutions. The lady would only disembark from its rigid embrace on retiring for the night.
How I lost my best friend (Maine, 1965)

Summer holidays were the best times of my young life. My brother and I used to stay with an Uncle and Aunt in Maine, and there was their daughter Sam. Sam was a tom-boy, several years older than us, and a natural leader. She tolerated her young charges with great enthusiasm and lead us into the woods, camping, looking for bears, exploring the wilderness and everything else that kids will enjoy until dinner beckons. Sam had unruly red hair and freckles and to all intents and purposes was just a boy like ourselves, but Sam was in charge, the natural leader, the captain and we adored her. I only ever saw her in jeans, shorts and a shirt and the only way that you could tell she
was a girl was that her underpants had little flowers on them when we stripped off to play in the stream, but apart from this eccentricity she was our hero. For years, the formula repeated itself, that is until the terrible year of 1964 when Tom got measles and we couldn't visit Sam. By 1965 we were so excited about the summer holidays that I couldn't sleep the week before our visit. When we arrived, we were greeted by our Aunt and Uncle but not by Sam. Where was she we enquired? "Samantha is coming; don't you mind" said our Aunt "But I think you'll find she's changed." At that point Samantha entered the front room and my world collapsed. What had they done to her? I blinked (litterally). Was this Sam, our hero? No. This was a scale model of Mom, of Aunt M---, of - of - a woman. Indeed, this was Samantha. (Theree was a popular song that described this sort of transformation called "Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha". It inspired the use of the name, for we never publish real names usually at the author's express request. The author's story continues ...- Ivy) Samantha, as we now had to call her, sat with the adults, ate with the adults, laughed at their jokes and, what I really hated, condescendingly referred to us as "the kids". What on earth had changed her? She minced, she didn't walk (I was to find out why later). Her hands, bent back at the wrists, pantomimed every enunciation. She talked like had a marble in her mouth and her teeth, which on recollection, had been the pension fund of the local dentist, were pearly white and amazingly regular. Her freckles had gone, replaced by a porcelain 'air stewardess' face if you know what I mean. She sat very carefully, knees together and gently angled to her left. Her unruly mane of red hair was wavy and a darker shade than I remembered. "Auburn" she hissed sometime later when I artlessly mentioned the fact. When she moved, her hair stayed immobile. I saw her shake her head and to a hair, her coiffure followed suit. Although I did not know it then, she had become a very beautiful, albeit very artificial, woman and had moved beyond my world years before I would, for girls are far more advanced in that respect. For the last time in my life that night I cried. I cried for the loss of my best friend. Because of my loss, a loss I might add that my younger brother took in his stride, I resented Samantha with a passion. She had become very private in her person whereas before we were in and out of each others' rooms day and night. One day when she was out with the adults and Tom was off fishing by himself, I dared to enter her room and was amazed at the change. It used to be a workshop, but now it was a boudoir (a word that I didn't know then). The stuffed toys were still on their shelf but there were mirrors, tables of potions, oils, a wig(? - probably a hairpiece), make-up, lipstick and so many other tubes and bottles the use of which I could barely guess. Lying on the bed were discarded clothes and a garment that looked like a long pair of shorts. Ah-ha so she did wear her old clothes from time to time, perhaps all was not lost. Sadly, on looking closer I realised that it was one of those elastic things that older women wear. I picked it up and was surprised by its inflexibility and weight. No wonder she walked with that controlled gait. I put it down guiltily as I realised that I was trespassing on a woman's privacy. I hurried from the room, embarrassed by my actions but it bought me to my senses. Samantha was a woman and I was a boy. Things change, but as rational as I might try to be, I felt that my heart was broken.
From a Dutch Corsetire (Staatenkwartier, Den Haag, Holland 2004)

A question often posed by the romantics, is whether corsetry will ever make a come-back. The answer, I'm fairly certain is no*. However, a old Dutch corsetire who I used to visit, related an interesting episode in one of her recent letters. This lady has served in one of the Hague's last corsetry shops in the Staatenkwartier for many years. Last month, a middle-aged American lady, very expensively dressed in a smart business suit entered her shop. She said that she was "just looking", and somewhat aimlessly peered at the numerous brassieres on display until the last client had departed from the shop. She then asked if the corsetire sold anything for the waist and hip area. From the back of the shop, my friend procured some panty-girdles that the lady tried but without enthusiasm. In typical forthright Dutch fashion, she asked the lady if she was trying to hide the roll of flesh that the elegant cut of her outfit had completely failed to disguise. She passed one of her limited stock of Camp corsets to the lady, partly to see what reaction this might elicit. There followed a long period of what cannot be translated accurately from the Dutch, but which I would say was "noises off" from the changing cubicle. The lady emerged without the corset and to my friend's surprise simply said "I'll keep it on. How much please? I suppose I'd better have some stockings to hold the suspenders in place!"
My friend resisted saying that the corset is for supporting the stockings, not the other way around, but whatever; to the money conscious Dutch, a sale is a sale! Personally, I wonder whether the woman will persevere with her new acquisition. The Camp is a remarkably effective garment, however, for a generation raised on panty-girdles it will never be truly comfortable unless worn regularly. If the lady ever returns to my friend for a second corset (three is ideal for regular wearing) then corsetry has made a limited and very rare comeback. So somewhere in the executive echelons of the multi-national organisations, is a 50-something year-old woman, whose power-dressing is perhaps more powerful than her peers might realise. My friend reported (in a Christmas letter 2005), that the lady in question returned a few months ago. She only purchased a few pairs of support stockings, however, that she wanted stockings and not tights suggests that the corset does see occasional use! June 2006: The lady visited the shop once more and my friend was quite shocked by her appearance. She was bloated, puffy and with the mushroom-like pallor of far too many air miles. She walked like an overloaded wheelbarrow, and the cut of her elegant outfit was ruined by the fact that it no longer fitted - anywhere. Once again, another pair of stockings was purchased. Despite her concern for the poor woman, my friend could scent a major sale, as any corsetire will who detects a weight fluctuation in a regular client. Sadly, no more expensive corsets were purchased, but a small fortune in 'shapers' and brassieres passed across the counter. July 2007: The American executive lady re-appeared after an absence of nearly a year. Her condition was more bloated then ever. She seemed to have given up with the Camp (it almost certainly was too small now) and a huge roll of flab bulged over the top of her skirt straining the buttons on her blouse. Her jacket, attempting to be fashionably wide in the shoulders was almost comical in its width. Her expensive designer clothes and shoes shouted look at my wealth but her figure told another story. By no means well endowed, she even made the (almost criminal) mistake of wearing too small a bra and pockets of fat bulged over the top of the cups. What she looked like in her underwear remains the professional knowledge of the proprietress, but the description above is plain for all to see. She wanted to buy a cinch, an Americanism unknown in Holland, but what used to be called in England, a waspie. Triumph sell these and my friend was rewarded with the sale of two cinches and several new bras. The shop no longer sells or even stocks corsets so the proprietress simply pushed the new line in shapers (panty-girdles) that are making a limited come back (In Holland that is. In England and America theyre much more fashionable). Sadly, and against the advice of our friend, the American bought sizes far too small. The result of the purchases that the lady decided to wear (except the cinch) predictably made little improvement although the high waist of the shaper spread out her midriff somewhat. Nevertheless, a sale is a sale and the woman appeared satisfied but the pasty complexion, and the sagging body told a different tale. Our Dutch stewardess friend who de-bunked the notion of the mandatory girdle (at least on Dutch airlines since the 1970s) has encountered this woman on several occasions as she jets around the globe. Shes superficially pleasant, but really focused, like she looks right through you. If I had that sort of money Id surely buy some clothes that fitted! Shes always fiddling with her waist band, even when shes studying reports. Honestly, she a walking personification of the adage My girdles killing me! It has been said that wars have been waged on such trivia as a generals haemorrhoids or toothache. I wonder what executive and far reaching decisions have been made by this female captain of industry as she struggles with her ill-fitting foundations? October 2008: I learned recently that the lady had left Holland. My friend in the 'lingerie boutique' as she somewhat presumptuously calls it, bemoaned the passing of a regular income. Surprisingly, shapers are hardly being sold there any more and my friend has concentrated on a younger market that seems addicted to colourful brassieres these days. Personally, I wear white, tea rose or very rarely, black. The obese American lady is history. * When I placed this account on the web-site in 2004, I really believed that corsetry was finished. I never imagined the renaissance in 'shapewear' that was about to arrive!
Old Women and their Corsets (Scotland 1960's)

Old women and their corsets! This was the despairing cry of an Edinburgh corsetire with whom I used to correspond. Old women, who, she had to admit were the mainstay of her income, seemed to drive her to distraction. The purchase of a corset seemed to imply to these ladies that a lifelong confidante was also acquired as part and parcel of the service. A corset is hardly a complex garment although some of the creations that these old biddies ordered were indeed not easy either to don or to remove. Weve mentioned elsewhere that the term Granny Knot almost certainly comes from the habit of these ladies to fumble their corset laces into an impossible knotted tangle. How many times was my correspondent called out late at night to help some arthritic victim release herself from her stays? Such a case was related to me, although in this instance, despite the discomfiture of the poor victim, there is an element of humour. The lady in question was staying at a hotel prior to attending a forces re-union. The only way to fit into her old uniform was to use a corset that she kept for just such occasions. Unusually (probably to disguise any possible indications of its presence) the corset had no mode of entry other than by loosening the laces. The advantages of such a corset are a very smooth line, but the disadvantages are the amount of lacing to tighten and what to do with the yards of laces once tightened. Lacing a corset, if you dont wear one regularly, requires three hands and the lady looked around the room for a strong-point to help her lace. (Ive already recounted one embarrassing tale of the lady who used a door handle to help tighten her corsets. - Ivy) By the window, there was a steel ring set into the wall that had been used in the past to attach a fire escape mechanism. Having embarked into her stays, the lady then tied the laces through the loop and knotted them. As she moved backwards, so the laces pulled tighter and she could use her hands to adjust the laces above and below in the time-honoured manner. There came a problem. With the corset sufficiently tight, she now couldnt reach the knot. If she moved forward, she lost much of the tension since her hands were none too strong. She compromised by pulling everything tight and then moving to the ring, she re-knotted the laces closer to the corset and moved backwards to finish the job. Perfect. She got the corsets to the desired circumference and holding the laces as tightly as should with one hand, she yanked on the knot with the other and promptly jammed it. She wasnt immediately concerned. She had done this before and was always able to fiddle the knot undone. In this case however, the tension under which the laces had been put had done a really good job and she couldnt quite see the knot. Her reading glasses were on the dressing table some three metres away and quite out of reach. Now she started to worry. Aha! Easy. All she had to do would be to unlace the corset and step out, but no. She had re-knotted the laces too close to the corset and the length of lacing was now quite inadequate to permit her escape. Sadly she decided to jerk back and break the corset laces. They could be re-tied and re-strung at a later date. After half a dozen convulsive jerks all she had succeeded in doing was to render the knot completely and utterly solid. Corset laces are designed not to break! She was trapped. She couldnt reach the phone or the bell and was condemned to remain tied to the wall in her corsets until the chambermaid arrived; if the chambermaid arrived. She couldnt even sit down. Mercifully, peering through the curtains an hour later, she saw some friends and managed to knock on the window enough to attract their attention. Her friends had a great chuckle at her misfortune, but even they had to cut the laces so tightly were they knotted. Her secret was out, she wore corsets because she had put on weight, but two of her old colleagues admitted to doing exactly the same! One borrowed a corset from her mother (a sure recipe for discomfort Ivy) and another more affluent lady bought one especially for the event. During the course of the re-union and the retelling of the tale, our embarrassed victim found herself being credited with performing acrobatic feats whilst hanging by her corset laces in a Houdini-like bid to escape. The story does not relate whether the lady purchased a corset with a proper entry for subsequent occasions.
Grannys Old Corsets (Ayr, Scotland 1974)

Ive mentioned this episode elsewhere under number of foundations, however, it is worth repeating in this context. The aged widowed Grandmother of my cousins passed away, I would guess it was in the mid 1970s. The lady had married into wealth and travelled extensively with her husband, well before tourism had become commonplace. When the family started to clear her house, they came across the usual prized (but sadly worthless) trinkets collected over the eight decades of her life. In her bedroom cupboards they found the unfashionable, but high quality clothes of the wealthy that were either consigned to the dustbin, or perhaps the local jumble sale. Amazingly, they found 20 Spirella corsets in nearly identical sizes, give or take the odd half inch. They were all white, but in different materials, brocade, satin, nylon and a light aertex quality. They were all front-laced and secured by a long, offset row of hooks-and-eyes. These were passed on to me as the family had little idea of what
to do with them. The corsets were all in very good condition, about three were unused, and the others exhibited all the signs of normal use, but with regular washing and attention to little details such as wear in the elastic. I would guess that none of the corsets was more than four years old. In todays money, her bottom drawer represented an investment of about US$5,500. I can only surmise that the lady obeyed the rule of threes One in the drawer, one in the wash and one on the body. This is the corsetires advice to promote longevity of ones lower foundations. Actually, two would do, but a persuasive corsetire with a rich client, would normally recommend three. The corsets were, indeed, roughly grouped into fours, indicating three active garments and a fourth ready to replace the oldest corset of the trio when its controlling days were numbered. The brocades would have been for winter, the nylons and aertex for the hotter climates that she and her husband used to enjoy visiting. It is the largest and most expensive collection of one womans corsetry that I have ever encountered. I forget who once wrote bereavement, complicated by disposal of the mysterious underpinnings of the elderly woman; but the idea is quite correct. Most women are, not unreasonably, quite private about their underpinnings and the disposal of such articles after use. Concealment in a plastic bag and disposal into the bin is a preferred method. If the garment in question is expensive and substantial, it may take on a second life as an item on the shelves of the local thrift shop. Do not do what a paranoid acquaintance of mine did and that was to throw her old girdle onto the garden bonfire. The clouds of noxious black smoke brought her grandchildren running to the scene, as the woman stood mortified before the blackened, melted remains of her girdle, the spiral bones and metal suspenders adhering in a horribly fascinating way to the leaves and twigs of the garden refuse. Disposal at a jumble sale carries its own problems. Nobody wishes to witness their once expensive corsets being tossed around the sales room by hysterical teenagers You dont mean people still wear those things? Of course, there is the terminal disposal of some superb collectible items by relatives completely unaware of both the historical and financial value of Grandmas satin Spencers. As Ive said before, your Granny just might be wearing her most valuable heirlooms.
My Daughter's Girdle (Tauton, 1971)

When my daughter became 16, I felt she was old enough to make the journey to stay with my own mother in Weston-super-Mare. It gave my daughter a fortnight of being spoiled and living in a different environment. A week after the first visit, my mother phoned me and I could tell that something was amiss. She beat around the bush for so long that I started to worry about the cost of the call and asked her outright what was the matter. "It's Jenny" she volunteered. "What on earth is the matter?" I asked, by now genuinely concerned. "She doesn't wear a girdle!" explained my mother, apparently relieved that she had shared this family sin. Oh dear I thought. Mother was very old-fashioned and apart from broadening my daughter's experience, I had hoped that her youth might rub off on her granny, but apparently not. Mother had worn corsets ever since I could remember and I had worn a girdle since I was Jenny's age. I didn't dare mention that I had recently started wearing a panty-girdle. "You still wear a girdle, don't you M---?" My mother brought me sharply down to earth, "Yes - er - of course I do." Of all the people on this planet, my mother is the one I cannot lie to. "All the time?" "Except in bed, Mummy." I tried to pass it off as a joke. The silence at the other end was not encouraging and the conversation shortly finished. That Christmas, Mother was coming to stay and I approached Jenny. Talk about beating around the bush, it took me 10 minutes to get to the point. "Darling, would you mind wearing a girdle when Granny's here?" The re-action was as 'teenage temperamental' as I had feared and my exhortations fell on deaf ears. "I'll be wearing mine" I volunteered. Stony silence. You can't plead with your own offspring, but it was close. Eventually, Jenny agreed and, since she had outgrown the one girdle I had bought her and refused to borrow one of mine, we went shopping a few days later and procured what was actually a very feminine, but eminently functional panty-girdle. I knew that Jenny would never wear a traditional girdle and hoped that the compromise would appease her granny. By way of retaliation, my daughter persuaded me to buy her a rather elegant suit that I felt was far too old for her (and very expensive) but, as she said, "If you want me to behave like a lady, I must at least dress like one!" To her credit, Jenny wore her girdle and new outfit over Christmas and elicited some rather enthusiastic compliments from all the male members of the family. Granny typically made no comments other than "I see Jenny is now correctly attired.
Don't you think those heels are a trifle high?" she added as a parting shot. The episode, I suppose, marked my daughter's transition from a girl into a woman. Her wardrobe changed (at my expense) within a few weeks and as she admitted a year later, "You know, I never would have believed it, but I feel quite naked without my girdle!" So, did granny actually, with subtlety far beyond my abilities, manage to get my own daughter to do exactly what she wanted. I really felt that I was little more than a puppet operated by my mother and daughter!
Letters to Ivy
We love receiving and exchanging correspondence. After all, how can one learn without contact from the outside world. For letters to be included, we have been careful that they satisfy our criteria. The writing style, dates and attitudes help us distinguish between real memories, and wish fulfilment. Not that some of the wish fulfilment letters are anything but beautifully constructed, it is simply that there are too many inconsistencies for inclusion here. The Ivy Leaf web site is very much a husband and wife affair, and we understand the attitudes of both the male (romantic and often impractical) and the female (practical but also narcissistic). These attitudes come across so clearly in most letters. Inclusion on this page also requires that the letter is not simply a memory, but that it adds to the lost understanding of corsetry, or backs up some opinion expressed elsewhere on the site.
Memoires de JACQUES Carols Questions Ghost of Spirella The Bra Buyer Memories from Mrs. C My Mother-in-Law's Girdle My meeting with Ethel Granger Joanne's Camp Corsets The Dawn of the Panty-Girdle Memories from Holland The GM's Wife The Trouble with Zippers Turn to the Left
Memoires de JACQUES
(This was translated from the French. The French language is so elegant that a pure translation into English sounds flat. We have tried to convey some of the 'Frenchness' of this account. Read it in a French accent if you will.) I appreciate your site particularly because it reminds an old man of such fond times. I met my first wife (deceased in 1971) in 1950. She was a corsetire by trade, but worked as a saleswoman in linen - corsetery in Geneva. You can thus imagine the underclothing that I saw in our residence:- girdles, gupires, long-line bras and even corsets. The representatives of the firms offered all their innovations to her and, although measuring 173 cm tall (5 7) and 65 cm (26) at the waist, wore a girdle, more or less reinforced according to circumstances, both morning and in the evening. I always appreciated her shape when she wore a gupire (French Merry-Widow) or a long-line bra without straps with the same kind of corset as the one shown at the beginning of your Dior page.
It was the sight of this model "Carles Kraffy" that gave me the idea to write to you. Although it squeezed her, she frequently wore it, generally with a long-line bra. When she was asked if it hurt to be so strongly tightened, she answered, "It is necessary to suffer to be beautiful, but I do not suffer, being accustomed since I was 16 years old.
My Gupire is killing me. I hope you enjoy this anecdote that I feel captures the spirit of the times. It occurred in the autumn of 1970, when we were invited to the family of my wife for a birthday party. As usual, she was very elegant, wearing a tight, largely machine-made dress. Underneath, she wore a very long gupire sans bretelles baleine (what an elegant way to describe a boned, strapless corselette Ivy) that moulded her from chest to the top of her thighs. The gupire closed at the front by hooks and eyes under a zip fastener. I am aware of all these details having helped with the fastening, and the result was always spectacular; bosom high placed, uplifted, and with the waist cinched so tightly. The party went well and afterwards, it was necessary for us to return home, some 85 km, by car. Hardly on the way, my wife asked me Stop as soon as you can because I ate too much and my gupire is killing me; it should be loosened. A little further, I stopped at a small discreet car park. My wife left the car, opened the back of her dress and asked me to undo the zip fastener from the gupire and to open the ten hooks and eyes. On returning to the car, she gave an ouf of satisfaction! It is the only time where I saw her complaining to have such a tight size. (It's worth looking at another French lady, Praline, to understand why the "ouf" was so heart-felt! - Ivy)
The Visibility of Underwear A Positive Account To speak about her bras, I will say to you that her breasts were a large concern for her, and for two reasons:- they were not very developed (A-cup) and, in spite of their small volume, they were not firm. Consequently, I never saw my wife without a padded bra. In the moments of intimacy, she wore a model supporting only the lower part of the breast and that was appropriate to me perfectly. Thereafter, her breasts became size B (She would be wearing something like a Gossard Wonderbra Ivy). Unsupported, however, they were always falling and thus in a model without straps, she always needed a well-boned (balein) long-line bra. As I have mentioned previously, she never left home without attention to her underclothing. Even in the house, she almost always wore a girdle, generally open. Thereafter, she started to wear panty-girdles. If she leaned forward, according to the length of the blouse or the sweater that she wore, it happened that her girdle was visible at the back. She said then "That is good for me. Everyone knows that I wear a girdle and that makes publicity for my shop"!
Carols Questions
I am not an expert on costume, but I am a part time researcher, and my interest lies not so much in the technical content, but in the social and human aspects. There is a lot of evidence to show that women in the 19th century (and probably before that too) saw corsets and stays not only linked to figure, but to gentility. The higher up the social scale you were, the weaker your back was, and therefore the more you needed support. I was fascinated by the picture of flexible stays in your history of Spirella section. I suspect this is a 1920s photo? Today we think of Spirella as being tight and rigid, although, as you say, Spirella was a lot more flexible than the late 19th century corsets. My question is how would a middle aged woman in the 1920s see this picture? I suspect that it would confirm her worst fears that the modern generation were not wearing proper corsets. If you can bend like that woman in the photograph, then do not have proper support! Its my opinion that the Victorian lady would not want to bend like that and her 19th century corsets would prevent it anyway. I dont want to
criticise Spirella, but was there a these are not proper corsets reaction at first? How very appropriate is this question in the light of this comment from the Spirella magazine:- To the uninitiated, the word Spirella all too often conjured up a vision of unyielding strong satin, rows of hooks and eyes, yards of lacing, and bones, bones and more bones! The flexible stay picture is, indeed, from the 1920s. Its a very interesting point you raise. Spirella gets its name from the spiral wound steel, invented by Pa Beaman, and so their corsets always had a degree of flexibility. They could, however, and often were constructed using conventional bones. I imagine that the firmly corseted matrons of Edwardian era would have predicted dire consequences for any girl even trying to adopt such a flexible posture. In those days, Spirella could accommodate both traditional and modern figures. Sadly this marketing flexibility was lost in the 1980s and Spirella was consequently doomed! Further on the subject of flexibility, I saw your comments on bending in a Spencer in your visibility section. I remember a friend in the 60s having a corset like that, and she certainly could not bend. However, how would this garment have been marketed? Surely not as a corset to do you housework in? Spencer, although very much in the fashion conscious market, also concentrated more on the surgical or orthopaedic end of the market than Spirella ever did. Often, highly restrictive corsets still had the choice of pretty materials. The corset looked like a fashion garment, however, bending, as you suggest, was not an option if a poorly back was the wearers complaint. Women who wore a Spirella 305 with spinal steels were pretty rigidly encased, however, with the normal 305 with the spiral bones, golf, tennis and (according to Spirella) moderate gymnastics were even possible! Lastly, did Spirella produce anything like the childrens liberty bodice? Its interesting that the Symington liberty bodice was first produced as freedom garment in comparison to 19th century childrens corsetry. However, I have several accounts from women who were young in the 1920s, and they remember the liberty bodice as a warm, but also quite a restricting garment. I suspect that middle-class mothers who were aged 35 in 1925 (born in 1890) would have known childhood corsetry themselves at the age of 10 or so. They probably would have seen it as healthy, right and proper to expect their own daughters to have some support from an early age? This must have been a marketing opportunity for Spirella? Spirella did indeed market bodices and even corsets for girls as young as seven. These were designed for support (that hangover from Victorian times that the gentle lady could barely hold herself erect without reasonable scaffolding). In about 1960 in Croydon I had an aunt aged about 50 who worked as a secretary /PA. To work she wore a formidable corset (cant remember if it was Spirella, sorry). When she got home in the evening, her corset was killing her and she would change into what I regarded as a fairly strong girdle. The idea of going about the house without any support was impossible for her. Whether physically or psychologically uncomfortable, to go without foundations was a crime, and my mother was no exception. To a woman who has worn corsets all her life, a support is a physical necessity. Do you have any information on what you may or may not eat when wearing a tight corset? I can remember when I was young old ladies saying never eat xxxx in a tight corset. I think it was radishes, but I cant remember! Radishes and corsets probably are related to maternity complications. Flatulence and maternity are often uncomfortably linked. Certainly, food like radishes that are notorious for exacerbating this problem should be avoided, as should tight corsets (but not properly supporting corsets of course). I suspect that this is where the radish and corset association is derived. Another radish story goes back to Vivian Leigh in the film Gone with the Wind. She was required to retch when asked to eat a radish and it exceeded her acting limitations (or inclinations). Olivia de Havilland eventually
provided the necessary sound-track. Miss Leigh was reputedly tightly-laced for the film, but in fact, by the standards of the period, her dressed waist is barely less than her natural waist. Carol kindly provided a charming story about her early experiences with the formidable M&S 'firm control' girdle.
Ghost of Spirella
by Sarah
Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sarah, and I'm a 17-year-old college student from California. I've been making corsets (usually Victorian types, very sturdy, with flat steel boning) for two years. I've been reading your site for several months, and a couple weeks ago I was inspired to construct a corset after the spirit of the old Spirellas and Spencers your site describes. The Victorian corset, whilst an admirable garment, really looks a bit strange under a modern skirt and cardigan. Since I'm a bit on the heavy side (Spirella might have described me as a "60 figure with sway-back poise and excessive thigh flesh"), I need some kind of support. I tried a high street panty-girdle for a while (it had no legs), but, while it flattened my belly some, that stretchy piece of dubious engineering also flattened my waist. I went back to my corset-making skills and drafted a pattern that would give a shape similar to a 1950s model 305. While my new corset is no shine on a real Spirella (it is actually a very good copy Ivy), it does its work rather well. The photographs of the corset (below), were taken just before I'd finished the top and bottom edges.
The bulge over the top edge Details of the corset show the strengthening tape sewn does not exist when I wear the corset over a thin under-vest; inside the garment around the waist. it's a consequence of the thickish jumper I had on in the photos.
I copied the silhouette from a few photographs on your site, but the seams are placed the best I knew how. I used a
very heavy cotton duck material that wouldn't stretch if used for a game of tug-of-war. I use a similar weight for at least the strength layers of every corset I make. It works almost as well as proper corset coutil fabric and costs about half as much. I've never had any problems with splitting or warping while using cotton duck. The bones are non-spiral; I'm just too substantially built to trust modern spiral boning. I have a few pieces of antique spiral that are nearly as stiff as modern flat boning. If I have to shorten flat bones, not owning a pair of tin snips, I bend the bone over as far as I can and then give it a good whack with a hammer. Unfortunately this generates sharp edges, so I wrap the cut end of the bone with medical tape. Strangely enough, my expertise doesn't extend very far beyond corsetry. I think this may be due to never really sewing anything else whilst in my developing years of sewing, say 12 14 years-old at the time I had a strange fixation on Elizabethan peasant bodices. The first pattern I ever drafted was a peasant bodice when I was 12; the front was boned with sticks from my backyard! The corset is definitely going to be a regular item of wear. It's quite comfortable and I need something to keep a nice line under my skirts (trousers never fit correctly so I don't wear them!) My panty-girdle never quite cut the mustard because of the bulges it would create by pushing out bits of flesh above the waist and around the legholes. The latter was especially uncomfortable. I've had a strange thing about my figure for most of my life. When I was seven years old, I caught sight of my awful posture (shoulders hunched, bum out) in a shop window reflection. I straightened up in shock and kept straight. I took some ballet classes when I was ten (and am taking another at present), and ballet trains one to keep a straight back, shoulders down, belly in. I'm what an earlier age called "pleasingly plump" (though thinner than the camera would let on, so a good foundation is still necessary! My friends have commented over the years on my posture, but they take the corsetry as a foible. My female friends are however quite willing to try on my corsets whenever I make a new pair. Unfortunately, there isn't much effect since they tend to be rather slimmer than I. What a charming letter, and what an adventurous young lady! I really do think that she should have no fears about her figure any more - Ivy
Sarah asks some older acquaintances about corsetry

I recently had the opportunity to ask several older women (aged about 60 to 70) about their foundations. I promise that I did not just outright ask them if they wore girdles! I conversed briefly with the first two ladies in the dressing room at a swimming pool. In response to my question "I study fashion design as a hobby, and I'm interested in corsetry. If you don't mind, could you elaborate on what kind of foundations mature ladies are wearing these days?" Mrs A remarked that she "never wore a corset, girdle, tights, nylons" and jokingly said that she's sometimes lucky to wear knickers. On the whole, she was most candid, telling me that she had not worn a lower foundation of any sort since the 1960's. She does, however, have a friend, an elderly Asian lady, who wears a corset every day. Her friend, Mrs B, was very similar, although her daughter apparently wears a shaper now and then (shapers being elastic garments with a bra top, reaching anywhere from the hips to mid-thigh. They're so stretchy one could shoot them across the room like rubber bands - I've tried!) Several other ladies chimed in with stories of their old foundations, sister-in-laws who still wore girdles and so on.
I met Mrs C and Mrs D in the dressing room at my college, at which time I was getting dressed again after ballet class. Both ladies concurred that my corset was "cute" and "very flattering," and certainly did a very good job of pulling my belly in! I assured them of its comfort, and Mrs C reminisced about her graduation from high school. She remarked that she had on her tightest girdle, and was so nervous she forgot to eat, and so nearly fainted. Both ladies expressed relief at not wearing girdles anymore, but admired my figure. I found a book entitled 'Everyday Fashions of the 1940s from the Sears Catalog' in the town library. I was mildly surprised to discover that Sears apparently sold panty-girdles, looking quite like their 1960s 70s counterparts, all the way back in 1946. (Indeed, the panty-girdle became regularly available in the US just after the war, however, its position as the iconic American female's garment of the 1960's was over a decade away - Ivy.) I asked Sarah if her own mother had had any influence on her choice of a corset, however, apparently not! Mother, aged 40, has never worn a girdle. When in need of figure control, she turned to control-top tights, and still does. Grandmothers, aged 60 and 64, wore open-bottom girdles all through high school (graduating 1963 / 1960), switching to panty-girdles in the 1970s. Both ladies gave up lower foundations in the early 1980s. Great-grandmother, aged 93, was a world-class athlete (she made the US Olympic team for Berlin in1936, but her family could not pay for her tickets). She later became a nurse. She has always been small and slender, and never wore more than a mediumcontrol girdle. She still wears a panty-girdle from time to time.
Sarah's New Corset - October 2006

I finally finished another corset! It's in the same style as the first (the "Ghost"), but with a few key changes: 1. The cotton canvas foundation fabric is covered in pink broadcloth. 2. The front panels are faced in pink satin. 3. The bones are now of a length amenable to sitting down. 4. It has stocking suspenders. Notice the expression on the baby's face. It must be a novel experience to feel the corset's boning rather than her mother's normal unfettered form. So many recollections from 50 years ago note the hardness of an aunt's torso when she doled out her Christmas hug. Another interesting point is the sewing machine in the background. Like Iris Norris, I imagine Sarah's machine is an integral part of her life. - Ivy My sister, Megan (20 yrs old), who is taller than I am but of roughly the same build, modelled it in the photographs (the baby is my six-month-old niece).
I modified the earlier pattern, lengthening it over the rear and shortening it slightly in front. The boning ends about 2" from the bottom all around for ease of sitting. Originally, I intended for the bottom to be level, with the front arch filled in with elastic, but I couldn't quite make the elastic behave properly, so that idea was abandoned. The corset functions very well without it, anyway. As before, the bones are held in separate casings, stitched to the inside of the corset. There is no waist tape this time; the corset really isn't laced tight enough to make it necessary. I don't think poor Megan strictly enjoyed the experience. When I finished lacing her in, she said "I feel like I am going to DIE!" She's used to just hanging free. Nevertheless, she survived, but no new converts were won to the cause of traditional corsetry. As far as plans for other corsets go, I'm working on a more conventional Victorian-styled one for an acquaintance in New York State, and have also planned a reproduction of a 1911 corset in french blue satin (it's between blue and lavender in colour) and black lace. I was at the fabric shop today and found a rather nice tea rose brocade that should make up nicely into a corset. If the 1911 model works out (original pattern was a 19" waist and 32" hip; I had to enlarge to 26" waist and 38" hip), I may use the brocade for another, but I am anxious to try other styles as well.
Happy Ending. Sarah gets married and wears a corset for the occasion. Doesn't she look lovely!
The Bra Buyer

In the mid-80's, I was a copywriter for the bra section of Sears Catalog. This was unfortunate because I hated bras. They never fit me. Inevitably, the trainee writers were assigned to the 'toughest' departments, automotive and ladies undergarments. It was no coincidence. Both sections were full of spec. copy and lots of charts with 6 pt. typeface. I remember my first encounter with the bra buyer, who happened to look like Captain Kangeroo. Bras were draped over every available surface in his office including the desk lamp. After his first words of introduction, "Thirtyfour B!" he said, "More engineering goes into bras than into the design of suspension bridges!" His enthusiasm was commendable. He led me to a room next to his office where a seamstress and a couple of 'fit' models (perfect size 6's, 8's, 10's, etc.) were trying on prototypes for the next season's designs. It was a surreal moment. One minute I was in an office decorated with ladies underwear. The next, I was surrounded by half-naked women trying on bras. It turns out, the only way to make a decent bra, is by designing the prototypes on women, not mannequins. To that end, the models reported what pinched, or was too loose, and the seamstress made the appropriate alterations. At the end of the afternoon, the bra buyer sent me on my way with a pile of 34 B's, and the admonishment to 'live in' the product. Actually, those were the best fitting bras I ever owned. It turns out, I had been buying the wrong size!
Memories from Mrs. C
I've enclosed below a letter that we received recently. It is a simple thing to write, yet it expresses the interest of one of our readers in passing on the memories of themselves, their mothers, and sometimes their grannies. Without these letter, such memories would remain unrecorded. - Ivy. Your excellent history of the surgical corset got me thinking about my grandmother (born 1899). I've checked as much of the detail through my own mum (now 80) to ensure its accuracy. My grandmother was prescribed a surgical corset in 1936, when she was only 37. I understand it was a Spirella and they remained a company she favoured all her life. My mum says she also tried two Spencer's but found them rather heavy to wear and adjust. I'm told that her initial Spirella's had to be worn both day and night and were really corsets within corsets as they all had a small inner front which had to be fastened and tightened before the rest of the garment. In the back there were 4 long 'steels' (2 on either side of her spine) and arched up between her shoulder blades. The front was long stretching from her groin to within 1/2 inch of her brassiere line and was tightened by a long column of slide hooks. (Both Spirella and Spencer used this method as an alternative to lacing - Ivy.) She wore similar corsets until her early 60's when she had to be fitted with a more rigid brace. An interesting aside, is that family photographs always seemed to be taken just after granny's new corsets were fitted! Despite her unyielding undergarments, I remember a woman who managed most things; just slowing down a little with age. I suppose the pace of life generally was slower then. My aunt Rose complained of 'back pain' continuously from about age 16. When she was 28, in the mid-50's, she was fitted with a surgical Spencer but she took it off as soon as she got home and never wore it again. My own mum wore corsets when younger even when pregnant after the war, but I was never so enthusiastic. My corseting has been for fashion and special events rather than on a daily basis.
My Mother-in-Law's Girdle
Regarding the Barcley girdle, these were made in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, and as far as I can be sure from the events which led to me keep it, would have been made for mother-in-law around 1958-59. I have included a picture of her taken in 1960-61 when she was 52 years old, and you can see she had a great figure securely supported by a strong girdle. At that time she was my fiance's mother and became mother-in-law a few years later. When we went out together she always asked me to drive, and a regular trip was to Welwyn to visit the corsetiere, who from memory was a Miss. Wells. She always dressed in a black skirt and white blouse. Mum had been a widow for several years and in the 1950's was quite well built, hence the larger size Barcley. However, she went on a strict diet and trimmed down, the result of which was a drawer full of girdles and bras that were too big. When she had a clear out I saved several out of interest since they seemed far too expensive to discard. My mother-in-law never ever wore panty-girdles and remained a girdle devotee until the day she died. She passed this fashion on to my wife who was brought up to wear a girdle from the age of 15. When we married she always wore rubber Playtex girdles until they discontinued them and manufactured a new girdle called the 'five pounds thinner girdle with the velvet touch'. This was the rubber girdle with a velvety kind of coating inside. It was sold in a long square cardboard tube, different to the round tube of the rubber garment. My wife wore these until the advent of the original mini-skirt fashion of the 1960's, when a girdle with suspenders became impossible to wear. She
then converted to a Playtex panty-girdle with tights.
My meeting with Ethel Granger; 19th November 1972

I remember this date because it is my mothers birthday. I can remember everything about the visit to Peterborough with my parents, when I met Ethel Granger and her husband. My dad was an engineering teacher in the technical college in Kings Lynn, Norfolk from the year I was born (1960) until his retirement in 1992. My mother was a typical British housewife of the 1950s and 60s except for her hobby of photography. In particular, she took pictures of famous people whenever she could get close enough. She now has thousands of pictures of famous (and some notorious) people who you would see on TV or in the newspapers. She took her camera everywhere she went. On a Saturday in the Autumn of 1972, my dad was invited to visit the college at Peterborough because his college teacher from the 1950s was being honoured. That was William Granger, who my dad called Bill. We drove to Peterborough for the presentation at 1.30 pm but arrived early. As we walked in the main entrance of the college, Mr Granger and his wife met us, and recognised my dad. They both came across to us and all I could see were two elderly people in winter clothes, because it was a cold day. Mr Granger was tall and fat, and did not walk very well, but Mrs Granger was about my height (at age 12), and seemed very petite in every way. She wore a fur coat and I saw that she had had very large ear-rings pierced into her lobes about the size of a sixpence, about inch across, or the new metric half-penny that was introduced a year before. Also, she wore very high heels. Much higher than my mothers or any others I had seen. Nothing special happened until after the ceremony. Mr Granger as presented with a plaque and Mrs Granger got some flowers. There were speeches that I do not remember and there was food afterwards. As the crowd began to break up and leave, r Granger asked my mum and dad to join them for tea at their house. We followed them in our car. I remember that the Grangers had an old Rover and ours was a Ford. When we got to their house, the Grangers disappeared to the back part, where I think there must have been bedrooms. We sat down and a girl came in a few minutes, and brought a tray with tea things. I do not know who she was and assumed at the time that she was their daughter. But, looking back, she was too young so maybe she was a maid, or their granddaughter. We started to drink our teas before the Grangers came back and wondered what to do. I noticed that there was no cake or biscuits, and that was unusual then, but we had just eaten sandwiches at the college, so maybe they thought we would not eat any more. After about 15 minutes, the Grangers came in together, with him leading the way. My dad stood up but Mr Granger motioned him to sit down again. Then he led Mrs Granger in front of us. She was still fully dressed in her outside clothes. Mr Granger untied the fur coat and lifted it off her shoulders. She had on a white dress with dark blue flowers all over it a flower every three inches and as big as your palm. She wore a belt at her waist and it showed a very small figure. With nothing being said by anyone, Mr Granger went behind her and put his hands on her waist. We could see that his fingers overlapped at the front so he was holding her completely in his hands. He lifted her slightly, not off the floor but high onto her toes and I could see her high heels again. Then he let her down and brought a high-back chair for her to sit down. For the rest of the afternoon, they talked to my mum and dad, and I just listened. Mr Granger talked about his work and my dads career. Mrs Granger talked about her family and Mr Grangers health, which seemed to worry her. Then for about 10 minutes before we left, both the Grangers talked about her waist. She had trained her figure since 1935, which was the year my dad was born, and still wore tight laced corsets to keep her waist tiny. Mrs Granger said that it was not always comfortable but she was used to it and Mr Granger liked her figure, so she kept to the corsets. She told us that Mr Granger laced her into her day corsets after breakfast each day, and gradually tightened them until late morning. In the evening, he changed her corsets for sleeping and she got accustomed to those for some hours before going to bed. She said they were tighter in her waist but not so long. She said that had been their routine for over thirty years. Mr Granger then sent out and brought in one of her corsets, for us to see. It was pink in colour and was quite rigid even as a bundle in his hands. He laid it out on the sofa and my mum ran her hands over it. I did not touch it but I could see that it was boned and had a metal fastener at the front. My mum had her camera and took some photographs of the Grangers and one of Mrs Granger holding up the white corset. She still has them. Shortly after that, we left.
On the drive home, in the dark, my mum kept saying that she thought Mrs Granger was weak to allow her husband to do that to her. My dad did not want to criticise Mr Granger, his teacher, but I could tell that he did not like the domineering way that Mr Granger treated his wife. Now for the curious part of my story. At the age of 20, I met an older man and he asked me to wear girdles and later corsets, so I did. Other girls were giving up on those sorts of clothes about then but I loved him very much. For the next few years, I wore a corset every night for him and all the time at weekends. I got to like them but really they were his idea and his liking. So you see, I got to know how Mrs Granger felt. My relationship broke up and I stopped wearing corsets for some years. It is a long story, but I am now 45 years old and I still wear a corset or a firm girdle every day. My husband is very happy and so am I. The Grangers experience is almost the same as mine and I understand them now very well indeed. Except that my husband is not fat and treats me very well, and we never show off my corseted figure not like Mr Granger did with his wife. In 1993, I gave an interview to a university person, about my figure training. I was worried that my story would get into the papers but nothing happened and I have wondered ever since if the interview was real. The Grangers seemed to go out of their way to get publicity but I want my corseting to be private for my husband and me.
Joanne's Camp Corsets

I just thought that I'd share two interesting things about the CAMP corsets that I recently acquired. Almost all of the older ones have an area with an independent set of laces, either above or below the fan-lacing that gets tightened the old-fashioned way without pulley straps. An extra feature (albeit inconvenient) that targets either the buttocks or the waist depending on the corset. I've included two photos of the 113 and the 577 to illustrate.
Model 113 with curve refining laces (left) Model 577 with five hole pulleys and waist cinching laces (right)
The other thing that's interesting (and perhaps unusual) in the lot that I acquired is that there were 10 extra corsets (that I had picked up for their parts if
needed) in various stages of being adjusted by the corsetiere. They're all unworn with tags and have the client's names on them with measurements, pins, notes etc. Garters were being moved, extra boning was being added, hips were being made smaller and elastic wedges were being added. It makes one wonder why they were never picked-up by the clients. Ivy's response: Very interesting observations. I've often wondered why the beautifully simple fan-lacing was complicated by the conventional back-lacing. Jenyns did exactly the same! After some thought, I believe that we are still imagining the corset as a tightlacing rather than a supporting device. The conventional lacing was probably tightened once and then left at that. The corset could be released and put on simply by adjusting the fan-lacing. The mystery of the 10 corsets tells the tale of a corsetiere past her prime and perhaps slow to complete orders. Imagine a shop contracting out a number of alterations and going out of business whilst awaiting the returned products. Pure supposition!
The Dawn of the Panty-Girdle

My sister spent a year in America as a student in the mid 1950's and returned there, married and settled down in 1959. I didn't see her again, although we corresponded until 1964, when she sailed back on the Queen Elizabeth to attend our brother's wedding. In the hectic days of reunion, fittings, stress and hairdo's before the big day, my sister
expressed amazement that I still wore a girdle. What else would I wear I thought, I'd worn a girdle since I was 15. She showed me her panty-girdle and at first I was not impressed. "Aren't they hot?" I asked. Mother added that they might be rather unhygienic. Like me, or rather me being like her, she had worn a girdle since the Flapper era. Gran of course wore a corset like all Grans! We examined sister's smalls with disapproval although I though they might go well with slacks. Two years later I bought my first panty-girdle, loved it and have never worn anything else since. Mother converted the next year to a sturdier version of my own "I need decent support, you know", but within a few years was a fan of Markie's latest models. We were both upset when, for some years, Markie's stopped selling them. Gran retained her corsets until she died 1972. I doubt that she would ever have changed. She wore her first corset in the last century (sorry - two centuries ago) and couldn't really live without them.
Memories from Holland

When I stayed with my grandmother in Hilversum, I was sometimes asked to help lace her into her corsets. Putting on the garment was quite an undertaking and I could not help but gaze in amazement and not a little embarrassment. The corset was a strong flesh-colour (Tea Rose ? Ivy) and fastened in front by means of hooksand-eyes with laces up the back. After the corset was hooked around her torso, the laces were tightened to the required degree to mould her form. Finally, nylon stockings were attached to the suspenders that hung from the corset. Above the corset a camisole confined the bust and protected her body from the bones and laces. Knickers were not worn. My Grandmother weighed around 100 kg (220 pounds I think) and when she moved she always creaked a bit due to the tightness of her corsets. In the Ferdinand Bolstraat in Amsterdam I saw above a shop a sign that proclaimed CAMP corsets-gaines. The proprietress of the shop told me that still, from time to time, such oldfashioned corsets were ordered. She placed these orders at the Basko factory in Slotermeer, Amsterdam. These days, they make mainly orthopaedic appliances, but she could show me some corsets and one that could be provided from stock. It seems that the Camp corsets were also imported from the United States where they had been fabricated since World War II under licence. Other makes at that time were Wala, Pastunette and Maxi. In the previous century, the corset was mainly worn by the higher echelons of society but in this century (1900s Ivy) they were worn by all classes with the peak years from 1955 up to 1965. In those days, a factory such as Basko produced over 50,000 corsets per year. Since then, ladies have moved towards the corselet and step-in. An important sales argument in this period was the health aspect. The corset would help retain a natural attitude, as a result of which the organs would function more healthily and the woman become fitter and would feel more at one with their body. The corsets were fitted by graduate corsetires. The examinations yielded a diploma and gave Camp corsetires the right to carrying a badge with a yellow cross and the text Camp registered fitter. All over the country, informative meetings were organised by the Camp fitters in their white uniforms. Of course, correcting poor posture and flattening unwanted bulges was also a strong argument. Thus I saw an advertisement from that time with a drawing of a man who looks at a woman with an improbably slim waist and exclaims, I bet, she wears a CAMP corset.
The GM's Wife

Its years ago now, but in the early 1970s, I worked as a secretary to the GM of a shipping company in London. One September I was asked to travel to Newcastle to attend the GM at a ship launching. We travelled by train in those days and only being allowed 2nd class, I had to share a sleeping compartment (only 1st class slept alone on British Rail). I never liked sharing rooms, however, such a rare trip was not to be sneezed at. Imagine my amazement when I found that my cabin mate was the MDs wife. Was she ever put out.
1st class was full there was a DREADFUL mistake some idiot had made the wrong booking. I took this rather badly since she inferred that the MDs secretary (me) was at fault, and she knew exactly who I was. She bitterly resented sharing with the hired help. She ranted at the conductor, but to no avail, the train was full. She had to share with me; and me with her which I didnt look forward to at all. Inevitably I got the upper bunk and the gymnastics that went with it. The night was disagreeable, she snored and the noises of the train kept me awake. At about 2.30 in the morning the train ground to a halt at some station or other. There was quite a bang as some other carriages were coupled on accompanied by a violent shuddering. Something fell over in the cabin but it was too dark to see. After a while we moved off jerkily and at last I fell into a disturbed sleep. In the morning, I awoke to a spectacle Ill never forget. The MDs wife was crawling on the floor looking for her dentures that had fallen out of their glass in the night. What was hilarious was that I had this overhead view of her ample bottom straining against a pair of pink corsets, the lacing visible through her taut knickers. I thought it was only my granny that wore such things. The Spirella magazine ran some amazingly candid articles on what various women would wear! If she was angry before, she was furious when I offered to help. Our November 1963 relationship, which had been cool previously, became utterly frigid. Its funny about people; if shed have laughed and passed it off as a joke we might have become, not friends, but at least not mortal enemies. From then on I called her the Cow in corsets! This expression has appeared more than once in our correspondences. The GMs wife certainly qualifies. Even Spirella advertised the sort of women (above) that would be wearing corsets and extolled their virtues. A Hampshire paper reported in 1967, the case where a convicted shop-lifter called the magistrate A corseted old cow! She earned an extra three months for contempt of court! Cow in curtains has also been used on some rather famous women over the last decade, and could well apply to the executive lady who infrequently visits the old corset shop on the Frederik-Hendriklaan in the Hague.
The Trouble with Zippers

I wrote the following account in my diary:- "One little bonus of the collection was the re-discovery of a rather severe Jenyns panty-girdle. Slightly yellowed with age (it would date from the late 1960's), the interesting point about this garment is the broken top of the zipper pull tag, where the original satin flash has broken off the end of the tag. This could have been a manufacturing defect. The old corsetiere in Upper Street, Croydon refused to sell any zippered foundation in the 1970's due to the unreliability of the zippers. There is however, other evidence in the distorted lower hooks and eyes that reside beneath the zip. Indeed, this garment was far too tight for its wearer. Whether this was simply sheer vanity or 'figure tragedy' (described above), we cannot say. What is evident is that closing the hooks and eyes must have required heroic effort. Pulling the zipper taut against the elastic forces of the over-stretched garment must, at some point have overcome the zipper tag. Was the wretched women trapped in her underwear, the zipper at half-mast I wonder? Oh, the perils of vanity. A word of warning to any lady that tries to wear too tight a lower garment. You may think it's tight when you don the article standing,
but when you sit down, the nether regions will expand and place a huge force on any fastenings around the hip area. The forces involved can become intolerable to wearer and can, in short order, part the zipper and pull the hooks and eyes from their industrially anchored mounts. It is a miss-conception that tight lacing (or tight underwear) puts a strain on the waist. It may do, but the strain is constant. It is the strain over the hips that can increase dramatically as one attempts to sit. On the same theme, I remember a lady recounting how, in exactly the manner described above, she pulled the end of the tag off her zipper. The zipper was finally hoisted by the use of a pair of pliers (not the first time these articles have been usefully employed in dressing or undressing)." The young woman pictured on the right in 2009, had no prior experience of girdles, let alone the heavy duty metal zipper of the classic 1970's Marks and Spencer model 911B/1909. Not that the girdle was often referred to by its formal title. One lady recounted that as a teenager, she wore such a girdle and simply called it "The Beast!" She admitted, however, that she would not have gone out without it. It certainly did its job. This account elicited the following response:- "I was reading your latest Diary entry about the perils of zips, especially on too-tight girdles, and about the effect on tightness of sitting down in a girdle. My fiance, later wife, never wore a zipped girdle: with a slim (under 24" waist) she had no need of a high-waisted girdle (the ones that most often came with a zip) and although she wore firm control open girdles to deal with what she regarded as a disproportionately large rear, none of those had a zip. Because she bought the small size (23/24" waist) her girdles were quite tight as she pulled them up over her hips. When I questioned whether perhaps her girdle was too tight and therefore uncomfortable, she said it needed to be tight to do its job and, in any case, she was quite used to it. Then she added that it was even tighter when she sat down but it "stops my bottom from spreading out". I can confirm that those M&S girdles with their downstretch back panels certainly did that! Earlier, while I was still at school, I overheard a conversation in which the mother of a slightly plump girl about my own age (15 or 16) commented that her daughter had "spread out". She put this down to sitting for long periods on hard, wooden school seats. "She ought to have worn a girdle sooner", she said. One of my sisters wore a firm girdle, with a zip, in her mid-teens. When she sat down on a firm chair, the point where the bottom of her girdle ended was quite apparent because her thighs bulged out a little. She had been recommended to wear a longer-skirted girdle to help deal with that problem and, when standing and walking, she had a very neat smooth line, even in her straight school skirts. It was only sitting down when the thigh bulge reappeared and I suppose that too demonstrates the point you made about how much a girdle tightens around the hips when the wearer sits down."
Turn to the Left

As a child, I used to listen in to my mother's conversations with her local friends, and eventually I became old enough to play a minor role in these gossipy mornings and coffee sessions. One expression that my mother used (although nobody else did) was "Oh, she turns to the left you know!" Judging by the tone of the remark and my mothers' friends re-actions, I took this to indicate an undesirable political leaning since we lived in staunchly
middle-class Tunbridge Wells. I think blue was mummy's favourite colour (blue is the Conservative party's colour). She possessed blue hats, cardies, blouses, suits and even some light blue underwear. At first I thought this was from incautious combinations of colours in the weekly wash but apparently not. Even her hair took on a blue tint from time to time but this met with strong disapproval from myself (who's opinion mattered not) and daddy (who's opinion did). As an early teenager, my mother decided that it was time for me to visit the remoter ladies section of the local department store. I had visited this Victorian relic many times with mummy and both of us had been fitted for dresses and and skirts also by Victorian relics, fearsome old ladies who could fit you by eye from a dozen paces and even before you spoke, would tell (not recommend, but tell) you what you wanted and what styles were suitable. I discovered that any questions and answers were irrelevant to the final product but were simply an interview to determine your position on the social ladder. Up to that time mother would then vanish upwards in the lift to the coh-setry section and I would be asked to remain quietly seated between twin set and pearls. The day that my development had decided mummy to take me to this hallowed region was one of some anticipation for me. The lift was thankfully empty as we ascended to this hitherto un-penetrated bastion of the ladies department. I exited with mummy and headed towards a sign that proclaimed Corsetry in frightening gothic script. There might have been a skull & crossbones as well; I can't remember. Mummy stopped me and cautioned "You are far too young to turn to the left my girl, this is the way" and she dragged me off to the right of the lift exit where a more welcoming sign proclaimed Foundation Garments. In fact, there were plenty of corsets in the right-hand section as mummy knew well but not "sur-gical corsets!" Mummy explained that the corsetry section was for those poor souls whose wanton life-styles had left them in such a saggy and shapeless mess that only complex engineering could return some semblance of the female form to their ravaged torsos. I shuddered at the thought but brightened up on spying some gorgeous creations in satins and patterned lace. Slightly to my disappointment we left with two rather functional white girdles and four deeper bras than I would have preferred, but what did I know about such things. At least I now knew what "turning to the left" meant. Far from a political indicator it simply meant that the lady in question required somewhat stronger corsetry than did my mother who naturally would therefore assume the moral high-ground. I always wondered why.
The Stout Woman's

point-of-view With additional photos from Helen a Panic in Fat Lane Bryant's Engineering Solutions
The 'stout woman' was one of the corsetiere's favorite clients! After all, a thin women can be sold a corset, however, the change to her figure will not be very apparent (outside the world of tight-lacing). With the avoirdupois of the stout woman, anything is possible! The background photograph comes from the Spirella house magazine of 1950, and shows a well-endowed, and very shapely model (one of Spirella's regulars and favourites), by no means in her first flush of youth, parading in front of the gathered corsetieres in her striking satin brassiere and brocade corset. The negligee appears for effect, for style, and to remind the audience that normal women do not parade around in their underwear; it is an act normally reserved for the bedroom. The stout woman appeared in so many of Spirella's house magazines. After all, this was their target audience. The Spirella and Health pages contain reams of testimonials, not just from the over-weight matron as to the effectiveness of her stays, but also her doctor.
With particular care indeed! The money that could be extracted from the corpulent matron by an experienced corsetiere would certainly provide for the family holiday. In the section on corsetieres, the subtle, and lucrative art of persuading the woman desperate for an improved figure to part with her husband's money is described in detail. Times have changed. The comments above about "the husband's money" are neither chauvinistic nor untrue. It was the way of the times. My husband interjects here and asks if the women concerned had been 'working women', would they have been so casual about spending their money? Interesting male question, but more for a sociologist than a corsetiere. The corsetieres used the attitudes and fancies of their era to do what any businessman or women wants to do; and that is to turn a profit. Perhaps the difference between then and today is that without that profit earned by the woman, the family might have gone to the wall.
Berlei (above left), Spencer (1934; centre) and Gossard (1920; above right) realised that corsets styled for the stout figure would fit better than a standard cut.
Yes indeed. Corsetting the stout woman is not a subject for levity as this gimlet eyed matron suggests. Nevertheless, the Teutonic cherub in the middle quite seems to enjoy her substantial corsetry, whilst Spirella's 1930's model "thinks of England" and appears resigned to the photographer's attention. On the right, we have a picture that amply portrays the words of Mary Armstrong, chief corsetiere for Ambrose Wilson in the 1970's, "Let's not romance about corsetry!"
You never know where you'll meet these stout women! Spirella (1930) envisaged a stately home with a dozen society female guests who, unaccountably, have forgotten to put on their clothes.
In America on the right, the portly matron is so pleased with her corsets that she enrols three friends to help model it!
From stoutness we move to obesity. A major problem these days, at least Spirella in the 1930's didn't 'beat about the bush'. "Are any of your friends obese?" Ran one (less than successful) advertising campaign. Rice Corsets (right) are also rather direct, and coin a new description, the "fleshy woman"!
The photograph on the left is obviously a composite. My husband found the head and shoulders of the otherwise 'headless' model wearing the corset in the Spirella archives at Letchworth. The pictures joined identically, apart from the dramatic difference in resolution due to their different scanned sizes.
In the 1930's ( right) Camp employed its (almost) unique cluster lacing to support the large bosom of the matronly figure. Whether such engineering was absolutely necessary is challenged by Spirella, who's Fashion Line brassiere of 1958 does a similar job without the 'rigging', and, I might add puts quite a waist on this 40year-old woman.
It is Spirella who give us the best examples of these charmingly mature women. The examples ( above and right) feature one of their favourite models, and all these pictures come from the halcyon period of the mid-1950's. That the 305 model corset lasted so long, with just minor changes to the quality of materials (and not always for the better), is illustrated below, where the three pictures of the 305-wearing ladies come from 1930, 1975 and 1998. The mature woman was well served by Spirella for over eight decades.
Spirella in the 1930's, 1960's, Mrs R. of the November 1962 Spirella magazine and B. in 2005.
Apart from Spirella, who could use older models, as well as unfeasibly young models, to portray their wares, perhaps the mail order firm 'Ambrose Wilson' appealed more than any to the older generation desperately seeking corsets in the declining market of the 1970's. Ambrose Wilson simply marketed others' garments, although they did use the brand name 'EVE' for some manufacturers' discontinued lines. Below are three of their corsets from an early 1950's catalogue alongside Sears insensitively named "Y.B. Stout." What was the marketing department thinking ?
And why, oh why does the stout matron believe that cladding oneself in rubber will have any effect at all? For decades the marketing departments have forced women into these sweaty contraptions (which I might tell you are fiendishly cold to don on a cold winter's morning). Sears advertised latex reducing under-belts on their Y.B. Stout range of corsets in case the very name of the device left you in any doubt as to your size!
And as for the lady on the right (above); well, I'm sorry my dear, that corset looks fine from the front, but it will never, ever fit. You are pulling the laces from the wrong end, and if you ever get the top of the corset to close within six inches, breathing will, I fear, become impossible. The stout woman should be supported by her corsets; they should give her a feeling of confidence and well-being. Forcing a waist onto a reluctant torso is best left to septuagenarian actresses. An aging and famous actress once appeared at a charity dinner, where she was described by her hostess (out of ear-shot) as a badly-packed satin sausage. I'm sorry, the stout woman can do far better than that!
Obesity
Obesity is a problem in all cultures that have the money to buy more food than the body actually requires, however, this is far from being a modern problem. Camp and Spencer, in fact, all the major corsetry houses, catered for the stout, overweight, and, quite frankly, obese figure.
A figure like this genuinely needs the support of a corset, and Spencer could supply them (and still does).
Cartoons on the subject of corsetry have appeared in many places. We have tried to capture those that share a theme or depict the corset either badly or rather well. Spirella often included cartoons in their house magazine.
Cartoons
Inevitably, the 'stout woman' has been the but of numerous jokes and cartoons. Without this long-suffering creature, how would the sea-side picture postcard industry have survived? Atrocious 'double entendres' abound in this fantastical world and yet, occasionally the art-work can be rather accurate. On the left is a wonderful cartoon from Lilian Rivers' book 'Corsets in Africa.' The bra, the girdle and the bulges are all very real.
Interestingly, this cartoon appears in two different renditions. So many of the cartoons show that long-lasting tradition of lacing one's corsets with a foot in the back. Since so many corset wearers have bad backs, this is hardly recommended! See the section on 'corset lacing'.
Time and time again, we see the same joke attached to a different cartoon.
The archetypal stout woman. Well-to-do; middle-aged with a prodigious bosom balanced by an equally large posterior. The large torso tapers downwards to end in small, delicate feet. In reality this was actually very often the case.
The cartoons above have the virtue of being particularly accurate. The maid hasn't pushed her knee or foot into the back of the corset as have the struggling helpers on the left. The large women leans forward against the pull of her maid, an effective way to tighten the laces, although the laces should never pull the corset completely closed. The corset is not designed to put a waist on the wearer, rather to support the wearer's abdomen and prevent it from bulging; this is exactly the Spirella principle. The corset is very long both above and below the waist. Above the waist, this is designed to prevent any unsightly rolls of spare flesh bulging beneath the armpits. Below the waist, this will control her undoubtedly substantial thighs. I hope, however, the the corset is cut shorter at the front than it appears, otherwise, this lady will never, ever manage to sit down. I feel that the cartoonist's wife was stout; and that he had seen this picture in real life. He didn't have to
imagine it. The poor corsetiere on the right's tape measure is too short. Our Spencer friend from Liverpool has encountered exactly this problem, and keeps a special tape handy. It is embarrassing for the client if the corsetiere has to tie two tape measures together!
Making ends meet occurs in many of the cartoons.
There appears to be no end of the cartoonist's imagination regarding the stout woman and her corsets. Even the word 'corset' elicits almost a schoolboyish smirk and snigger. Failing to extract humour from references or images of corsets and girdles, the cartoonist will poke fun at the poor lady's over-sized bosom!
The cartoons range from subtle, observant to downright rude but ......
I think we should leave this page to the quintessentially English humour of the sea-side postcard!
The Stout Woman's Pointof-View

The stout woman in question is a rather special lady. We have known her for nearly 30 years. She is in her 50's, but very well-proportioned. She is genuinely classy and at 5' 10" tall, with natural vital statistics of 46F-38-46, she is a quite a force to be reckoned with. She is one of the most sincere and honest people that we have ever met. My husband reckons she's a bit "Jolly hockey sticks and all that." Perhaps he's right. She is a throwback to another world, a character from a 'Girl's Own' annual. For the purposes of this serious web site, the stout woman's great attraction is that she will pose, and is genuinely interested in our corsetry collection. Unfortunately, her proportions mean that we only have One of the stout woman's limited garments that will suit her ample frame. acquisitions (from our collection I Nevertheless, she has been a 'good sport', and has tried might add). A Dutch panty-girdle The stout woman in a Spirella 305 and on those articles in the collection that will fit her. circa 1980.
Triumph Doreen brassiere.
Those who bemoan the passing of conventional corsetry, will not be encouraged by the comments that our friend makes whilst attempting the, very un-second millennium task, of attaching one's back suspenders!
Trials and Tribulations

In 2004, we attempted an experiment to see how a woman's flesh is compressed and/or re-distributed by a corset.
With the stout woman's agreement, we performed this simple experiment, suggested by my husband. The human body is virtually all fluid. Fluids are incompressible, therefore a corset, cannot reduce the figure. Wearing a corset does not cause instant weight loss so where does the
body mass go. It cannot go inwards; it cannot be compressed; it must go somewhere. the stout woman as close to naked as the human eye will ever see ( left ). The uplift of the bosom when she wears a Spirella corset and brassiere ( middle right) is dramatic, and classical Spirella of the 1950's. Her bosom rose by 5 inches, however, her vital statistics remain 48-40-48. The Spirella has done what the company promised, it has supported and controlled. The combination of upper and lower foundation garments has smoothed her excess avoirdupois, and her clothes, as a consequence will hang better, the stout woman will feel better because she knows that she looks better. Her mass has been re-distributed, it has not been compressed, for it cannot.
On the right, the stout woman wears a reproduction Victorian corset. It has pulled in the waist, and would have gone at least another two inches, however, the stout woman was becoming restless and we desisted. Her vital statistics had become 49-38-49! The human body is incompressible, however, the flesh can be moulded, re-distributed and supported. the stout woman was happiest in the Spirella. "It made me feel very elegant, but I don't know if I could live with my breasts up around my neck like that!" As for the Victorian corsets (an Axfords classic from 1985); "I couldn't live with the lace frills. They would show through anything. But the basic design is excellent. I would wear it for a formal evening, but the Spirella corset I could live with".
The Question of Knickers and Corsets
This controversy has been described elsewhere, but the stout woman's comments are worth repeating. On the right, clad in Hunkemller brassiere and Spencer corset, only the picture on the left is correct. The knickers are worn over the corset. The brassiere should also be a better fit (F into D doesn't work), but the effect is fair. The dreadful packaging on the right caused the stout woman to cry "I look like an over-stuffed sausage; and HOW am I going to go to the loo?" Once divested of the combination, she hung onto the knickers. "It's my reward for posing for you" she exclaimed. "But they're so dreadfully old-fashioned" I countered (plus we didn't have a replacement). "How sad" said the stout woman with a smile, "but I like them, and it gets awfully cold here in winter." Arguing with the stout woman is an exercise in frustration, and so we got the knickers copied at the local haberdashery.
The Modelling Garment and other Encumbrances
As we have said, the stout woman is a 'good sport', and in the interests of our researches has gamely clambered in and out of various measuring garments, corsets and girdles. Her encounter with the Spencer measuring garment was hysterical. Without the help of a professional corsetiere, it took the stout woman and all my husband's engineering skill to assemble the contraption. Then she thought that it was a proper corset for everyday use, "Oh no. I couldn't adjust all those straps and buckles every morning" she cried, until we explained that it was for taking measurements only. Below we see the stout woman in a classic Australian Jenyns 'long abdominal' corset. This time the stout woman remarked "Ah yes. Another measuring garment", and we had to explain that "No. This one really is a corset!" As you can see, it's actually very effective on the stout woman and she's borrowed it several times for various functions. The corset was one of the early pieces in our collection, and was old when we acquired it in 1974. Let us say, four decades on, it can both flatten and flatter a women like the stout woman.
The incredibly heavy, under-belted Dutch girdle (purchased from Hunkemoller in 2000) doesn't quite meet the challenge of the stout woman's tummy in the way that the Jenyns and Spirellas do. A corsetiere would, of course, say "Madam. That's because your sort of figure requires the support of a corset and not a girdle". the stout woman has only borrowed the Spirella once. "I prefer the Jenyns" she explained, "It's so easy to adjust, and women of my age don't wear clothes thin enough for the lacing to show". As can be seen, the stout woman is not a great fan of the Spirella brassiere, and has reverted to that classic, the Triumph Doreen.
The stout woman's New Corset

I know that the title of this episode sounds like something from a 1950's 'Girls Own' annual, but that is exactly the sort of background from which the stout woman comes. Recently the stout woman enquired "You know, I've tried lots of your old corsets. Do you think your corsetiere could get me my own corset?" I replied that she would be delighted. There's precious little money to be made in the trade these days, and the commission would be greatly appreciated. Rather than make the long journey from the stout woman's village to Sussex, I measured her myself using the Spencer measuring garments. The whole procedure was a bit chaotic, since it has been a while since I used the measuring garment ( the stout woman, Yorkshire - 2002). Eventually we achieved the desired fit, my husband helping us along (or perhaps not) by providing some excellent glasses of an Australian Merlot. Isn't that typically male? Here we are with valuable, white-coloured Spencer relics, and he gives us red wine. Mind you; it was rather nice.
The stout woman in typical bra and a light pantie-girdle ( left ) purchased from the Hema department store in Den Haag, Holland. Once strapped into the measuring garment, the raise of the breasts and the flattening of the abdomen are obvious. the stout woman was no fan of the brassiere measurer, that, quite frankly was the wrong size. From the front ( right), it encompasses her breasts without any overflow, however, viewed from the back ( top right), and out of shot, the garment fails to contain the bulges by her armpits. The corset part of the garment was a great success. Its amazing length of 21 1/2 inches (55 cm), was ideal for the stout woman although she requested longer. "I want those dreadful bulges to be covered by my corset not squeezed out" she cried. At the end of the afternoon, we had the measurements, as well an an acute case of the giggles, as can happen to any two women whatever age. My husband was left to transcribe the details onto an old Spencer chart and post them off to our corsetiere friend It's always a revelation to see how these garments are constructed. By a simple method of folding and
replaceable panels, women from the stout woman's size to that of, say, Twiggy, can be accommodated, although to be fair, each corsetiere would be supplied with several corset lengths and brassiere fronts to accommodate such diverse figure extremes. The tapes are extremely easy to use. Once tightened to the required degree, the measurements can be read straight from the straps. We photographed the corset garment after removal from the stout woman, and placed one of our smallest girdles on top. The waist we recorded off the stout woman was 38 inches. The un-stretched waist of the small French girdle, a scant 19 inches! "You wouldn't think they belonged to the same species," said my husband, and the giggles started once more!
Once the measuring process was finished, I re-checked my measurements using a simple tape in case I had made a mistake. Ive shown all the measurements required on the little diagram (inevitably prepared by my husband). An experienced fitter in the 1960s could have doubled that number of measurements, however, the cutters and seamstresses today do not possess the finesse that these extras figures would require. Then I showed the stout woman some of my own corsets and various other Spirellas so that she could see the options available. I also gave her the one page of literature that Spencer provides to its corsetieres. The choices appear very limited in terms of extras, however, the company is normally quite good at attempting to recreate some original patterns. (As an aside here, the stout woman had chosen the corset to be as long as she could wear so as to conceal the bulges of flesh in the region of her armpits. At the other extreme, I used to visit a corsetiere in Stafford who regularly wore a Spirella 305. In this case the corset was far shallower than its circumference, appearing almost like a broad belt. It was worn simply to prevent her abdomen from resting on her upper thighs). the stout woman was disappointed, although I had briefed her, on the limited selection of materials. She settled on the artificial satin Orchid material in white. Not the cheapest, it is very robust, washable and quite feminine. The fabric allows the passage of light clothes without snagging or the use of an intermediate layer such as a petticoat. She requested six suspenders and was surprised that the normal number was only four. (the stout womans size usually means that any stocking will be under quite some tension and six suspenders is mandatory for adequate security). Front-lacing and hook-and-eye reinforced zip is standard and would have satisfied her, however, I asked whether she would mind adding back-lacing as well. the stout woman doesnt need it, however, for our own photographic purposes, one corset will now serve the purpose of a front- and a back-laced version. She agreed to this request provided that the back-lacing would not show through her clothes. All the details were emailed to the corsetiere and we awaited her reaction as regards suggestions, but most particularly cost! The corsetiere responded quickly, for that is her way. In her 83rd year, she is still precise, robust and possessed of a good sense of humour. She phoned us and got straight to the point. Its very long, have you got the measurements correct? I had checked this very carefully. the stout woman is not just tall, but she carries a lot of her height in her torso which
inevitably makes her rather heavy. The corsetiere agreed. If you are really sure. But if she is very heavy, wed better double up on the bones. It will cost extra you know, as will the extra length. I knew! She then quoted a price for the corset that left the stout woman quite stunned. Although independently wealthy, she has a keen eye for what is, and what is not a bargain. The corset fell into the latter category! My Granny never paid a penny for her corsets she cried. I knew that to be true. Half the trades folk in the stout womans village nearly went bankrupt waiting for the old girl to pass away before claiming from the estate. In fact, I was quite relieved when the stout woman withdrew her cheque book and scrawled out a cheque for 163 Pounds (that's about 300 Dollars) in her large wobbly hand-writing. Normally if the corsetiere measures you herself, then a deposit is paid, and then the full amount only when the corset fits correctly. The onus is on the fitter. However, and quite rightly, when remote measurements are phoned in or posted, the full amount must be paid in advance. The deal was done and the corsetiere estimated a delivery time of about four weeks. This means that we shall have to wait over two months to see the stout woman in her new stays, since she will be on holiday when the corsets arrive. We chatted over the phone to the corsetiere and asked after her business. "Oh dear. Nothing like it used to be. I've got perhaps a dozen ladies, but they keep passing away." "Mind you, I've got two clients in their 50's, but most are much older. My oldest is 96." At last, we have some pictures of the stout woman in her new corset Well, these are the results. The back view shows how the corset has put quite a waist on her. The front and side views show how well the corset controls the stout woman's not insubstantial tummy. Apparently, she is delighted, although still doesn't wear it every day. Our corsetiere remarked that she would like to visit the stout woman to ensure that the corset is properly positioned, however, the 300 mile journey for an elderly lady to the stout woman's rural village would be out of the question. Note that the back views are taken with the stout woman wearing a Dutch Hunkemoller brassiere. It means that a whopping 30 inches of back-lacing (23 for the corset and seven for the brassiere) is required, however, for the first time, the stout woman's underarm fleshiness is completely controlled. On the right we can see the stout woman's problem. With a poorly fitting brassiere of inadequate length and strength, all the corset does, is to move some flesh away from her (well-defined) waist and cause it to 'splurge' (the stout woman's word) out over the top. She was quite alarmed by the picture to such an extent that she requested us to doctor it ever so slightly. Something we rarely do!
The stout woman in her element, helping us assess the choicest pieces in our collection. The adorable satin Jenyns (a late piece from the 1980's), an amazing busk-fronted, hooked and quadruple-laced Barcley (pre-War), and a modern CAMP purchased in 1998 from Coja of Rijswijk (left). You don't have to be a corsetiere to see that the beautiful vintage brassiere from Spirella (Niagara Falls N.Y. vintage mid-1950's) is woefully inedequate to cope with the stout woman's large breasts. "I'll chop them off one day" she cried. She never will, of course, for like many women she's terrified of the surgeon's knife. It's a real shame since the corset and brassiere are made from a lovely leaf patterned brocade.
The stout woman models the mid-40's Spirella 325 ( far left ). Made in another beautiful brocade, it clashes however, with the brassiere that was made a decade later to match the front-laced, busk-fastened 305 corset. The corsets fits the stout woman very well, in contrast to the brassiere. It has the circumference for her
torso, but not the cups. The 305 carries that oddity of corsets from the 1930's - 50's, and that is is the two closely spaced front suspenders. These corsets must have been owned by a stout, yet very tall woman for 50 years ago. At 5' 10" (in her youth, nearer 5' 9" today), the stout woman carries much of her length in her body. If the previous owner of these garments was traditionally proportioned she might have been close to 6 feet tall!
A Panic in Fat !
Please understand that this page pokes fun at the language and marketing techniques of the 1930's. The companies involved made thousands of corsets for thousands of women who benefited from their support. I have total admiration for the dedication of these companies to their clients.
A rather dramatic title one might think, but in the 1930's, the manufacturers of bespoke corsetry, and there were many, pulled no punches. Spirella published this very advisory notice:-
Note the following graphic lines:- " ..stout woman have been reduced to a state of quaking terror as their bulging waists, hips and unsightly fat ..." "...carries with it an early death penalty, high blood pressure ..." "...physical shipwreck..". Goodness, it is hard not to panic.. But read on. If one embraces the fashionable "..toothpick type.." one becomes prey to another litany of ailments such as "Tuberculosis, nerves, weakness ... indigestion and organic disease." Even the thinnest are by now panicking! The solution, as I'm sure you have guessed is to phone your Spirella consultant immediately and get fitted for a Spirella corset. To be fair, the article does promote the concept of healthy living, however, it suggests subtly that such a feat is beyond most women. Possibly it is. How times have NOT changed. this was written 75 years ago and is in many respects relevant today. Let us consider the less well known manufacturer of somewhat more formidable corsets, William
S.Rice. They were largely forgotten decades ago and no wonder if you read the following article from their brochure of 1936:It gets off to positive start, if you weight 250 pounds (112 kg) that is! But read on "..those great layers of fat that bulge over the abdomen and roll down in waves .." "..saggy stomach and flabby, overhanging abdominal wall". With a doctorate in engineering one might fathom how to adjust the three full length lacers, the convenience lacer, the double asymmetric sacrostrapping and the frightening "Under Pressure Belt"; well it would be
wouldn't it ? One had to fasten the device properly or one began to experience that "..smothered feeling from undue pressure on the heart." Mind you, if the corset, as it is claimed, reduced you from 250 pounds to the appearance of 175 pounds, something somewhere is going to get squashed. No advice for a healthy lifestyle from Rice. Once you were at this
stage of, what did Spirella call it, "physical shipwreck," expensive corsetry of alarming complexity would be the only solution. Amazingly, they too attack the thin woman and provide equal complexities to ward off ill-health. Regard the incredible extremes to which the brassiere can be taken (right). "..to confine the breast stomach and abdomen." "..there is no way for the flesh to escape." Oh dear, that sounds like undue pressure on the heart again! Mind you "Light mesh extends .. makes it cool for summer wear" at least should help alleviate the scarlet complexion of the victim and get that blood pressure down. Fortunately, Rice avoided making his corsets out of latex but not all manufacturers were that wise!
Advertising
or
The Amazing World of Before and After Woman

What an immense subject! As my husband once quoted in a farewell speech to a group of colleagues in Egypt:- "This country has many minefields, and this speech is just one of them"! In order to understand advertising one steps into a hugely complex interplay between, business, beauty, vanity, greed, peer pressure and that incredibly feminine trait which has made millions for advertisers and merchandisers alike, self-doubt. The most beautiful woman in the world is like putty in the hands of the skillful advertiser.
Just in case your self-doubt was under-developed, just leave it to the marketing department to sow the seeds of future profit! Both Spirella (left) and Spencer (1941; right) used this powerful technique.
Of course, the solution was simple. Husband reaches for his wallet; wife wears a Playtex (left) or Persuasion (right) and there is praise all round, particularly from the cherubic daughter! Of course, the marketers realsied than within a few years, that darling cherub would also be in need of their foundations. There treads a fine line between marketing and indoctrination! I could never hope to cover even a small part of this fiendishly complicated subject, and so I will simply concentrate on some of the themes that recur in corsetry advertising, particularly my gullible friend below, the amazing
"Before and After Woman".
An actual photograph showing how "a Spencer smoothes out a bulging abdomen,"
Spencer 1941 (above) and 1947 (right).
All corsetry manufacturers resorted to these photographs that show the woman before wearing their product and the woman afterwards. They range from the accurate and believable to some blatantly (and badly) touched-up photographs that lead the reader to believe that the mere act of putting on a
corset will not only re-arrange the figure but also the hair and teeth. The technique, however, must have been successful, since the style of these advertisements has been in use for over a hundred years. I have decided to use the advertisements of Spirella and Spencer to illustrate this effective form of marketing, partly because they use a common technique but in quite different ways. The first advertisements that were regularly published come from Spencer in the 1930's.
The story is plain for all to see. Lack of foundations is not an option. Poor foundations are a mistake. Buy our product; your figure needs it and you deserve the best - whatever the cost.
In 1932, the poor unfortunate in the ill-fitting foundations hides her shame in half shadow. The settings and models are very elegant and reminiscent of the stylish Barclay and Spencer advertising of the previous decade.
By 1934 and 1935 (right), the poor sister is given the same facial expression and brought into the light so that one could observe her defects more clearly and the subsequent improvement wrought by the Spencer foundation.
There is a strong moral undertone present throughout. Look at 'before woman's' suspender attachments. Before she discovered Spencer the woman was careless and could not even attach her stockings correctly. The foundations of 'before woman' even look rather worn and unpleasant. Not the sort of girl that any proud Mother would like her son to marry!
Quite remarkable how the Spencer girdle cures that hanging lump of flesh. Also rather odd is that the dress accentuates the breasts even more than the brassiere!
Perhaps in 1936 the intelligence of either the marketers or the public had dropped somewhat, since arrows indicating 'before' and 'after' were added just in case one had missed the point. The mere act of wearing a girdle seems have cured a terrible case of rounded shoulders in the woman on the left above. Note the underlying morality once again. The raised arm of the properly girdled woman in the middle shows not a trace of body hair, which, presumably, the morally deficient wanton in the nasty girdle had omitted to remove. Poor woman, she even has to stand in the dark, so deep is her shame! Mind you, that girdle and brassiere combination in the middle does look rather charming. Of course, what else happens when you raise your arms; the roll of waist-line flesh is diminished. Spencer didn't miss a trick! To our left, some years later, the marketers must have had another panic attack that the longsuffering public had missed the point. With enough arrows to keep the Merry Men of Sherwood happy (not to mention the model), it is stressed that sagging breasts, lordosis and bulges are WRONG. Oddly enough, the same model suffered from rounded shoulders and a pronounced stoop just a few years earlier. The lady in the RIGHT picture appears confused; "Is this really right? You've turned my slouch into a hollow back!"
My husband refers me to a cartoon that one of his frivolous colleagues must have sent to him. It does, however, illustrate the exaggeration of the advertisement on the left. (At my express request, he edited out some parts that might be considered offensive). On the right is another impossibility that cartoonists love, however, it does illustrate the truth that flesh cannot be compressed, it can only be redistributed!
The advertisement on the right clearly demonstrates that by using cartoons, one does not have to fake the photographs of real models!
This cartoon actually reminds me of a story from the excellent (if slightly risque) book, Bust Up -- the history of the brassiere. I'm quite sure that much in the book is fictional (the brassiere was NOT invented by Otto Titzling),; however, the story of the elderly lady taking her first commercial flight rings true. The lady in question had heard of 'pressurisation' and the swelling of the body during flight. She was concerned that confined as she was by her corsets, brassiere and surgical stockings, the only place left to expand would be her head. This was written as a serious concern to the airline! Much has been written about the effect of metallic corset bones on modern airline security devices. Be assured that they DO set the bells jangling and one can expect a thorough but discreet frisking from the security lady who, despite her training seems to be as embarrassed as the friskee. "I didn't know people still wore these things". "Well they do, young lady" and (under the breath) "you might look a sight better if you did as well".
Even in the late 1950's when we were supposedly more sophisticated comes another girdle admonishment. Certainly, the boning in the front I just love the look of utter dejection on the 'incorrectly corseted' model above right; the weight of of the girdle will cure that bulging (note the word) abdomen, however, responsibility for the poor posture of women worldwide rests on her slim shoulders! (1941) the bulging flesh squeezed between the brassiere and the girdle seems to have vanished !
By 1941, that old girdle must have passed around so many models that it was truly stretched beyond recovery. In fact, the mere act of buying a new girdle may well have wrought the improvement depicted by the picture on the right. The poor model seems to have lead a hard life. For a period of half a decade she would appear in her ill-fitting girdle and be transformed only to relapse in the next batch of Spencer advertising. As for the 'before and after' models below left, a huge emphasis was put on the postural condition 'lordosis' (sway-back in horses). In fact, far from atrophying stomach muscles, surely the opposite was true since such an arching of the back takes considerable skill! Below right we see the most uplifted of all the before and after bosoms!
Even the corsetiere was called in to show her approval (Spencer 1941). More than a little artwork was required to show these 'before and after' images which were blatantly modified.
We received, what might be called a 'take off' of some Spencer adverts. They have been altered even beyond the imagination of the marketing department, yet represent only an extreme case of what happens when reality is left behind. Many of these pictures come from Spencer advertising brochures that were issued to corsetieres and Doctors. They also appeared in the advertisements in the popular ladies' magazines of the day. The 'pantomime' of the advertisements is echoed in the words that accompanied them. In both the USA and UK, a fictitious head of corsetry, Anne Spencer, was referred to as the contact lady.
In 1949, and for decades afterwards, Spencer asked the most personal of questions "Do your breasts sag?" Well they will if you don't hold your shoulders up as the model on the left clearly demonstrates!
From 1958 come several blatantly modified poses. The lady above right has almost dislocated her right shoulder in an attempt to portray the sagging breasts suspended in the pretty satin brassiere.
Again we are reminded just which photograph is which. I love the smile on 'after' woman; it is so smug. She must be delighted that her breasts ride on an even keel with her new brassiere. It was a common photographer's trick to loosen the strap on the profile breast to cause this alarming droop.
The words themselves are interesting since they represent the focus of the marketers attention. Regard the quotes from the contemporary advertisements below (the italics appear in the advertisements):
Spencer
1934 Farewell to bulging abdomen and Lordosis Curve Backline Spare tires Hips and Diaphragms vanish! 1935: I lost every bulge in a Spencer of this airy fabric To lose that bulge Spencerize! You can lose that bulge To correct that unlovely slump Spencerize! Delightfully cool and my bulges are gone. Her mirror repeated her husbands advice! Hips 3 inches less in her Spencer I lost several birthdays when I lost these bulges I reduced my hips 3 5/8 inches in a light-as-air SPENCER This page in particular brings out the flippant side of my nature; an old-fashioned cynicism about marketing I suppose. However, let me add as a poignant foot-note that Spencer's products brought immense relief to sufferers of bad backs. The poor woman on the right has suffered from
Even a mild panty-girdle will flatten that tummy and a simple brassiere raise and sharpen the bosom if it's a Spencer
I see you lost your Lordosis Curve Backline Yes, thanks to my new SPENCER
large breasts all her life that have become seriously pendulous in later life. She will have suffered from a bad neck and spinal problems simply due to their weight. A Spencer brassiere not only gives her an elegant bust-line, but supports her breasts in a comfortable fashion. Many women with this problem often sleep in their brassieres.
1936: What can I do ? My figure bulges dreadfully My Spencer is the answer that ugly bulge is gone Summer time is danger time when you neglect SAGS and BULGES Her mirror warned her that her figure was slumping. But her mirror told a different story when she donned a SPENCER Youre headed for trouble if you neglect SAGGING BREASTS! Your SPENCER guards you! Abdomen sag is dangerous, too! I feel younger and look it in my SPENCER 1937: Dont let bulges sneak up. Slight or serious BULGES vanish in your Spencer. I was a mess in hot weather! ..now my bulges are gone and I keep cool in my SPENCER! 1939: Why dont you get rid of your bulges? You know they are unlovely. Why delay? And save money Spencer wearers do. Notice the repetition of the words BULGE and SAG. As I said at the beginning, self-doubt is the marketer's entry into a lady's (or her husband's) wallet. If the marketers couldn't convince your friends, perhaps you could, although there are not many nationalities that would be quite so forward as this exhortation from 1936:"Whom have you among your friends inclined to be stout?" Note use of the word stout here. It's an old fashioned term which implies a constrained obesity, for which one might read corsetted obesity. By the 1940's, one would have thought that a Spencer foundation had all the properties of the travelling salesman's eternal remedy: Spencer 1941: The Spencer supporting corset is prescribed for dropped stomach, hernia, floating kidney, varicose veins, chronic coughing, arthritis, faulty posture. Smoothes away bulges, relieves backache, headache, nervousness, indigestion, constipation, poor circulation and faulty breathing. Perhaps the ultimate indignity was to pose in front of graph paper so that rise in the bosom could be assessed by all (1962).
Spirellas Approach
While Spencer woman was becoming more and more extreme, Spirella used the same technique but in a much more realistic way. It probably never had the same marketing success, however, their approach persisted until the 1970's and certainly convinced a number of ladies to buy Spirella, since the advertisements and articles were just a little too close to home for comfort.
These before-and-after photographs from 1939 (UK) show ordinary women and illustrate one of the fundamental principles of proper corsetry, that the garments supports and does not compress. In 1940 (below), the use of the Spirella modelling garment to achieve the effect was illustrated.
These photographs from 1930 are perfect examples of the Spirella principle. The photographs are very similar, but the Spirella on the right is not compressing, as the giveaway folds of fat under the arms are not present. The abdomen is allowed a slight bulge, the contours are smooth and the woman probably really does feel the improvement. To a professional couturier or corsetiere the pictures above will ring true; however, from a marketer's point of view, they would end up in the bin! Even in the 1950's, Spirella (August 1958 below) continued to show realistic women and the effects of the foundation garment. No unnaturally nipped in waist for this matron, however, the elevation and reshaping of her bosom is rather startling! Compare her profile with that of the Spirella corsetiere. The pointed bosom was not just a Hollywood, or a Howard Hughes invention. It thrust it way forward on both sides of the Atlantic. My husband remembers, as a youth, being fascinated by his normally chestless Aunt's prodigious bosom at a family wedding! The year was 1958 when these publicity shots were made.
The lady in the middle really goes to town on the before and after effect! She reminds me of a woman who recounted a scene of embarrassment
Another example of support rather than compression is shown above right from Spirella in 1943: The Spirella Principle. The smiling lady on the right is at last satisfied, even if she has reverted to wearing her mother's style of underwear. The Spirella Principle, which is the principle of all good corsetry is summed up in the following exchange between two middle-aged women. "Surely, not all your curves are due to Spirella", "My curves are my own. It's where they lie that's due to Spirella". Spirella continued its before and after regime right into the 1960's, however, the hyperbole was replaced by fact. They simply returned to the emphasis of support over constriction and often used the normally clothed woman to make the point:-
From the Spirella magazine of 1958 come some quite realistic photographs. The lady on the left illustrates the influence of the brassiere and corset [made in Spirella's most expensive materials, please note] and on the right, Mrs. R. of 1962, showing how such garments affect her presentation whilst clothed.
I'm a fan of whoever Mrs. R is., partly because my figure, far from its proportions of the 1960's, has become more like this lady's, although not quite!! Regard the picture below. Mrs. R. has purchased, at quite some expense, a Fashion Line brassiere and a 305 corset. Her shape has improved, she feels better both physically and psychologically and her dresses fit her figure. She is happy; her husband is happy, and isn't that what corsetry is all about ! Just when you thought that the world was too sophisticated for these obvious deceptions comes this amazing piece of advertising licence from a modern shapewear manufacturer:-
That's not even the same girl!!!
Roger's Ramblings
Far from rambling, Roger is an avid reader and a precise and prolific writer on the subject of underwear and corsetry. With his permission, we have assembled a number of his articles and researches. We wouldn't dare to edit them since we know his passion for grammar, however, we have performed our own formatting and added the odd illustration and link where appropriate. I hope you enjoy this master of the written word. Pantyhose: A Relic of the 20th Century Hideaway Holsters Rechargeable Bras Visibility of underwear
Pantyhose: A Relic of the 20th Century

It might have been predicted in the thirties, after the introduction of lastex and nylon, that there would be no large-scale reversion by undie-wearers to the fabrics they replaced. But, in the forties, that is what happened, due to war-time production restrictions. Similarly, it has recently been predicted that there is no reason to think that younger women would ever, to any great extent, turn back to girdling and corseting. (See Mariannes Story, last paragraph.) That surely is consensus opinion. But, as in the thirties, there is a dark cloud on the horizon that could lead to production restrictions: long-term, severe energy shortages. Such restrictions could include the prohibition of nylon-profligate pantyhose. If stockings then became the only form of nylons allowed, some mild form of girdling would return, such as control briefs worn with tabs for (detachable) garter straps. Severe energy shortages are predicted in the recent book, The Long Emergency, by James Howard Kunstler. (See: www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/_/id/7203633 for an online condensation.) The author envisages not only grave social and political stresses, but even sporadic semi-anarchy. Probably hes overly alarmed. But if such scenarios are even a longshot, governments would seek to forestall them by prohibiting or severely sin-taxing non-essential uses of energy sources. And, in conjunction with such a recognition of the severity of the energy crisis, there would be a general mind-shift against ALL wasteful items, not just petroleum derivatives, for two reasons: their guilty association with spendthrift attitudes, and their tendency to create more physical waste (garbage). Disposable convenience plastic items like throw-away razors and CD jewel cases are examples. Throw-away razors would be replaced by the style of razor that preceded them: ones whose handle is permanent, and whose blade assembly alone is replaced. Pantyhose (aka tights in UK) are another example of a plastic item that wastes material for the sake of convenience: their wearer consumes five times more nylon per year than she would if wearing stockings and the total amount thus wasted nationally and worldwide is enormous (as described below). This item would therefore be on regulators hit list. Even prior to such officially sanctioned crusades, ecology-conscious individuals and groups might turn against pantyhose, so a substantial voluntary reversion to stockings isnt unthinkable. Stockings would require some form of garteringwhich would be giggled at by the general. In order to take the words out of their mouths, ecology could crown Lola-Lola as its official poster-girl. In the same antic spirit, early adopters could reply, to those who accused them of being throwbacks, Its hip to be square. Profligacy: Wearing pantyhose consumes five times more nylon, and produces five times more garbage (by weight)
than wearing thigh-highs or regular stockings. Heres how the numbers work out. A pair of stockings weighs .3 ounce; an average pair of pantyhose weighs four times as much, or 1.2 oz. (This is because the torso portion of pantyhose is double-thickness, and because half (?) the pantyhose sold are control-top types that are even thicker.) Also, a pair of pantyhose is discarded, on average, 25% sooner than a pair of stockings, because it is done for when the first leg gets a run. (I.e., with stockings the wearer just replaces the bad leg and goes on wearing the good one.) So a woman who wears a dozen pairs of pantyhose per year would need only 9 pairs of stockings to replace them. Putting this factor together with the greater weight of pantyhose, the bottom line is that a pantyhose-wearer consumes five times more nylon per year. How much is that in terms of ounces? According to the book, The Average American, the average career woman buys 22 pairs of pantyhose per year; the average college woman buys 9. Lets assume the average housewife also buys 9, and thus that the average woman (including all three categories) buys 15 pairs. 15 pairs of pantyhose weigh 18 ounces; their replacement, 11.25 pairs of stockings, weigh 3.375 oz.; the difference is 14.625 ounces per year. (The highconsumption career woman uses roughly 1.5 pounds more per year.) Over the course of a 60-year hose-wearing lifetime (from ages 18 to 78), the difference is thus 877.5 ozs., or roughly 55 pounds. Thats non-biodegradable, nonrecyclable wasteand its totally unnecessary waste. The above is slightly offset by the stocking-wearers need to consume a garter belt; but that weighs only two oz. and lasts about two or three (?) years, so it creates little waste. (And a new-design garter belt with a replaceable elastic back strap could be made that would last two or three times longer.) A girdle, lets say, weighs 5 oz. and lasts 1.5 years; thus 10 oz. would be wasted over three years, which is less than one-quarter the weight it would save in pantyhose nylon (44 oz.). And, since 1/3 (?) of women already wear control briefs, which are in essence legless light- to medium-control girdles, a mass switch-over to stockings wouldnt imply proportionate additional Lycra consumption. Now lets scale the figures up to the national level. According to the Hosiery Assn., roughly 340 million pairs of pantyhose were sold in the U.S. in 2001. Assuming about 3/4 of their weight would be saved (after deducting for extra undies) if stockings were worn instead, about 15 million pounds of nylon is wasted thereby. If we were in WW2, the government would prohibit pantyhose for this staggering wastefulness. Well, in a way were are in a strugglean ecological struggle. We want to reduce needless consumption and garbage production. Pantyhose are a modern convenience that costs more than theyre worth. (Incidentally, about 52 million pairs of stockings were sold, about 90% (Id guess) of them thigh-highsor holdsups as theyre called in the UK. Also, about 193 million pairs of knee-highs (pop-socks in the UK) were sold.) Penalization: The government could discourage consumption of pantyhose (and disposable razors, etc.) by sin-taxing them at $1 or $2 per pair, which would make stockings and thigh-highs more attractive economically. (At present, absurdly, stockings actually cost slightly more than pantyhose, even though they contain much less material and take less time to make. This is because they are low-volume items.) Taxation of plastics has already begun, as described in Future Perfect (from the Institute for Social Inventions, London, 2002), pp. 165-66, in an item titled A plastax on single-use shopping bags to reduce usage and waste. It stated: Ireland has introduced a tax of nine pence on single-use plastic shopping bags, payable by the shopper not the shop.... The Irish government expects to raise 100 million pounds annually from the tax.... To say that plastic bags are a problem is an understatement... The other two options are incineration (which is unpopular and polluting) and recycling (but only .5 percent of plastic bags are recycled at present). It could be the only way to have a larger effect, hitting the consumer where it hurts most: in the wallet, not the conscience. Pantyhose were available in the early 60s, and even in the 50s (for dancers and models), but cost three times as much as stockings. Result: virtually no one bought them. It wasn't until 1968, that fateful year, that their price became competitive and pantyhose caught on. This process might work in reverse. I.e., if pantyhose were 50% or 100% more expensive, stockings & hold-ups might catch on again. Persuasion: There could be publicity about pantyhoses wastefulness, which could be spread in both the mass media and in magazines and web sites sensitive to ecological concerns. (E.g., readers might re-post this article, or portions of itpermission is hereby granted.) In particular, the Environmental Protection Agency (and corresponding agencies outside the U.S.) could issue white papers deploring the wastefulness of pantyhose and urging consumers to avoid them.
Second, arguments could be made that go beyond the ecological and counteract pantyhoses image of convenience and liberation. For example: Theres no doubt that stockings plus garter belt take a little longer to put on and take off, but the amount of time is smallsay twenty seconds per day. Thats not asking much to benefit the environment. Third, stockings could be attached to a currently unobjectionable garment: a control brief. Lyn Locke, at http://www.lynlocke.com/, already offers such an item, which provides only limited coverage and compression. Heres how she describes it (in p. 8 of her March 2005 newsletter (at http://www.lynlocke.com/download/newsletter_mar2005lynlocke.pdf), which also contains an illustration): These full briefs are reminiscent of panties from the 60s and 50s. But they have some Lycra in them, and hug the body nicely. With the attached garters, you have no choice but to wear nylons with this garment. Introduce your wife or loved one to the girdle in this manner. Once she becomes comfortable in this, maybe she will be more receptive to firmer control garments. Maybe not. But its worth a try, right? I sell these black Vassarette briefs at a very reasonable price. Over-reaction?: Pointing out pantyhoses negative points wouldnt cause a general over-reaction against wearing nylons at all, because there would be only 20% more material saved by going bare-legged. What would more likely happen is what happened when ecologists condemned certain other wasteful practices, such as buying a Christmas tree every year, or wrapping presents in paper that was immediately discarded. Those who were sensitive to such arguments didnt abandon trees and wrapping paper entirely, but switched to reusable replacements. An analogy: if the gov't were to sin-tax disposable razors, most men would switch to cartridge-razors. Few would be so swept-up in an anti-plastic mania that they'd start growing beards, especially if there were a good rationale for the tax. Symbolism, Conformity, and Independence: Many women have an eek! feeling about wearing garters, but they should get over it. (Or wear thigh-highs, whichthough less reliabledont require them.) I.e., garter-wearing is something women may associate with the 50s, and thus with repression. But a truly independent woman doesnt let herself be manipulated by images, but instead looks to the underlying reality. (If she relies on images and associations, shed let Virginia Slims ads persuade her that cigarette-smoking is liberated.) Just because garters have an image of being an item of (needless) feminine frippery doesnt mean that they actually are. (Some men wear garters to hold up their socks (or leggings if they play hockey)they arent image-oriented; they focus on practicality.) Its really pantyhose that is needless, and its really garters that are libratory, because: They reduce the amount of stuff (nylon) a wearer must buy. They can be more comfortable in the matter of temperature control. I.e., in summer a garter belt can be worn (one less layer of fabric above mid-thigh); in winter a long-leg panty-girdle (a thicker layer of fabric above midthigh). Theyre more likely to fit better. Its impossible for some women to find a brand of pantyhose that fit well. Thats because there are so many more fit points with pantyhose than with stockings. If pantyhose fit well in one place, they often fit badly in another. Stockings dont trap heat and moisture, encouraging disease and odor. (It was in the late 60s that vaginal deodorants caught on, in step with the use of pantyhose.) I used another eek! word: girdle. But whats worse about it than the spandex bike shorts or compression shorts that many women wear? Except for the garters, theyre the same item. The most vehement opponents of girdles are women whove never worn one, all the while encased in jeans much tighter and more confining than any girdle. The objection to girdles is 90% symbolic. (And feminist Beatrice Faust, in a 1981 book, mentioned that wearing a girdle actually gave her a charge. See http://www.girdlezone.org/bfaust.htm. She also wrote, Are women such sheep that we must follow fashion leaders? Are we so gutless or stupid that we cannot make independent choices?) Theres nothing brave or independent about mindlessly following the crowd and wearing pantyhose. Courage and freedom would be demonstrated by departing from the norm. I hope that once a few trend-setters blaze a trail, it will become a point of pride for women to think different. Link-Ups, Hook-Ons, etc.: For us fans of non-vanilla undies, there is only one potential negative in this dreamscenario (aside from worldwide economic collapse): A little-known method of garterless stocking-support exists, and most women would probably prefer it if they had to wear stockings again. An initial version was put on the market in
about 1970 by one of the major hosiery suppliers. (I used to have their promotional material, but Ive misplaced it, so I cant give the name of the company or its brand.) The stockings came with two small hooks (like the type seen on the shoulder straps of bras). They in turn connected to a girdles garter tabs, leaving only a small gap between the top of the stocking and the girdles hem. This product failed to catch on because: The placement of tabs varied from girdle to girdle, so that one or other of the attachment points was often misaligned. Proper stocking length was criticalthere was no ability to roll over the welt of a stocking or adjust the length of a garter, and stockings of that era lacked the elasticity needed to compensate for inexact length. Subsequently, in the late 90s I think, there was another hook-attachment design called Scantihose that was unsuccessful; its stockings attached to a belt with a strap, which wasnt too sleek. Now, however, improved variations have been introduced, under various brand names. In the UK, theres Pretty Pollys Link-Ups (Googling will find links to ads, etc. User feedback on the StockingsHQ site was mixed. One user claimed attachment was less secure than a garter and the link was flimsy. But a better hook and loop design could fix that.) In Australia theres a similar and more recent item, Ambra Hook-Ons. (For details see http://www.calectasia.com/Hosiery/Hook-Ons.htm.) Because they employ elasticized stockings (probably more elasticized than the ordinary pair) exact length isnt critical, and they can use only one attachment point (on Ambras Hook-Ons its midway between the front and side of the leg), avoiding alignment problems, and making attachment faster than gartering. (Theyre sold with pair of elasticized panties with a loop in the correct position. It would be easy for manufacturers of control briefs to add a loop in that locationor for women to sew one onto their existing garments themselves.) If these products can be debugged, women are likely to prefer them, because they are less visible. I.e., they have: No garter bump; Only a inch welt; A high attachment point (so they cant be seen under miniskirtsexcept very rarely); Minuteness, making them less noticeable if accidentally exposed (theyre only 10% the size of a garter); Discreetness (no gleaming complex hardware, no Can-Can overtones), making them less ignominious if accidentally exposed. That kills 90% of their appeal to us fetishistsbut women would no doubt mostly shout, Thats not a bug, thats a feature!
Oh well, such items have at least one attractive attribute: wearers strike the charming and seductive poses of yore when doffing & donning their hosiery. They no longer awkwardly wiggle into their nylons (as with pantyhose), a procedure that has all the suave elegance of a footlocker tumbling down a flight of stairs. PS: Why should todays New Women worry about discreetness anyway? Isnt that merely a Laudably Ladylike virtue? Wouldnt it be more commendable to Let It All Hang Out? Why forgo the chance, by stylishly strumming their garter straps, to mimic and/or mock the gallus-snapping patriarchs of old? They surely had no bashfulness about their visible suspenders. PPS: Just kiddingI think. Seriously speaking, women could easily avoid garter-display by wearing culotte-style (divided) skirts and/or pettipants (long-leg loose-around-the-leg panties that function like half-slips). They could continue to sit and recline in todays liberated manneri.e., without always being careful not to let their skirts ride up.
Hideaway Holsters: The Purse of Tomorrow?

Heres a suggestion for a giveaway little item that could be made for under $1or for under $.50 in volumeto
promote sales of gartered stockings and/or the garments that support them. Its a thin satin wallet worn under a stocking top, held up by two loops clipped over two garter buttons. Its dimensions are 7 wide (with two loops at the midpoint of each wide end) and 3 high. It has a 7 opening at the top covered by a 1.25-high flap. The latter is stitched down both sides, to keep items from falling out. In the 60s and earlier such an item was sold independently, and was an unacknowledged element in detective stories and spy adventures wherein the heroine hid an item in her stocking top. It therefore has a certain old-fashioned charm. Its inclusion as a giveaway would strengthen the retro flavor that is part of the appeal (to women) of, for instance, seamed stockings. This appeal could be highlighted by a poster or on-package teaser containing a retro-style picture of a vampish 1940s lady or gun moll, lifting her skirt to retrieve some high-voltage item. Heres the text that I suggest be printed below the image: Heres a conversation-piece with which to tease and stump and wow your girlfriends: hand them one of these Hideaway Holsters and challenge them to identify it. You can give them clues like: It was popular from 1925 to 1970 It was used by women in genre fiction and films It held high voltage items It was worn, but invisibly (this almost gives it away)
If they still cant guess, hike up your skirt and show them yours: their eyes will stand out on stalks! Then give them (from your holster) the following explanation, printed on one of the dozen double-sided business cards we supply: You may have been puzzled, when reading noir fiction or espionage thrillers of the middle third of the 20th century, to come upon scenes wherein the heroine (or villainess) slipped her Minox or code book or derringer or treasure-map or billet doux into her stocking top. Taken literally, that would seem to be a very insecure location. But it was really a shorthand term. It meant, into a thin satin wallet hooked to her garter buttons, fore and afta hitherto nameless item we have dubbed a Hideaway Holster. The reason it was available for employment in detective stories is that women also used it for more mundane purposes: To conceal items they didnt want a purse-peaking co-habitant (a relative or roommate or SO) to discover, such as birth control items or a wedding ring or a little black book; or just for carrying emergency cash and spare keys. (E.g., if they had to flee a dangerous scene without their purse, theyd still have their mad money & keys on their per son.) Women wear fashions not just to make a visual impression, but to play a role in a game of make-believe. This is especially true of women who might be tempted to wear retro undies. E.g., I dreamt I was a noir-ish vixen in my seamed stockings. Successful vendors make the dress-up convincing with obscure authenticating detailslittle touches that fulfill the illusion. They sell the dream, like Maidenform. A sundae needs a cherry on top. Seamed stockings and vixenish garter belts need a Hideaway Holster. And a Hideaway Holster mightnt just be a nostalgia item. It could become the Purse of Tomorrow, if some punk-rock trend-setters were to start wearing two of them (one on each leg), in larger versions with internal compartments, and were to proclaim that theyd thereby Liberated themselves from a Ludicrous Legacy of Ladyhood. Access would have to be (for non-exhibitionistic women) through slits in a full-ish skirt, concealed by pleats or Velcrod flaps. That is radicalbut that would be viewed by punkettes as a feature, not a bug. Nevertheless, it could also be promoted to mainstreamers as something traditional. Victorian skirts often had slits in them, with pockets attached. (They were made of heavy material and were supported by petticoats or crinolines, and hence were not distorted by the weight of the pockets.) Thats why images of Victorian women rarely show them carrying purses. Granny knew a thing or two! PS: If large holsters were worn as purse-replacements, they would be more secure if they were sewn onto the legs of long-leg panty girdles, rather than hung from a pair of loops. LLPGs could even be manufactured with holsters already attached. Indeed, the provision of such external pockets might even contribute to a modest revival of girdle-wearing!
Renewable Bras
Problem: Bras last only six months (according to online retailer Mr. Bra). Thats outrageously wasteful, costly, and a burden on our limited rubbish-disposal space. (Its ridiculous to read about art installations of worn-out bras festooned on miles of fences or strung across the Grand Canyon.) Ive read that European bras last a year, but thats still nothing to cheer about. They SHOULD last twice as longat least. Solution: Renewable bras; i.e., bras with replaceable elastic back-straps and non-elastic sides (the way they used to be made). A bra usually wears out when its elastic portion gets tired. So why not make that portion replaceable? An item like the familiar bra extender, but several inches longer (e.g., three or four inches long), could serve as the renewable back. It would mate with a bra that would be (slightly) modified as follows: It would have two or three columns of hooks (on one side of its back) and two or three columns of eyes (on the other side). This would double or triple the life of the bra by virtue of the backs twice-greater tightening-up range. Further, if the bra were still in OK condition after the renewer-back itself got tired, a cheap, new renewer -back could be purchased. A beneficial side-effect: With the heat-sensitive elastic portion temporarily removed, women could clean the bra along with the ordinary laundry (albeit in a lingerie bag), freeing themselves from the tedious hand-washing & air drying that some now perform. Downside: Thered be two (minor) bumps in back, rather than one, because thered be two hook-and-eye attachment points. But they arent a bug, theyre a feature: Theyd advertise the wearers personal foresight and concern for the environment. (Note: If however a wearer wanted to eliminate the bumps, she could replace a stretched-out back with a new one, rather than stretching it out to the bras next hook-up column. Shed still save 80% of what a wearer with an its-a-feature attitude would save. Or she could just cut off the unneeded overlapping column of hooks.) Technical note: Bra-extenders vary in the number of hooks in each hook-column, to enable buyers to match the hookcount (typically two or three) to the eye-column of the bra being extended. In other words, extenders have a few different, but standardized, heights. For what its worth: Renewable garter belts could also be made, if they were modified in the same way as a renewable bra. I.e., if they incorporated a pair of hook-and-eye columns at the back sized to mate with a bra- renewer back. This could double their lifespan. Ideally, one of the new bra renewers would be used. (Not that these often wear out nowadays, they being mostly museum pieces or bedroom items. But they might see a revival, if the absurd three-times-greater wastefulness of the thrown-out material in pantyhose vs. stockings caused pantyhose (aka tights) to be banned or sin-taxed. That is out of the question today, but it could happen, 20 years down the road, if conditions became such that society went on a crusade against wasteful convenience items. (As it ought to.) See my Pantyhose: A Relic of the 20th Century, here: http://corsetiere.net/Spirella/roger_k.htm#PH ) Questions: 1. Selling refurbished bras? (Perhaps back to their original owners!) This would probably be the cheapest way to create the first prototypes to test for lumpiness in back, ease of adjusting, etc. Cutting out a solid-sided bras original elastic back strap mightnt be hard, and theres probably a gadget that could crimp in columns of eyes at the ends of the cut-off. Or a strip of eyes could be sewed on. 2. How should it be marketed? Start small, and advance in a series of small steps, an unconventional method that is called for by such an unconventional item. I.e.: A. Approach organizations whose members are most concerned about avoiding waste, namely newsletters containing thrifty-living tips, and anti-garbage ecological groups. B. Offer their leaders free samples to evaluate. C. If they like the results, allow them to either sell the bras (with their endorsements) to members at a good price, or to offer 50% discount coupons as renewal premiums. Bras would be drop-shipped by the manufacturer to the buyers. D. Encourage (or require) leaders to attempt to obtain free testimonials from their membership, especially from
nationally known opinion leaders. (Ecological groups contain many such women.) E. Once a couple of ecological groups are happy with this program (after one year, say), approach other socially concerned groups with the same offer, and obtain more testimonials from members. F. After two years (say), when an underground buzz has hopefully built around the product, start sending samples for review to non-fashion magazines, and again try to let them become part of the sales-assistance process by offering them something of value, such as a 50% discount coupon for subscription-renewals, or a slice of the revenue for sales referrals. G. Eventually (after three years, say), demand might build to the point where the manufacturer would want to offer this item to all comers. But I suggest that it be done only cautiously, by selling direct over the Internet, and not by undercutting the original partners in the process. My belief is that this item could catch on, but that it would be a gradual process that should be carefully nurtured and that each years sales goals should be modest. That way, in ten years, a cash cow might emerge, with great brand loyalty (because buyers would be aiding organizations they believe inorganizations with whose leaders youd have an inside track), at low risk and low expense. I.e., thered be no need to spend money on advertising, or to build up a large inventory. 3. Renewable Sleeping Masks & Girdles? Employing replaceable tensioning-straps could lengthen the lifespan of these two elasticized garments, thereby making them more affordableand (thus) more popular. For instance, the elastic strap in a sleeping mask typically wears out in a year, but a mask with a replaceable strap would be easy to make. Replaceability could also be used, with some ingenuity, in girdles that, like Camps discontinued Cadenza, employed hook-and-eye straps to life-lengthen their elastic and/or allowed users to adjust firmness. 4. What do I want for this? Nothing This idea was probably patented in 1932 and flopped immediately. But maybe the time just wasnt right for it then, or the marketing method I think is necessary wasnt feasible then. I suspect manufacturers might have been unenthusiastic about selling an item that would cut bra demand by 50%. But today it would benefit the upstart firm that first promoted such an itemand that firms attitude would no doubt be, The devil take the hindmost. If any seamstress is intrigued by this, please convert some solid-sided rummage-sale bras to this sort of arrangement and report your results. At worst, youd have a humorous DIY-Gone-Wrong item you could sell to Readers Digest. At best you could have the beginning of a new business.
On the Visibility of Underwear

Roger K replies to the italicised comments below, made by a poster on the Girdles and More web-site. I must disagree that there were few if any visible outlines of girdles under street clothing. In the era B.P. -- Before Pantyhose -- garter bumps were regularly visible under the pencil skirts of the era, even those made of heavy winter flannel material. Our disagreement requires putting visible under the microscope. I think the visibility of a feature: 1. Objectively: Falls along a continuum or shades-of-grey spectrum, rather than being a black-or-white affair, and 2. Subjectively: varies from person to person, and from cultural environment to cultural environment, because perception (visibility) depends: a. partly on training in noticing subtle signals, b. partly on expectation, and c. partly on individual psychology. 1. Objectively: A bra under a blouse creates a complete ghost-image of itself that is far more visible than the clues a girdle provides under a skirt. A girdles giveaways are: Fragmentary (of only part of the garment) rather than complete, Blurred rather than sharp,
Occasional (e.g., seen only when sitting or stretching) rather than constant, and Ambiguous (e.g., possibly due to some natural creasing or bunching of the skirt) rather than unequivocal. 2. Subjectively: a. Training: A person can be trained to see clues that others would miss, and in time these can become so obvious to him that he mistakenly comes to think that they are not just visible-to-him, but visible-period (objectively). The example that comes to mind, because I read it dozens of times in kids adventure stories when I was young, was that of the native tracker who could make sense of fantastically subtle clues left by an animal (or fugitive), and even make reasonable inferences about its speed, tiredness, and destination. (In an urban environment the tracker was Sherlock Holmes.) Thus, a trained person like a corsetire would see a girdles outlines under a skirt more readily and more reliably than a tyro would. And an undie-fancier might develop a similar skill. (I didnt become fascinated with girdles until after they departed the scene, so I wasnt on the lookout for clues when they were extant.) b. Expectation: Without being aware of it, a persons noggin pre-processes incoming images so they make sense. This is a commonplace of philosophy & psychology, and affects not just casual data input, but even formalized scrutiny of the outside world. I.e., one great truism of the philosophers and sociologists of science is that data is theory-laden (unconsciously pre-processed by expectations so that it fits the paradigmor at least fits some (known) paradigm). If a person has a paradigm that ambiguous bumps and creases in a skirt are 80% noiseand they effectively camouflage any signal that might be there (which was my paradigm), girdle clues are not going to be visible to him. (In his amazing essay The Decay of Lying, online at http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/E800003-009/, Wilde argued that Londoners didnt notice the citys famous fogsat any rate they never mentioned themuntil painters primed residents to expect to see them. He asserted that therefore the fogs didnt even exist! This was an outrageously exaggerated application of the sound general principle he was championing, and which he was one of the first to point out: that Life imitates Arti.e., that whats seen and even done conforms to imaginatively based cultural templates that pre-consciously filter and emphasize selected portions of reality.) c. Psychological variation: Some persons, regardless of what their training and expectation may be, are much more able to notice hidden patterns than others. Ill give an example from an extreme human typeautisticsbut to a lesser degree their ability is shared by some portion of the normal human spectrum, including (I suspect) x-ray-eyed undie fans. An article in the May 05 issue of Discover magazine contained the following: Grandin [an autistic expert in animal psychology] explained to me how easy it is for autistic people to find a figure hidden in a complex picturea test called the Embedded Figure Task. Normal people have trouble seeing it, but it jumps right out at an autistic person. Normal people, she writes, see and hear schemas, not raw sensory data. Normal humans are good at seeing the big picture but bad at what Grandin calls all the tiny little details that go into that picture. (My focus (as I mentioned in my original post) was on the overall trim-tummy image so the details were invisible to me, and I suspect to most men. I filtered out the details, just as I do the details of a womans makeup, noticing only the overall impression.) Conclusion: If we were to get in a time machine and travel back to the days of yore, we would agree on a basic level about what was visible: a skirt with certain slight indentations, creases, ridges, bulges, etc. Where wed differ would be in how revealing or suggestive or indicative these features were of what lay underneath. What Ive argued above is that even though he found it easy to connect the dots into a picture, they were just blips on the screen to most of us. (E.g., There is a famous picture of Clark Gable regarding the derrire of Doris Daywhat Clark was appreciating was the overall impression (created by girdling) of its being round, firm, and fully-packed. No visible clues were there nor would he have been aware of them if they had been.) Testimony: I didnt do any searching looking for statements supporting my position, but a couple of sets of quotations have fallen in my lap in the interim: I wear garters and skirts everyday, and don't have any problems with garter bumps showing. Unless you're wearing a skirt made from a very thin fabric, it really shouldn't be a problem. Some of the men here must have extraordinary sight if they can see a suspender bump from anything other than the most intimate distance! Many of these authors must possess X-Ray vision. Plus, anyone noticing my bumps if my skirt is too thinnish is too close anyway and must be slapped! It is very difficult to detect suspender bumps through all but the finest of fabrics - she failed totally to spot mine even though she knew I was wearing them and was looking hard.
From Mariannes Story (Recollections of a Danish corsetire who worked from 1956-73) Trying to remember if the garter bumps were a problem in those days, I cannot really find that I personally worried about it, nor did our customers. When everybody wore them, they were not really an issue. Materials were usually somewhat heavier in those days and the wearing of a full or a half slip was the usual thing. Fashionable dresses those days were often lined, so I think the tabs would very rarely show. Today young girls seem to wear dresses and skirts that are much thinner, almost never lined, and slips are gone. This is in a way a pity because they tend to stick to the body and the nice fall is lost. And, in bright light, you can see through the dresses. That's not something I like. Thinking hard, I do remember however, that very tight wool dresses could make a problem, so that I became aware of the 'seethrough' effect. Then I would take care to place something on my lap when sitting, such as a handbag or a newspaper. Postscript, on OBG-to-PG migration: I speculated in my original post that self-consciousness about the visibility (to wearers) of the OBGs hem may have motivated women to migrate to PGs in the 60s. Ill add that another partial reason for the migration may have been the rapid increase in the popularity of small cars like the VW bug. Even if a woman didnt drive one herself, shed sooner or later be a passenger in one. Getting in and out of these might have provided upskirt views. A PG would protect a womans modesty better if such occurred (especially if no panties were being worn with the OBG, as was the practice of some, according to various memoirists here).
Advisories & News

G.A. Dariaux (an influential fashion authority of the period), author of the book Accent on Elegance (a follow-on to her successful book Elegance), 1970, p. 124: The purpose of a girdle is to exert an invisible control over excessive curves. Invisible being the key word, it is unattractive and inelegant to tug at a girdle in order to keep it in place, and it is hideous to let the garters show. But if we were establishing a list of vestimentary horrors, these gestures are still preferable to the sight of an ample ungirdled behind, shaking like jelly in a tight skirt. Candy Jones, Look Your Best, 1964, [The authors suggestions are posed as questions in the list below.] Do I buy my girdle by length? Do I need a 12-inch length or a 14-inch length? (The fuller the thighs, the longer the girdle should be.) To control and conceal thigh bulge, do I buy a girdle with six garters? If it has only four, do I buy two garters (at a notions counter) and sew them on? Would I look more fashionable if I could quickly lose an inch or two from around my waist? Certain dresses are more flattering with a waist made extra small by wearing a waist cinch. Candy Jones, Just for Teens, 1967, p. 52: How many garters should a girdle have? To create the sleekest lines at the thighs and to keep the garment in its right position during long spells of sitting, it needs a total of six. Mabel Erwin & Lila Kinchen, Clothing for Moderns, 1974: Only the very firm, slim figure looks right in a revealing dress without some type of foundation garment. Garterless girdles hold stockings satisfactorily, if the leg length on the stocking is correct. They should end at midthigh, and fit snugly but not bind. For the slightly heavier figure, an action backa mesh insert below the back waistbandallows the waistband to remain in place as the body moves. p. 239: A girdle which reduces the double curve over the hips to make one smooth unbroken line is the kind to shop for. Dorothy E. Nye, Lady Be Fit, 1942, p. 83: A girdle isnt the only answer. Look into the all-in-ones, even if you think you dont like them. They may offer the greatest possibilities for making you into a smooth-looking clotheshorse. Profitable Corset & Brassiere Merchandising, (1960??), p. 9: [In the 1950s woman] was beginning to realize that the longer she looked between her bust and her hips, the taller she looked. The taller a woman looks, the thinner she appears, so the well-dressed woman was buying corselets in abundance. Hazel Craig & Ola Rush, Clothes with Character, 1954, p. 15: Whether you are plump, average, or slender, some kind of foundation garment is absolutely necessary if you want to look perfectly groomed. You may not need one for your tummy but if you could see your back view as you walk, you would agree that there is room for improvement. Ibid., p. 229: Corselettes are recommended for dress wear, girdles and separate brassieres for general wear, and pantie girdles for active sports when socks are used in place of stockings.
Bea Danville, Dress Well on $1 a Day, 1956, p. 130: How important is your foundation? It is perhaps the most important part of your entire wardrobe. The reason for this is that without the right clothes underneath those on top will appear at a distinct disadvantage, as will your own figure. Ibid., p. 136: A long-line brassiere with built-up back and sides will give you a trim line. For even better support, try a bra with the wiring underneath the bustline. Its impossible to droop with this wire support. It will also help take the weight off the shoulders, always a problem for the full figure. For this reason, wide shoulder straps are a necessity. Ibid., pp. 140-41: If you need a corselet to smooth down your figure, you will have to conform pretty much to the measurements set by the manufacturers. If your bust or your hips are out of proportion, you will feel much more comfortable in a separate bra and girdle. Berlei (UK) Ltd., Heres the Right Way to Pull on a Pull-on (Illustrated one-page advisory): 1. Reverse the garment so that it is inside out and upside down. 2. Fold the bottom in, including the garters, creating a 4-inch cuff. 3. Standing with crossed legs, pull the [edge of the] garment up to the groin. 4. Grasp edge of garment which is just above knees and roll up. 5. Still holding edge, pull up until garment is adjusted in front. 6. Finally, pull garment down in back and align the garters properly. Edith Base, Corset Fitting in the Retail Store, 1950, p. 65: For a customer with a full or fleshy abdomen, fasten the first hooks and eyes while the garment is high on the body, pull down a little way, complete the fastening, and finally adjust. Always fasten a semi-step-in from the bottom hook upwards. Fasten the back suspenders first, then the sides and front. If the suspenders are stitched to the garment at an angle, follow this angle when fixing on the stocking. Judith Keith, I Havent a Thing to Wear, 1968, Introduction: I have always hated the me that stares at me in the mirror when I wake up. Thats not me, thats IT and I know I can do better. Dora Lewis et al., Clothing Construction & Wardrobe Planning, 1960, pp. 304-05: Many girls do not wear girdles but there is no denying that their figures would be vastly improved if they did. If girdles are correctly fitted they will smooth figure irregularities and create a firm contour which will improve any dress or skirt. For most girls your age a step-in two-way stretch girdle is sufficient. There are many models on the market without a single bone. You might select a pantie-girdle with detachable garters and crotch. The garters are there when you wear long hosiery; remove them when you wear anklets. Wear the crotch with your slacks and shorts. Remove the crotch when you wear separate panties. If you need more support, select a girdle with a boned front. It will hold in that protruding tummy. Mildred G. Ryan, Dress Smartly, 1956, p. 92: To determine whether you are short or long-waisted, measure the distance from just below the bust to the waist. If the measure is 3-4 inches, you are short waisted; 5-6 inches, medium; and 6.5-7 inches, long. To decide on the correct length for your girdle, measure from the waist to directly below the fullest part of the thigh. Oleda Baker & Francey Pettey, How to Create the Illusion of a More Perfect Figure, 1978, p. 79: The girdle industry has improved its product tremendously. The new lightweight lines are just as effective as the
older ones and are easier to put on and more comfortable to wear. Ibid., p. 80: the garter beltthe type useful for stomach control is wider, extending from waist to at least midstomach. The control garter belt can give a more confident feeling, and is more comfortable than the narrow styles of garter belt. (Narrow styles of garter belt are usually worn purely for fashion purposes and may cut across the stomach at a point that calls attention to the stomach in an unflattering way.) Betty Cornell, Betty Cornells Glamour Guide for Teens, 1951: As to what to wear under what you wear over, I am firmly of the opinion that almost every teen needs a girdle ... to control the curves. Unknown, Encyclopedia of Clothes Care, p. 65: If you havent looked at the notions counter lately, you may be surprised at the number of refreshers you can buy for your lingerie. There are new shoulder straps, catches, and elastic for the bra. There are new garters and garter straps for girdles, etc. Ibid., p. 173: UnderthingsThis refers to womens underwearmens and childrens get called underclothes, much less elegant. Kay Thomas, Secrets of Loveliness, 1964, pp. 68-69: Some girls prefer not to wear girdles to school because theyre a nuisance to remove for gym . Unless you are divinely flat at the back, you will want a panty girdle with removable garters when you wear pants or shorts. Panty girdles are ideal, too, under straight skirts, especially for the girl with large thighs who needs leg as well as hip control. On the other hand, a girl with only a stomach problem should consider the regular girdle her basic garment, as it is usually more strongly boned and reinforced in front than a panty girdle. Some girls with no special figure problems prefer a regular girdle to the panty type. Its cooler and cleaner than a panty girdle, unless you wash your panty girdle daily. But the laundry problem can be solved by wearing a pair of briefs underneath, and washing them every day. Carole Jackson, book Color Me Beautiful, 1980, p. 109: One final note on the fanny: by the time you are thirty, gravity has usually worked its will and your fanny has dropped three inches or so. Unknown book from the 60s (page heading reads Body Beautiful), p. 10: Think of girdles and bras in terms of smoothness, firmness, and flexibility. Every girl needs those qualities to appear at her best in everything she wears. Even though you are slim, wear a step-in, two-way-stretch girdle to control your lines. It will not hamper your movements. You will find that it improves your posture. If you need more abdominal support or control, select a girdle that has a boned front. It will hold in that protruding stomach. Margaret, poster on the Girdles & More forum, "Girdles are good for you," 04 Nov 2000 14:50:21 I soon realized that if you had to wear a girdle, it might as well be a good one. By that I mean not necessarily firm, but well fitting and long lasting. A loose, weak, or flimsy girdle was (and is) neither use nor ornament. You're always tugging at it, and it doesn't do its job. That, I imagine, is why the ladies in question wanted decent girdles. Anon., Are You a Corset Contortionist?, Ladies Home Journal, April, 1938, p. 68: THE YANKER. Offender No. 1shes perpetually tugging at the lower edge of her girdle. Weve all seen her, we all know her; too many of us are her. So lets do something about it. Lets, the next time we go corset shopping, pick a model that is long enough to fit well over the danger point. If it is the proper length, your anatomy will see to it that the girdle stays where it belongs.
THE BULGER. A distressing sight, that of the lady who, beneath sleek hips, suddenly bursts out with too, too thriving thighs. She has erred in choosing a corset that is too tight, forcing the unfortunate flesh to find an outlet below. To avoid that lowly bulging, be sure your new girdle allows room for everything you have to stay in its proper place. THE ROLLER. This is another all-too-frequent casualtythe waistline excess commonly known as spare tires. The remedy demands both length and width; either an all-in-one foundation garment or a girdle that rises well above the sit-down bend, one which will not compress and force your tummy upward. A couple of light bones in front may also help. THE GOUGER. Here we have the lady who, every time she sits or stands, adjusts the top front of her corset with a most ungraceful gesture of thumbs-in-and-up. As in the case of the Roller, an all-in-one is the logical solution to her problem. If she wants a girdle too, it should be high and flexible in front. Then she wont have to dig for it. National Enquirer, Women Are Becoming Less Curvy, More Tube-Shaped, Jan. 30, 1979: The shape of women is changingtheyre becoming less curvy and more straight up and down, according to womens clothing experts. The reason: over the years womens waistlines have expanded [thanks to our corsetless era], transforming the traditional hourglass silhouette to one that is more or less tube shaped. Over the last two or three years, [Lynn Walsh] said, many of Sears women customers have been returning purchased apparel with the complaint, Your waists are too small. As a result, the company has changed the basic patterns for its womens sizes. We have increased the waist by one full inch, Walsh said. In England a leading underwear company, Berlei (UK) Ltd. spent four years precisely measuring the figures of 4500 women. We found that British women over the last 25 years have gotten smaller breasts and hips, along with a thicker waist, said Ammes Gardner, who is the firms advertising manager.
Shapewear Revival:
Editors, The Seventeen Book of Fashion & Beauty, 1970, p. 202: Figure-shapers follow current fashions. The easy semi-fitted silhouettes, the knits, the fluid crepes and chiffons of the past few years all play up the natural figure. As do pants. [Hence] Contemporary bras and girdles are the softest and lightest ever, constructed to control and support without forcing or binding. But when the fashion pendulum swings back, as it certainly will, to figure-defining clothes, underpinnings will again include waistsmoothing, high-rise girdles, and bras with more emphasis on uplift. The trend, in fact, has already begun. For instance, under the new wide belts, you may want to add a waist smoother. If too many hot fudge sundaes have settled around your midsection, an all-in-one foundation will be the most effective choice for smoothing out bulges above and below your belts and waistlines. Adrien Arpel, How to Look 10 Years Younger, 1979 or 1980: The word girdle is becoming obsolete, and so is the type of garment it refers to: a multi-zippered steel-boned contraption complete with built-in garters that is so stiff it stands firmly at attention even when youre not wearing it. Most women abandoned the girdle back in the 1960s and have worn no controllers since. But the opposite extreme, the let-it-all-hang-out look, is not only unflattering to most of us who are now less than completely firm , it is also unnecessary. Most every woman over the age of 30 could use a little control for a sleeker look. You can have a terrific figure and still be plagued by a slight pot belly, dimpled outer thighs, drooping derriere (all problems unknown to the 16year-old) . If you have a flat or sagging derriere (the behind submits to gravity as much as the bustline ) there are excellent controllers that also lift your bottom. Look for a seam or shirring (i.e., a puckered seam) going up the center of the back from the crotch to the waist. Still other styles have a panel at the bottom that works like two hands to
cup and lift your rear. Waist afflicted with love handles (that extra inch or so of flesh that hangs around your middle)? Look for a slimmer with a collar, a wide band designed to cinch in your waistline. Ibid., p. 138: The one underwear color you can safely eliminate from your wardrobe is white. Manufacturers say that the nude tones now sell equally with or better than whitewith good reason. Not only does white turn grey and lifeless after repeated washings (and you remember what mother said about wearing clean underwear in case youre in an accident how come mothers never suggest nice underwear in case you have a spur-of-the-moment chance for a brief encounter?), it also shows through under thin or lightweight fabrics. Of course, women cannot buy underthings for practicality alone. The sensible nude Ive just touted probably wont set his pulse racing. If you want to make a dramatic statement when you take your clothes off, wear lacetrimmed red. Rosemary Hawthorne, Stockings and Suspenders: A Quick Flash, 1990?, pp. 102-03: Some of the most ingenious, brilliant and sexy corsetry ever designed comes from the fruitful years between 1947 and 1964. Foundation garments, as they were called, created the outline on which a smart womans clothes could blossom; from teens to nineties, a woman could be shaped. Bosoms were out front: thrusting, whirlpool-stitched bras placed them prominently in view, especially in the evening when dresses were dcollet in a way that hadnt been seen since the 1890s. The waist, of necessity, was handspan small, cinched down by a waspie that might well be worn over the satin and elastic girdle, a garment that now, to add flourish to the shape of the skirt, often had hip springsextra padding or width at the sidescompleted by long, strong suspenders which yanked the stockings to attention. Corsetieres still made up bespoke girdles .... Teenage girls or very slim women relied on just a suspender belt , but for millions of women, the girdle they felt happiest wearing, a friend through thick and thin, was the roll-on. This cherished second skin of lastex yarn, in white or pink was first manufactured in the late 1920s. It was top of the class for ordinary women . Ibid., p. 112-15: It was with good reason that researchers for Du Pont in the mid-Seventies asked, What has happened to the girdle? . The evidence they brought back showed that rejection was the key wordin all age groups, but particularly between 15 and 35 years. These women said, quite rightly [?], that pantie-hose eliminated the girdle because you didnt have to hold up stockings any more. What was more, they claimed that women didnt like girdles and never had, and only wore them because they had been nothing else available. Wearing a girdle had been almost a legal requirementyou had to, everyone did. But now, oh wonderful, there was choice. What the heck, they had decided to go natural. Girdles came in for strong feminist flack, too. They were remnants of male domination (controlling your body to please his eye), they were cheaters a way of pretending you were something you were not. Young women thought that elastic girdles turned men off and were as unacceptable as false teeth. However, some women, more realistically, admitted that they werent all built like a Venus and, for dress-up occasions, preferred to have a bit of help around the tummy and hips. What they all hated and detested were the names: corsets, foundations, girdles, roll-onsthe whole darn lot. Armed with this information corsetry manufacturers set to work and tried a host of new names: body fashions, body garments, bodysuits, smoothers, shapers, innerwear, outerwear enhancers. Coordinates came in, and sets. The men who hankered for a bit of suspender-stretched-over-naked-thigh treatment were having a pretty lean time unless they happened to pass a small window in Bond Street, where Janet Reger was incredibly busy in
displaying her latest lingerie designsgorgeous trifles in satin and lace. This was the stuff that dreams are made of. Ibid., p. 122-23: [In the eighties there] was a more divergent look, with eerie sado-masochistic vibrationsexposing under as outer wear. Models wearing nothing (much) else but sensational pointed bras, shiny black girdles, and French-farce suspendered black stockings strutted, thighs aflashing, in front of the international buyers and media pack. Wannabes wanted corsets like crazy. Everywhere the external girdle was blossoming at prices from 18 to 200 pounds for a really posh bottom. Those that dared wear it in the street said it made them feel safe as well as sexy. Anne-Marie Schiro, Silk, Satin and Lace, NY Times, May 12, 1981, C-12: A few years ago ready-to-wear boutiques were opening so fast that even the most inveterate shopper could not keep track of them. Now its lingerie shops. Half a dozen have appeared around town in the last year alone, joining the [pre-existing] dozen or so. [Quoting the owner of one of the early stores:] By 1977 sales of garter belts tripled. Then came the corselets. Prima made the first really beautiful one in 1978. It was $105, and everyone gulped at the price, then bought it. The shop owners seem to agree on one thing: women in executive jobs are among their best customers. Now women have proved themselves and can be feminine. The hippies of the 60s who never wore underwear now wear satin and lace underneath their corduroy pants. Barbara Wagh suggests another reason the shops are proliferating: men. At least half our customers are men, she said. They tell us they were never comfortable in department stores. Here its more intimate. And a lot of couples come in together to shop. Susan Parker, Smarty Pants, Harpers Bazaar, Sept. 1985, p. 322: People derive a certain perverse satisfaction from the clothing they wear that almost no one else gets to see. Underwear gives everyone a secret. The man sitting across from you at dinner in a conservative pinstripe suit could be sporting hearts and flowers underneath, the bag lady on the subway could be hiding a leopard-spotted teddy and the sex bomb in the office could have on a simple hairshirt. Who knows? .... Like anything that is hidden, underwear inspires great curiosity. There used to be bags in which to put it before hanging it out on the line to dry, so the neighbors wouldnt see. Little lingerie shops have sprung up in cities all over the country. About 35% of their sales are intended as gifts, and quite a few men make up that percentage. Contrary to the popular notion that men become inhibited and embarrassed when faced with buying womens undergarments, Cook says the majority like to browse and are quite relaxed. Another large new clientele for lingerie is women who grew up in the 60s when interest in underwear was in decline. Cook states, Quite a few women come in who are around 33 or 35 and say they have never worn a bra but want to buy one now. And women who wear T-shirts to bed are getting tired of the same old thing. Self magazine, The A List, March 1989: In minutes, it seemed, the Japanese fashion invasion came and went. Designer jeans and down coats gave way, by the late eighties, to designers killer scents and to latex skirts so body-molding they inspired a revival of the girdle. Mollie Brownstein, A Thigh of Relief, Slate magazine,
When I was working in a conservative Washington office. I walked two miles to and from work every day, and before leaving the house, I would put biking shorts on under my dress for the trek. With my stomach, butt and thighs tucked in neatly and comfortably, I was on my way. No chafing, no irritating red skin rash. And the added bonus: no jiggle. Unlike oppressive control-top stockings, my Lycra shorts kept me cool through the nauseatingly sticky Washington summers. I kept my flesh collected without having to suffocate my entire leg in hose. I decreed my shorts my Chafe Protectors, since that's exactly what they were. Pretty soon I stopped taking them off when I got to the office. When I told my mother about my discovery, she said, "Oh, so you're essentially wearing a girdle." A girdle? No no no no no. I wasn't a girdle wearer. I was too sporty, too modern, too cool. I was not reverting back to the oppressive fashions of yesteryear. I was not strapping myself into a veritable harness. My thighs weren't silenced, they could speak! My Chafe Protectors were liberating. They freed me from a lifelong bodily irritation. When my biker shorts started getting gnarly I went to the lingerie department at Bloomingdale's to investigate the more official, uh, chafe protector offerings. And in fact there were dozens to choose from. They came in staple lingerie colors -- beige, white and black -- and had names like "Body Hugger" and "Second Skin" and "Slenderizer." (Not "girdle," mind you -- never "girdle"! "Body Hugger" has a nice ring to it. Almost as good as "Chafe Protector.") I liked these fancier versions, the ones made of nylon with a dash of Lycra. They felt like a cross between a slip and a wet suit. I tried on a black pair and stared at myself in a three-way mirror. My ripples were smoothed, my silhouette sleek. Who cared if I looked as if I had waded into an oil slick? A few of my friends have been utterly horrified when I've lifted my dress to show them my Protectors. But a couple of them -- those who understand the sensation of cottage cheese flesh clashing together like cymbals -- have been converted. Move Over Girdle, There's A Power Panty In Town--Company Wants To Make Behinds Look Better--Get ready for the power panty." Feb 6, 2002 And what's a power panty? Pantyhose mogul Sara Blakely won't say -- but she's got a lot of people interested. Her Atlanta area company, Spanx, is already taking orders for the product, sight unseen. Blakely has made a killing with her control top, fishnet pantyhose, which makes the wearer look one size smaller. Blakely said she has a simple business philosophy -- "It's all about making women's butts look better." The company is also known for its footless stockings [visit site to see a picture] that reportedly make women look one size smaller.
Jane Larkworthy, Body of Work: Cinching In, from a recent W magazine When diet and exercise fail (or when you fail to diet and exercise), don't discount the wonders of that old standby, the girdlethe modern, high-tech version, of course. Disdained by a generation that associated them with a bygone era that was restrictive in more ways than one, foundation garmentsnow more comfortable, better-looking and with hipper namesare making a comeback. Warnaco's Bodyslimmers Nancy Ganz has recently introduced the Belly Band, a wide swath of firming fabric that tightens around the tummy and has comfortable panties attached. The company also makes the Unitard, a torso-length bodysuit that, according to vice president of sales Marc Kimmelman, "attacks the abdomen, slaughters the thighs and cups in the tush." Dea Birkett, "All of me:" In the first of an eight-part series on body image. Dea Birkett takes a close, if doleful, look at her 'sticky-out' belly, The Guardian, Thursday June 20, 2002, http://www.guardian.co.uk/health/story/0,3605,740504,00.html It arrived without an invitation. One day I was reasonably trim and proud in a crop top. Then the next there was this bit of spare flesh in front of me, protruding more than it ought. I would look down at it and think - who does that belong to? It wobbled with a life of its own, fell in neat little rolls and was wrinkled with wear, as if it were second-hand.
Whether a woman has been pregnant or not, her stomach is her sorest point. Kathryn Freeland from Absolute Fitness turns up on my doorstep just after breakfast to take my belly away from me. "It's disgusting, isn't it?" she says, daring to say out loud what every magazine fashion shoot, every portrait of a high-profile female, every pair of trousers from Mango or Zara, quietly suggests. Lauren Hutton (former supermodel), article about, Vanity Fair, May 1989, p. 207: At 130 pounds, Hutton is about fifteen pounds heavier than her previous posing weight. I think I singlehandedly put the girdle industry out of businessnow Id like to bring it back, she cracked recently. Jess Cartner-Morley, Wonder women: What you see is what you get? Not any more. Jess Cartner-Morley uncovers the hidden helpers, The Guardian, Friday November 26, 1999, Scary-looking, hold-it-in, hoik-em-up contraptions are lurking underneath Earl jeans all over the country. What started with the Wonderbra explosion of a few years ago has expanded into a Wonderwear empire, expanding (or rather shrinking) to cinch waists, lift bottoms and slim thighs. Below the belt, the new generation of super-strength Lycra is a demon at waist-whittling and bottom-sculpting, but is as easy to get into (and out of) as a wetsuit with no zips. Hardly striptease material. However, interested onlookers may see your sudden change in shape differently. I recently overheard a girl in a club loo remarking on some contraption a friend was wearing underneath her dress and asking how she was going to explain away the difference when she got home with the man she'd pulled. The friend replied that since she'd been intending to seduce, she'd left the heating off and the windows open so she could suggest getting undressed in bed. "They always fall for it," she added breezily.
Timmi Toler, A big issue in my life is now all behind meliterally, Jacksonville, FL Daily News, March 19, 2006 Ive decided that I am no longer going to worry about how I look from behind. Ive been on this earth for almost 40 years now and frankly Ive wasted too much time being concerned about this. When I get dressed in the morning, I will no longer stand in front of my full length mirror, turn completely around and take a good look at whats going on back there. Because when I do, I get really concerned about what I see. There are bulges, ridges and even a few craters in places I would rather not mention. When I see these issues, I see problemsproblems that I try to camouflage with different outfits. Problems that I try to deflect attention away from with flashy shoes or interesting hairstyles. Problems that I never had in my 20s. Well, no more. From now on, there is no problem. There is only the way things are and whatever is going on back there is really none of my business. I am no longer concerned about it. It is now the sole burden of those traveling behind me. Whatever their perspective or view might be on the down side of Timmi, they need to keep it to themselves. I no longer have any interest. Im over it. This isnt to say I am going to let myself go. I quite enjoy keeping myself here. But this is to say that I am letting go of all of the fears and judgments that may be lurking behind me. Chunky parts, rolling parts, jiggling parts I have them all and most of them are located in the nether regions of my backside. I am a quivering mass (and on occasion, a quivering mess). I am older now. Gravity has taken over. Things are falling and sagging and sloping in places that no amount of Lycra or Spandex from the best designed girdle is going to change. But I will wear the girdle because it does help the situation a little. It does at least cover my multitude of sins. I will just no longer mind how the girdle looks on me. I will no longer care about VPLs and their effects on others. I may even get a T-shirt that says I have visible panty lines, just to warn people of whats coming. There they are
and theyre not pretty. But theyre necessary. If they bother you, dont look at them. But dont look at me either. I could care less. I have now adopted the dont ask, dont tell philosophy with my living end. The liberation has begun. Yes, if you look behind me, there are all kinds of proof of whats going on in my life. I am aging and I wear undergarments to safeguard against this process. I think this evidence should not only be reassuring to others, but even commendable on my part. There are far too many people walking around out there without that safeguard fast and loose, hanging freely. I dont know why. Its really quite unnerving for the rest of us. When did undergarments become such a source of shame? Why is it so important to look like you arent wearing them when you really are? When did this happen? That small barrier between the real us and the clothes covering us is pretty important, folks. There are parts of our bodies, particularly female bodies, that need a little extra love and support, a little extra security and validation. Im going to give my body what it needs. I am going to embrace my aging rear view and my visible undergarments and be proud of whatever impression they may leave behind. Im just not going to look at that behind anymore.
Avoid Girdle Gangrene The Best Way to Wear this Tortuous Slimming Device spicy-news.com: by Dawn C. Tuesday, 15 August 2006 So you want to make that body better but you know it will be a torturous affair. If you are thinking about a girdle you are probably thinking about a torture device that is designed to suck you in and push you up. Well, it doesn't have to be so bad. Girdles can be sexy and practical for women of all sizes. They can bring out your curves, hide your flaws, and go unnoticed under any outfit. When a girdle fits right it can have an amazing effect on your body. This is not to say it won't feel strange at first, especially if you have never worn one before. You will want to wear one for a while before making any decision on whether or not it is for you. Have some patience and get used to the feel because you will love the look under your clothes. One of the biggest problems with women is that they get do not get the right size. Most women have absolutely no clue what size they really are. If your girdle is too tight, you will surely know. You will be pinched and find yourself bubbling over the top and bottom of it. If it starts to make your thighs hurt then you can be certain it is time to get a new one that actually works and fits, as it should. Once you have gotten the perfect size for you and have worn it for about a week you should not even notice it is there at all. Many women will eventually find wearing a girdle is extremely a wonderful experience. The feeling of being held together and kept firmly intact makes a woman feel better and more organized. The more attractive you feel the more confident and assertive you are. It can give one the feeling of being more feminine and smooth as well. Many women start to have better posture once they start wearing a girdle. The support and self-esteem it creates makes a woman sit and stand taller. It is almost as though the girdle makes you act as if you are more graceful and beautiful than before. The basic rule to wearing a girdle is to make sure it fit well and comfortably so that you don't even notice that it is there. If you have the ideal figure and are just looking for a bit of shaping you will most likely not even know it is there. For those of us ladies looking for a bit of control with our shaping the girdle should be comfortable but you should feel the firmness. The key is to feel supported and well put together at the same time as still being able to move. Like any other control under garment you will want to be fitted and try them on before buying to make sure that you have the perfect fit. The most important key element to remember is that if the girdle is not comfortable then it does not fit you. You are aiming for control not constriction, there is a big difference. If your girdle fits you right you will not feel a gap or pinch at your waist. If you decide to go with boning in your girdle you will want to make sure that it curves with your body and allows you to breathe. Your girdle should not ride up or move around when you do. Nor should it cause any type of bulging at the edges. This will result in a very unflattering distribution under the clothes. You will need the girdle long enough to sit with out riding up but not chafing your legs as you walk. [She is alluding to
an open-bottom type, not a panty girdleRK.] If it rides up with motion then it either is too short or way too tight over the hips. The key to the best fit is to try the girdle on then fasten the hose then try it out. You should be able to sit, breathe easily, and bend without any problems or discomfort. The major problem that most women have with a girdle is getting the wrong one.
Hip Girdles by Alison Fass, Forbes magazine, Oct.16, 2006 Among bridesmaids the latest chatter these days is not the anxious bride or the cutest groomsman. It's a new-age girdle that spruces up the butt, reins in the tummy and does not have the unwanted side effect of creating "muffin top": the inch (or more) of skin that pours over a tight waistband. The reason: Sara Blakely, who started a footless (for sandals), control-top (for a smooth tush in tight pants) hosiery business called Spanx in 2000. Last year she hit upon another pertinent phenomenon: a high-waisted control-top girdle that shapes women all the way up to the bra line. "It makes me feel more confident!" exclaims Robyn Polansky, 28, a New York City investment analyst. She can thank the combination of nylon and spandex that makes it tauter than typical athletic clothing. Bloomingdale's says sales of Spanx shapewear skyrocketed 250% after it was offered in spring 2005. The biggest seller: the $68 Slim Cognito, a seamless midthigh bodysuit. It appeals to buxom and trim women alike. "Everyone has a little bulge they're not thrilled about," says Elizabeth Hospodar, Bloomingdale's divisional merchandise manager for intimate apparel. Indeed, the celeb magazine In Touch Weekly plans to feature Spanx as "Hollywood's Big Secret" in an October issue and to highlight girdle fans from Oprah to Jessica Alba. The Spanx name is so synonymous with bodyshaping boosts that women who choose another option, from, say, Wacoal, still refer to it as Spanx. Blakely's business is plus size. Retail sales are expected to surpass $100 million this year, at least half to Spanx. That compares to a gross of $1.6 million in 2001, when FORBES first wrote about Spanx. What was then 3 employees is now 45, including Chief Executive Laurie Ann Goldman, a former licensing director for Coca-Cola.
Shape Shifters by Constance Harris, (Irish) Sunday Independent, 1 October 2006 With the advent of the Sixties and the sexual revolution came the release of women from the strictures of foundation garments and corsetry. The following 30 years ranged from letting it all hang out (in the Seventies) to acquiring the perfect gym body for "support" (the Nineties until now). Me, I have never wanted a gym body. I don't think gym bodies are particularly feminine, although, like many women, I worry that modern men's sexuality has been influenced by the gym body, as well as by the prevalence of prepubescent female models and anorexic-looking celebs such as Posh Spice. The fact that Marilyn Monroe is still voted the sexiest woman in the world offers hope to us normal, curvy women. But no matter how much you believe in your curves, there are definitely occasions when you wish you had fewer of them, or that you could at least shape them into looking a little more... conventional, shall we say? You want to look like Marilyn, but how can you? Well, the same way she did, of course: great lingerie. You see, another downside to the sexual revolution for women born into that free-love, anti-lingerie (unless it's for sex's sake) era is that they've no idea how to use lingerie to improve their figure, their posture and their comfort. We've become a nation of fast shoppers, and we don't give ourselves time to learn how to make the most of our
assets. Instead we dash in and buy the same size bra we bought five years ago, without thinking that maybe our backs have got narrower and our boobs bigger, that our ill-fitting lingerie could be the reason why we have neck and shoulder problems; and that there's no need to walk around with your tummy sucked in there are knickers to do that, As we kick off an exciting new season where structure is the mot du jour, lingerie becomes the most important issue of all. The collections abound in cellulite-revealing jersey dresses, saddlebag-exposing skinny jeans and untoned-leg-flashing mini skirts. Now more than ever, you need to know about lingerie. Brown Thomas, our market leader when it comes to international fashion, is dedicating the month of October in its lingerie departments in Dublin, Cork and Limerick to teaching women about undergarments to maximise shape and style, and make you feel comfortable. With its Shape Your Silhouette campaign, Brown Thomas has expert fitters available to teach you about bras and support shorts, tights and briefs, when to wear a basque, when to go strapless, and all that jazz. So this month, girls, I beg of you, give yourself time. Love yourself a little. Make it a point to get yourself properly measured and learn about this stuff. You will be amazed how fabulous and confident.
ABC News Internet Ventures Oct. 28, 2006 They've been around for centuries, but for a long time, young women shunned them. Now, the girdle's back. Some very sexy women who are wearing so-called support undergarments these days. "Personally as a stylist, I have been using undergarments on my celebrities for over a decade now," said Philip Bloch, a designer and celebrity stylist. "It just helps them feel better -- everybody from Sandy Bullock to Meg Ryan, to Halle Berry, Salma Hayek." Even supermodels are jumping on the bandwagon. "Well, I got a lot of cellulite on my booty," said model and talk show host Tyra Banks. "I wear Spanx on 80 percent of the shows." Banks isn't alone in her devotion to Spanx, a popular brand of support undergarments. One of "Fantastic Four's" superheroes relies on the girdle's super-stretchy powers: Jessica Alba thanks Spanx for hiding her lumps and bumps. They work for mere mortals as well. "When you walk, it's all like a 25 year old -- firm and compact," said one fan of modern girdles. "Definitely takes off the five pounds," affirmed another. It's not necessarily grannies in these panties. "Who doesn't want to look good -- especially the actresses," Bloch said. "So why not look that good even when you're going to the PTA? "
Bodyshapers - Suck it in, in style by Kim Crow, Newhouse News Service April 8, 2007 So you have the cute clingy dress, the knockout shoes and cherry-red lip gloss. Now if you could only lose that tummy pouch and thigh bulge by the weekend. It is time to break out the foundation garments. But is that cute, clingy dress worth the discomfort of a girdle? "We don't use the G-word anymore," says Leilani Matthews, an intimate-apparel fit expert. "Bodyshapers are one of the fastest-growing segments on our floor. These are not your grandma's girdle. Really, these things are amazing. They can be virtually weightless but still can shape and stretch." Due to advances in fabric technology and manufacturing, modern bodyshapers bear little resemblance to the girdle Granny may have worn. The popularity of the bulky, laced and steel-bound garments fell dramatically after the 1970s, as women liberated themselves from hourglass silhouettes to letting it all hang out. "When I burned my bra, I burned the girdle, too," jokes Betsy Mueller, 55, of North Royalton, Ohio. "My mother wore a girdle every day of her life. She had actual grooves on her rib cage some days. I always said, 'Nuh-uh, I'm not going to do that.' "
Yet in the last decade, as clothing styles became more body-conscious among women of all ages, retailers have seen interest rise in this new generation of body slimmers. According to market-research firm NPD Group, sales of shapewear jumped 26 percent from 2005 to 2006, with sales reaching nearly $740 million last year. "Yes, we're the generation that burned our bras, but I don't know if you've read the last chapter gravity wins," deadpans Matthews. "No matter how fit a woman is, as she gets older, her tissue softens. But hey, she works out, she works hard, she wants to wear what's fashionable. That's where a light shaper comes in." Much of the shapewear world's resurgence in popularity is because of Spanx, an enterprise created when its founder couldn't find footless control-top pantyhose to wear under trousers and with open-toed shoes. Spanx founder Sara Blakely parlayed her $5,000 savings account into $100 million in sales in six years. Her hosiery and shapewear have been touted by the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyonc Knowles and Tyra Banks, who actually lifted her skirt on television to show off her Spanx. "Everyone from a size 2 to 22 can benefit from a smooth, flawless foundation," says Maggie Adams, publicrelations coordinator for Spanx. With the shapewear industry in such a growth mode, there's seemingly a slimmer out there for everyone. Here's a quick look at some of what's available: Shaper thong: For women who have a softening lower abdomen but don't want rear coverage. Offers lightweight control. Shaper briefs: These come in a variety of styles with the option of tummy control and booty booster in the rear. Lightweight to moderately slimming. Hip slip: One piece with built-in bra and panties under a skirt slip, often with silicone grippers at the hem to keep it in place. Best under short dresses and skirts, but remember, this garment will keep your legs bound together. Tends to ride up with a lot of movement. Shaper camisole: For lightweight midriff and muffin-top control, often with a shelf bra or molded-bra cups built right in. Many versions have silicone grippers along the bottom hem that keep the cami in place. Biker pant: A longer leg that stops right above the knee. Again, high-waist versions are available. Moderate to extra firming in the thigh saddlebag, tummy and rear areas. Creates an hourglass shape. All-in-one: These look like bathing suits that go all the way to the knee or lower. Moderate to lightweight firming, but can be hard to fit on many body types. Long pant: Often worn by women who've undergone liposuction or vascular surgery; lightweight to firm control. Boy shorts: A panty-line-free option that offers moderate tummy and bottom control. Best for those with athletic upper thighs. Panty leg: These come to midthigh, and versions feature a high waist meant to come right under the bra line. Moderate to firm control in the tummy, midriff, rear and saddlebag areas. Great for clingy knits, but warning the thigh seam can be seen through pants, depending on the fabric. Often has silicone grippers on the bottom hem. Waist cincher: The most medieval-looking of the bunch, cinchers have stays to keep them in place. Some have hook-and-eye closures, as well. They offer firm to extra-firm control and lower-back support. Getting yourself in shapers Try them on. Shapewear sizes are based on averages. If you have a short waist, slim hips or a generous bottom, you may have to go up and down in size accordingly. Bottom sizes are generally based on waist sizes, but if your hips are 13 inches or greater than your waist size, your hip measurement may be a more accurate fitting guide.
Ask for help. Bra fitters should have some training in fitting foundation garments. Check out the seams. To see how much control a shaper will give, turn it inside out and check the seaming. The more seams, the more shape it will give you. Another trick put your forearms inside the garment and give it a horizontal tug. The more resistance, the more firming the garment will be. Bottoms up. If you want to give a boost to your bottom, look for versions with seams and gussets on the rear. If you want to flatten your bottom, look for seamless versions. Placement counts. Identify your problem areas, and look for models that offer double- or even triple-knit control panels where you want them. Comfort counts. If a garment is really uncomfortable, make sure you have it on correctly. A high-waisted version should rest right under the bottom of your bra. If it's cutting into your rib cage, you're not wearing it high enough, or it's the wrong size. Easy does it. For the bike-short models, it's easier to roll them on like pantyhose than to step into them as you would with pants. Consider a combo. Because of differences in body types, it's very difficult to find a full-body slimmer that does everything you want it to do. Consider a combination of garments. Your own bra, a waist cincher and bike shorts may be a better-fitting combination for a long-waisted gal than an all-in-one model. Have realistic expectations. An extra-firming garment may well take you down a size, but bodyshapers are at their best and most comfortable when they're used to create a slimmer, bump-free line under the clothing size you generally wear.
By Judith Spitzer Today was the perfect summer day in Portland. Sunny, but not too hot just perfect. You know what they say Its not the heat, its the stupidity. OK then. So I had to visit the park in the Pearl District as I was driving by because all those kids are so very cute wading and jumping through the water spurting up through the rocks and laughing, laughing, laughing. The two adorable girls in the photo are Eden, 2, and her sister Sofie Miller, 5, who are in town from Michigan visiting their grandmother. Ahh, theyre oh so cute yes? Do you remember where you were when you heard about Spanx? (Wasn't that a smooth transition?) Spanx are the intimate undies that banish panty lines, allow you to wear any shoe and instantly make you look 10 lbs. thinner even though you still havent called Jenny? Yes, it was a groundbreaking moment in my life when Oprah introduced us to Sara Blakely in 2000 the woman who, in 1998, cut the feet out of her pantyhose to look smashing in her cream colored pants and then proceeded to develop and market the incredible body shapers. If you dont know what I mean when I say cottage cheese thighs youre probably blessed with French anticellulite genes. Spanx are a cross between a girdle (dont you hate that word?) and pantyhose and are very popular with the Hollywood set (Jennifer Garner, Gywneth and Oprah). The footless pantyhose provide excellent control and smooth your body without crushing your ribs. So when I was at Target getting last minute vacation goodies, I bought the last pair of footless pantyhose in the store. Luckily they were in my size. The brand name caught my eye Assets could there be a better name for
footless hose? Then, lo and behold I looked up the name online and discovered the Spanx company just launched Assets -- the budget friendly version of the shapeers -- exclusively at Target. Assets, the budget version, features three different types of shapers--underwear, footless, and full pantyhose. The retail price of the shapers are $10-$15 and a portion of the sales goes to help educational projects in South Africa according to the web site. And their philosophy is refreshing. "We are the original, we patented (Patent Number: US 6,276,176) the concept and we are women designing products for women. We found that in all of these years, men have been designing pantyhose for women and they don't wear them (at least they don't admit to it). Sara started as a frustrated consumer and quickly turned into a pantyhose guru. Im telling you I love the feel and look of these. You have to try them. Theyre very soft yet firm. Kind of like the way we want our men to be. Oh but thats another column.
Modern girdles get the glamour treatment by Maxine Mendelssohn Freelance, The Gazette (Montreal) 2006 Saturday, May 27, 2006 From the "everything old is new again" file, out comes the girdle for the modern woman. Perhaps inspired by stickfigure-thin stars like Nicole Richie and Teri Hatcher, girdle makers are spreading the news that it's not nerdy or pass to wear a tamer or a power panty, the modern description for the good old girdle. They're the new generation of slimming undergarments, but they still carry old promises of flattening bulging tummies, lifting flaccid butts and taming that dreadful visible panty line (VPL). And the target market for newfangled girdles isn't women with middle-age spread, it's younger women - even those who are slim. "We get a lot of younger, smaller women, who really might not even need it, but sometimes it's psychological. It just makes them comfortable with their bodies," explains Vanessa Nagley, manager at Westmount's Sox Box, which has a whole section devoted to shapers. Red-carpet habitus Oprah, Gwen Stefani and even style goddess Sarah Jessica Parker have confessed their love of spandex tamers from Sassybax, Cass And Co. and Spanx. But since it's pretty much a given we won't be strutting our suburban selves down a red rug anytime soon, why bother with a girdle? Simply put, today's fashions are anything but baggy and the slim fits may require a little curve taming. Case in point; trendy Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dresses are VPL disasters waiting to happen. Even flimsy tees from James Perse can show back fat ripples, and designer denim from Citizens of Humanity can leave your thighs looking like Christmas hams. "Slinky dresses are very in now," said Claire Dahan, owner of Miss Swiss boutiques on Mont Royal Ave. and St. Denis St., where they stock clingy viscose wrap dresses. "They're snug, but at the same time they don't hold you in at all, so you're essentially hanging out there." According to Dahan, there's nothing wrong with wearing a girdle, especially if it's seen as young and hip. Fashion Television host Jeanne Beker has also praised body slimmers in her Globe and Mail column. She reminded
readers that "back in the '60s, even the hippest, skinniest women wore girdles," and she tells us to think of body slimmers as "New Age versions of old-fashioned panty girdles." That's just what the folks at La Senza would like us to think. After 15 years in the lingerie business, the Canadian retailer is set to launch a line of girdles next month. La Senza's clientele is between 18 and 35 years of age. Still, it claims to have introduced the girdles due to "customer demand." According to executive vice-president, Caroline Sacchetti, "the Shapewear is absolutely being marketed as sexy and young. These aren't the girdles of the past. Everything is seam-free, low-waisted spandex and it's not heavy or body-restricting." The girdle revival is bulging with such claims. "We've tested internally and more full-figured women tend to drop a dress size. That's almost an inch in hip measurement," said Miriam Freibauer, chief marketing officer at Phantom Industries, makers of the Silks Shaper. "They have a tighter weave under and between the bum cheeks so they lift, separate and support your bum." Achieving a smooth body line using a girdle is like plopping in colour contact lenses or gluing on acrylic nails; it's a quick fix that many will try but few will admit to. "I'm not embarrassed; I just don't want the world to know I wear a girdle," said Claudia, who didn't want to give her real name. The 23-year-old nursing student often wears tamers when she's not in hospital scrubs. "Girdles give me a very flat stomach and make my butt higher. Clothes just fit better." Still, Claudia does concede one hazard: "So what if they sometimes cut my circulation above the knee?" I decided to investigate the trade-offs myself, experimenting with Spanks and Silks Shaper girdles for a week. I wore a thigh tamer, a full slip (with under-wire bra) and a high-waisted tummy tamer - on different days, of course. Yes, they gave me a nicer silhouette, but I couldn't help but feel like my trunk and legs were encased like sausages. The girdles are perfect for standing around looking skinnier than you actually are, and they also help with the rear view, the one you give everyone when you walk out of a room. To this end, I wore a tamer to the gym, and found that when I was pounding the treadmill I felt less self-conscious about my "badonka donk donk" as rapper Missy Elliott affectionately calls it. Inserting and extracting myself from the girdles was a workout in itself. In fact, a colleague caught me pulling my girdle up in the bathroom and remarked from the next stall that it sounded like I was "trying to saddle a wild mare." So after lunging and squatting to get the girdle over my kneecaps and (gasp!) my thighs, I emerged looking sleek, spandexy and flushed. And despite that slightly vacuum-packed sensation, I felt a little more like Nicole Richie, quite a feat for a 5-foot-3, 120-pound chick. I'm slim, but I'll definitely be wearing a girdle under my slinky dress to avoid giving a less-than-stellar rear view. I'm not taking any chances.
So how does Katie look so good? A trim Katie Holmes makes a surprise appearance by Valentine Low, Evening Standard 05.05.06 Talk about Mission Impossible... it has been a mere 17 days - count 'em - since Katie Holmes gave birth to
daughter Suri, but Tom Cruise has not wasted any time in wheeling out his fiance to help publicise his new movie. And yes, it has to be admitted that she is looking pretty good. But the question celeb-watchers will no doubt be asking is: has she gone for a Gwynnie Girdle? For, let's face it, most new mothers would not feel brave enough to face the world's flashbulbs only a fortnight after giving birth. We all know now how Gwyneth Paltrow does it. Following the birth of Moses - a brother for her daughter Apple she has been using a postpregnancy girdle recommended by her London obstetrician, Dr Gowri Motha: or, to be strictly accurate, two. What about Katie, though? In this picture she is looking remarkably trim. All the weight she put on during pregnancy seems to have disappeared - or has it? Does that black dress hide rather more than it reveals? It is rather loose fitting, is it not? Could there possibly be a girdle under there? Her presence at the screening certainly came as a surprise to the fans gathered at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. When a 2006 Bugatti Veyron rolled up to the red carpet, onlookers only expected Cruise to get out of the vehicle, the fastest road car on the market. But there were whoops and cheers as he walked round to the passenger side and opened the door to let out Holmes, 27. If she has opted for a girdle, she would be reflecting current trends. Most of us probably thought the girdle was something our grandmothers wore, but according to a new report it is having something of a comeback. A survey by Mintel says British women are spending almost 50 million a year on underwear to control or improve their figures, particularly after having children. Even Agent Provocateur, better known for its flimsy, glamorous lingerie, includes a girdle or "post-natal knickers", in its new maternity collection and claims it is selling "really well". Sales of Marks & Spencer's Magic firming range have doubled in the past year. "It is the Bridget Jones phenomenon," said a spokeswoman. "Women saw her in big knickers. And it's stars such as Trinny and Susannah coming out and saying, 'Big knickers rock'." Lingerie booms with return of the girdle: A-listers wanting to squeeze into this season's unforgiving fashions are leading a 135m stampede for shape-control underwear by Susie Mesure Independent 4th November 2007 Gwyneth Paltrow likes it doubled up. Jessica Alba swears by it. And Mel B is using it in her quest to compete with her size zero singing rivals on the Spice Girls tour. The "it" is shapewear the 21st century's take on the old-fashioned girdle that has burst on to the lingerie scene with annual sales of 135m in the UK alone. Millions of British women know that it's their only salvation when squeezing into this season's waist-centric fashions. New figures show demand for shapewear, which includes Trinny & Susannah's best-selling magic knickers and control pants from Marks & Spencer, has surged by a fifth in the past four years. Lingerie experts estimate that up to 80 per cent of British women seek help from nylonspandex undergarments to smooth out unwanted lumps. Spanx, the US brand started by Sara Blakely with the help of Oprah Winfrey in 2000, is a best-seller for lingerie specialists such as Figleaves.com because it is so popular with Hollywood A-listers. Gwyneth Paltrow wore two of Spanx's girdles to fit back into her Seven jeans after giving birth to her daughter Apple. Spanx, which has annual sales of $150m (75m), saw its UK sales double between 2005 and 2006. Other celebrity advocates of bodyshaping underwear, either to appear impossibly svelte or to give to them curves in the right places, include Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson and Cate Blanchett.
In the UK, Kylie Minogue thanked her dress for its support at the recent Q Awards, prompting Grazia magazine to crow: "We suspected she, like us and every curvy-conscious A-lister on the planet, is using fashion's latest and gloriously invisible secret weapon: control pants." Denise Fraser, Figleaves.com's lingerie buyer, said: "In the past, shapewear was something your mother wore but now there is no longer that barrier." The return of the waist via nipped-in suits and high-waisted trousers and pencil skirts means many women need to define where their hips end and their chest begins. Figleaves.com said sales of Rago Waist Cinchers have soared by more than 200 per cent from last year. Like most body-conscious trends, the female love affair with shapewear was rekindled in the US, where the sector is worth $735m a year and growing at 6 per cent, according to the NPD research group. The lingerie helps women to drop up to two dress sizes without going near a gym or on a diet. Fearing a loss to their earnings, even plastic surgeons are muscling in on the market. Dr Robert Rey, the Beverly Hills-based surgeon to the stars, launched a new range last month with the Australian lingerie designer Bruno Schiavi. And in the UK, even the most unlikely companies now sell shapewear. Avon, the cosmetics giant, has sold 31,000 pairs of control briefs in seven weeks. That pales, however, compared with sales at M&S, which sold five pairs of control pants each minute in the three months from April to June. That's 7,670 pairs a day. John Lewis, which runs special shapewear consultations via its lingerie advice service, has seen sales of its brands soar by 75 per cent over the past two years. It is launching an own-brand version next month in time for the Christmas party season. Susannah Constantine explained why she and Trinny Woodall launched their knicker line: "The right underwear really is the secret behind a great outfit. These will suck you in and hoick you up quicker than any diet or exercise regime." But it is not all good news for women. Charles Nduka, a consultant plastic surgeon at the McIdnoe Surgical Centre in East Grinstead, warned that if taken to extremes, girdles could cause deep vein thrombosis by restricting the supply of blood around the legs and compress certain nerves, leading to a loss of feeling. "Varicose veins could also be exacerbated," he added In this we truss by Zoe Williams The Guardian, Monday November 26, 2007 Sales of support underwear have rocketed as women rush to buy the elasticated pants that promise the silhouette of their dreams. But Zoe Williams is worried. Can they ever be sexy? Are feminists allowed to wear them - and once you start, can you ever stop? As I write, I'm wearing a pair of Not Your Daughter's Jeans. No, I'm just openly lying, I'm actually in my pyjamas, but I do own a pair of the "tummy tuck" jeans, and when the time comes to get dressed, that is what I shall be donning. Maybe tomorrow. I want to explain how these work because I do know, and it is relevant, but it's also very boring - it's all about weave and panelling and yik-yak-yik-yak, and the upshot is that you don't look as fat as you are. Your arse looks more pert, your thighs look longer and your tummy looks tucked. They are very highwaisted, so you have the pleasing feeling that you're not spilling out of your too-small clothes the whole time. You suddenly feel like you could afford the odd carb. Goodbye muffin-top. Hello muffin! All this comes at a price, of course - or rather, a number of prices, the first fiscal (they are quite dear), the second that they have a tag coming out of the back saying "for real women with real curves" (I didn't know this until the weekend, when my boyfriend, walking behind me, started reading me out loud ... for goodness sake! How much of a passion killer is that, to have a slogan saying "I'm lardy" poking out of your stupid clothes?) The third and most obvious downside is that there's no getting away from it, this is a support garment. I am wearing support clothes. What's the deal with elasticated support? Once you start, do you ever stop? Can it ever be sexy? And most importantly, have I accidentally done something unfeminist? Now tummy-tuck jeans ain't the half of it - the big market is in support pants. You want trendy, you go for Spanx,
beloved of Oprah and all A-listers including, apparently, Reese Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow. Weird - I didn't think they made a support garment that small. Paltrow could very easily mistake a pair of her support pants for an elderly person's wrist bandage. Imagine the rollicking farce that would ensue. Spanx prove that with the right branding and endorsement, even the least cool thing on Earth can garner a certain cred. Oprah is simply queen of product. She could make denture glue desirable and in good time no doubt will. Over here, we are not quite as daft, nor as slender, as we look. Spanx might be fashionable, but predating Gwyneth and even Oprah is Marks and Spencer. They are the giant of supportive undercrackers. They've been making chubby women look, er, slightly short of breath since before our mothers were born. Sorry, that is misleading. It sounds like I think these things don't work, when they must or we would have stopped buying them. The bottom simply never falls out of this market. At the moment, girdling is at an all-time high, and I mean that in real terms, not just as something journalists make up. Commentators (and yes, there is such a thing as an underwear commentator, thank you very much) attribute this to the current vogue for a cinched waist, which gives flab no quarter. But that look alone cannot account for the sheer volume of sales: M&S shifted five pairs of control pants each minute in the three months from April to June. That is 7,670 pairs a day. John Lewis reports its shapewear sales rising by 75% over two years, and is now launching an own-brand version to cash in. The funny thing is, we have never had more options for changing our shape: there have never been more new and exciting diets, more gyms, more funny exercises where you aerobisize on vibrating plates inside a heated tent. There has never been more plastic surgery, more gastric bands and liposuction, more vitamin injections and appetite suppressants. Probably half the finest and/or most persuasive minds in the globe are engaged, in some way or other, with the business of improving our silhouettes. Yet what do we all fall back on, from the red carpet to the office Christmas party? Good old-fashioned girdles. The kind that some of our mothers used to call a "roll-on", and others of our mothers would have burned way before they waged fire-war on their bras. Before we get on to the feminism, though, let's just deal quickly with aesthetics, as I run you through my support wardrobe. Jeans, we've covered: in the M&S Magic body range, there is a kind of full-body wetsuit-style garment that ends at mid-thigh ("Look slimmer in seconds" it says. Ha! You will look more like a sausage in seconds. I'm not sure that's the same thing); there's a corset thingy, which I've got; there are regular pants which just deal with a sticky-out, probably-post-childbirth tummy; and there are some things that look a lot like cycling shorts, which I've also got. I bought them when I had to go to a wedding while lightly pregnant and I was depressed about how fat I had already got. They were so tight I thought I was going to have a miscarriage (though I should point out for legal reasons that this would never happen). I have to say, I don't think you could drop a dress size - the fat has to go somewhere. Where does it go, though? Does it bulge out at the apertures? Or just become more compacted? Or does it magically redistribute to your neck or your knees? I haven't polled this extensively, but from my own experience and my instinct, I don't think it actually makes your silhouette smaller, so much as better managed; you don't have the sight of pinching bra straps or a visible panty line. Depending on your magic-wear (go for the wetsuit, the wetsuit!) it tidies you up to the extent that it creates the illusion of slimness, because in normal life, only very slim people have such well-fitted underwear (the rest of us kid ourselves by buying too small). But the downside, as adumbrated memorably in Bridget Jones (book and film) is what happens when you take your clothes off. In white, these items make you look like a grandma. In black, they make you look like a kinky grandma from a kinky grandma porn film. In flesh-tones, they look like a surgical truss. They are about as sexy as herpes. Magic pants? You can say that again, not only are they slimming, they are also an amazing contraceptive. You won't want to take your clothes off, and if you ever did, only an inveterate drunk would shag you. There is something wrong with this picture - when did we become a civilisation that dressed for the crowd and not for the individual? That's not about sex - that's about looking sexy to get attention. Where's the fun - not to mention the honour, the honesty, the vigour - in that? So I think in some skewed way, the girdle is a feminist statement, if only in so far as we are not dressing to please men, we are dressing, if not to please ourselves, at least to taunt one another. Your original, first-wave feminist did not dress for the easy access of promiscuous men. So arguably, that makes anyone dressing for zero-access a de
facto feminist. But it just doesn't work, does it? True feminism is not about batting men off as irrelevant gnats in the greater endgame of competing with other women. It's about being able to make sexual choices on an equal footing with men, and if internecine rivalry surrounding body shape has become so feverish that we've forgotten that sex was ever even the point of it, then that's not feminism at all. That's craziness. Besides which, anything that gets in between a woman and her ability to breathe falls short in the equality department. Think of history, girls - the two ways in which our subjugation is spelled out, in books and period drama and such, are always: one, we couldn't own property and two, we couldn't receive bad news without passing out because our corsets were so tight that we were always on the verge of unconsciousness anyway. However devoutly one seeks the clean lines of a corseted profile, for one's own "self-esteem" and all that blarney, the fact remains that if half the world is finding it hard to sit down or talk or eat or breathe and the other half isn't, it doesn't take a genius to figure out which half has the power. Cause and effect is hard to determine, of course - do we wear corsets because we are powerless, or do we give away our power in the wearing of corsets? But the easiest way to solve it is to stop wearing the bloody things, and see how powerful we feel and look afterwards, which is exactly the logic behind bra-burning. And can we just return for a second to the fiction of "self-esteem", which lurks behind all these questions with vanity at the centre, from corseting to plastic surgery. The argument runs: these adjustments improve my selfesteem. I, a woman, am taking my sense of self-worth into my own hands, identifying the interferences and dealing directly with them. As I no longer have to simply surrender to the hand I've been dealt, I am empowered. And since I enjoy more power, that must be a step forward for feminism. The reasoning behind all this is rickety, and too-tight undergarments highlight this quite well. Let's say that you do feel fat, because you are fat, and feeling fat makes you feel bad because you think society is looking down upon you, which indeed it is. Any move made to counter the fatness will improve your standing in society, but it will not alter the entrenched misogyny that makes your appearance such a major factor in the way you are perceived and the respect in which you are held. Indeed, with any attempt to address the fatness, from dieting to girdling to surgery, you are simply shoring up the attitudes that measure out your worth in pounds and ounces. In short, just because you're a woman, and something makes you feel good, that doesn't necessarily add up to feminism - like pretty much every ideological structure apart from hedonism, feminism is slightly harder work than that. And you have to consider, while we're here, whether it really does improve your sense of self-worth to be wearing something so tight that every waking moment is just another reminder of how inadequate you are. Apart from my tummy tuck jeans, which are as soft as butter. Curses. Now I feel like I've betrayed the sisterhood with my jeans, my cycling-alike too-tight shorts and my bra. I'm going to end up going out with no support at all. It ain't gonna be pretty.
Get it under control: Imogen Fox picks the most popular pants The celebrity-endorsed ones Spanx Power Panties Invented by Sara Blakely, an American door-to-door saleswoman, in 1998 when she cut off the legs of a pair of tights in an attempt to find some underwear that would work with white trousers. By 2000, Oprah Winfrey was championing them and since then anyone who has ever lost weight or given birth in Los Angeles has paid tribute to the Power Panties. By 2003 the Spanx slogan "No more grid butt" was the answer to a Trivial Pursuit question. In typical OTT Hollywood style, Gwyneth Paltrow reportedly wore two pairs under her jeans to appear svelte after Apple was born. The Power Panty faithful say one pair is sufficient. 21, Spanx, from figleaves.com The 'sexy' ones Agent Provocateur waist-cinching briefs
You're a new mum, but that is no reason not to dress in sexy underwear. That is the basic philosophy behind Agent Provocateur's post-natal collection. The range is a collaboration with Gowri Motha, maternity doctor to the stars. Motha believes that the briefs are the modern answer to the historical post-partum practice of rib and wombbinding methods. Tradition with a garter belt: every new mother's dream. 60, Agent Provocateur, agentprovocateur.com The traditional one Rago waist cincher With its classic black styling and back to basics hook and eye fastenings, this is one for the traditionalists. Rago has been around for more than 55 years, but notice how it has brought this piece bang up to date with the term "waist-cincher" - girdles are just sooo 1950s. Despite its traditional appeal, this one offers some styling opportunities. Worn over a white shirt it is an instant homage to Victoria Beckham. 30, figleaves.com The extreme one Flexees bodysuit with shorts The all-in-one unitard leaves nothing to chance. It's meant to squash in stomach and thighs, lift bum and boobs and even boasts multi-way bra straps. Worried about the inevitable bladder issues? Panic not. Flexees are keen on practicality and have created an elasticated envelope detail at the crotch. Chuck on a sponsor's logo and you're good to go for the Tour de France, but it's unlikely that Lance Armstrong has any useful advice on how to deal with the redistributed fat bulge at mid thigh. 34, Flexees, from John Lewis, 08456 049049 The TV one Trinny & Susannah Magic high-waist thong The packaging alone on Trinny & Susannah's Magic range is fear inducing - featuring the former's naked bottom and the latter's bare stomach. The magnanimous pair claim to have dedicated a decade to researching "shape-wear" before launching their Magic range. Much more research is clearly needed to figure out why anyone would want to accentuate a saggy bum with a super taut stomach. 35, Trinny & Susannah, from John Lewis, 08456 049049. The fast-selling one M&S Magic firm-control trouser knickers These are basic but popular. Launched three years ago, these knickers now sell over a million pairs each year. Offering "power where you need it" without VPL, they claim the average measurement reduction from the knickers is 4cm. As befits the catch-all from Lily Cole to Twiggy mentality, they come in a range of leg heights. Magic knickers don't stand still though: new, exciting lacy designs are expected soon. 16, Marks & Spencer, 0845 3021234
Articles by other Authors

Roger has also found many articles written by others on the subject of foundation wear and corsetry. We have assembled these articles below. Veronica Dengle, Hold Your Man! 1945, pp. 93-96: Veronica Dengle, Personality Unlimited: The Beauty Blue Book, 1943, pp. 390-97: Elizabeth Head (Hollywood costume director), The Dress Doctor, 1959: Elizabeth Head & J. Hyams, How to Dress for Success, late 60s, pp. 168-73: Keith Saunders, So You Want to be an Airline Stewardess, 1967, 1973, p. 50: Barbara Coffey, Look 10 Pounds Thinner, 10 Years Younger, 1988, p. 79: Ann Craig London, Discover a Lovelier You, 1972, pp. 123-24: Judith Keith, I Havent a Thing to Wear, 1968, pp. 50-51: Candy Jones, Time to Grow Up, 1962, p. 57: Harriet T. McJimsy, Art in Clothing Selection, 1963, p. 58: G.A. Dariaux, Elegance, 1970, pp. 149-50: another entry (same book ?) L. Belle Pollard, Experiences with Clothing (high school home-economics text), 1961, 142-43: Jan King, Killer Bras: And Other Hazards of the 50s, Marge Caskey, The Merry Widow: ah, sweet misery of life , West Seattle News Herald, July 8, 1981, p. B1: Ann Combs, Girdle Grief, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Nov. 6, 1977, p. C1: Patricia OBrien, Repressed? You Bet! And Heres Why, originally in the Chicago Sun-Times, reprinted in the San Jose Mercury, Nov. 28, 1975: Getting Ready for the Reunion: Unknown Meet Girdle Girl by Claudia Connell Sunday, 8th March 2009
Veronica Dengle, Hold Your Man! 1945, pp. 93-96:

Is It fascinating to watch you dress? One of my treasured childhood memories is the privilege of being present when my mother dressed for a party. There were three girls, and we would sit in a row on the edge of the bed, watching the preparations. Mother putting on a sheer, lacy chemise. Mother pulling herself into that instrument of torture, the laced-up corset. Mother drawing on a filmy corset cover decked with yards of starched ruffles. Mother drawing on unbelievably heavy silk stockings, then little satin slippers with sparkling bows of net and gold. After the two taffeta petticoats came the dress--ah, the dress! Yards of satin and lace from which she emerged a queen. Touches to her hairdress, and Jewels at her throat and on her arms--and just a wee bit of powder (could that pink chamois have just a speck of rouge on it?). A long cloak, and Mother was ready for Papa to take her off. We would sit there for an hour dreaming about the party, the lights, the music, the laughter--and Mother, the loveliest one there. As we grew up, women wore fewer and fewer clothes, until dressing today is a very simple procedure. Nevertheless it can be exciting and fascinating for your children to watch--or perhaps your husband. Your clothes should be assembled before you ever start to dress. Lay them out on a chair-your girdle, bra, panties, slip, dress, stockings, and shoes. If you wear more than this, you are old-fashioned!
When your girdle fits properly, and your skin is smooth, the few wriggles you have to make to adjust it are amusing. On the other hand, pulling and grunting, and squeezing too much flesh into too little space, are simply comic. If you dress just after your bath, remember to dry the skin thoroughly; and while it is not wise to powder the body all over since it will rub off on your dress, a little powder on the hips and abdomen will let your girdle slip on easily. Girdles will fit trimly only when worn next to the skin as intended; and great care must be exercised to keep such garments immaculately fresh. Gone are the days of having corsets dry-cleaned [written in WW2]. They can be tubbed and dried overnight--nylon girdles take less time than that. Perhaps three girdles are the minimum one could have: one in use, one drying, and one in reserve. Pantie girdles should be rinsed out at the crotch after each wearing and the whole garment washed after two or three days of use. Straight girdles might be worn three times before being laundered. Never be guilty of wearing a soiled girdle-it harbors odors as no other piece of underwear will. Your figure will dictate the type of girdle which is best for you. However, don't think you need none at all because you are very young or very slim. A girdleless figure is seldom seductive, and many girls whose rounded tummies and bouncing hips are unhappily revealed by a close-fitting dress seem rather immodest. Most men are embarrassed by feminine exposure in public; and again, a hint of your charms is far more enchanting than a flaunting show of them. This also applies to those who ardently believe their bosom line is so intriguing it should not be concealed. A brassiere can mold the line of the bust, give it firmness and support. Just be sure it does not fit so tightly that extra flesh flows over the top, or that there is a roll of fat between the girdle and the bra. There is nothing engaging in such a sight. Choose a model which gives a good separation between the breasts and thus avoids that horrible "great divide." In putting on your bra, first put the arms through the straps, then lean forward so that the breasts drop into the bra cups. Hook it at the back, and as you straighten up, the bust has a better "uplift" line. Your movements in putting on your stockings and shoes can be most interesting to watch. Sitting on a chair-or on the floor, as I know some women still do as a hangover from schooldays--how did you look in your test? Practice again, then. Arch your foot as you put it into the stocking. Extend your leg gradually as you draw the stocking up. Cross your legs and bend your knee as you slide into each shoe. Back up to a mirror to inspect the straightness of your seams before you hook the garters. (Are you sure there is no bulge between the edge of your girdle and the stocking top?)
Veronica Dengle, Personality Unlimited: The Beauty Blue Book, 1943, pp. 390-97:
When you go to see a beautiful painting in an art gallery, you admire the perfect whole. But to achieve perfection, the artist has given infinite care to each microscopic point. Every part, no matter how small, has received loving thought, both regarding its own importance and its final relation to the entire canvas. So, too, in the portrait you create of yourself, must you consider each little item in order to achieve the lovely effect you desire. But in a truly well-dressed woman, what you cannot see is as important as what you see. Inside and out, you must dress your new personality so that no false note is sounded, no unhappy mistake allowed. Just as in the building of good health, you acquire an external beauty and charm, so, too, must the building of your costume start with the right undergarments. A brassiere and a girdle are required by every figure. Naturally the slender, well-proportioned figure can use very lightweight types, but I am always disturbed to see young girls without any girdle or "bra" at all. Never can a smooth contour of the hips be achieved without a two-way elastic pantie, at the very least. And a sheer net brassiere gives the bustline a better line. I thoroughly dislike heavy foundation garments; they are only necessary when the figure is very large. The only sensible solution then is to get rid of the "very large figure." As a general thing, a corset or a girdle, and a brassiere, are more desirable than an all-in-one foundation garment. It does seem that the bustline is pulled down in so many instances by the all-in-one. If a heavy corset is required, the figure is seldom well-proportioned, and ready-made one-piece foundation garments are necessarily planned for "average" proportions, Of course, if they are made to order, that is an entirely different matter.
A separate brassiere may be fitted to give the proper uplift line, leaving the diaphragm section smoother and more slender. A long brassiere is necessary when there is flesh on the back and diaphragm. The corset may then be fitted according to the figure requirements. Be careful, however, that the corset you select does not fit too tightly. After all, the fat must go somewhere, and if the corset binds too snugly around the hips, it forces excess flesh up to the waistline, and the result is a "spare tire." It is impossible for me, without seeing you, to describe what is exactly right for your figure. If you have a problem, by all means visit a good shop and consult the corsetiere there, for they have been trained to understand your problem. Try on several different styles. Sit down in the corsets to be sure they are comfortable in all positions. Boning must be the right length or it will cut into the ribs or into the groin. Before you decide to purchase, put on your dress again, and observe whether the corset does what you hoped it would do. Uplift brassieres are sensible and helpful in maintaining the contour of the bust. But do not wear exaggerated models, they are vulgar. A good division at the center is also important. Understand about the difference in the "cups"; they come in varying sizes, and take a little tuck to perfect the fit when it is necessary. The girl or woman who is flat-chested is making a tragic mistake when she does not wear small pads inside a brassiere to give her a rounded contour. These may be made by shirring inexpensive lace on tiny discs of net. It is truly amazing what this one little detail can do for the very thin person. But there are many types, and there are also brassieres manufactured so that the fullness is designed into the garment itself. I have transformed dreary, forlorn figures in a few minutes by insisting on this feature; I recall one instance where a whole new .personality was created: the girl just "bloomed" when we practiced the harmless deception. If your figure is overweight, you must wear your girdle or corset all day and every day. Without it, your figure will spread as you grow older. Of course, your exercises will help to keep you firm! But you need the gentle, confining effect of a girdle, too. Fitted correctly, it should be a comfortable support. Should you wear a pantie girdle, other panties are not necessary. But in winter, do not hesitate to wear "woolies" if you feel the cold, and especially if you are very thin. You will conserve much body heat and energy in this way. Underwear should be of the best quality you can afford. I much prefer a few pieces, in good fabrics, than a large assortment in cheap, ''sleazy'' materials. The better quality garments will always fit much more satisfactorily too. The design is more carefully worked out, and in the end you will get better value for your money although the initial investment might be greater. Try to have at least three slips, brassieres, and panties, and alternate their use. Not only will they give longer wear, but you will have enough to allow for one in the laundry, one being worn, and one in reserve for an emergency! A refined, meticulous woman is as particular about her underwear as she is about her outer clothes. The person who wears anything underneath so that she can have wider variety on the outside is often quite as unstable in her character. Watch for this, it is an interesting point in psychology. Tailored, simple styles are best for everyday wear, but have at least one special outfit for dress. Your nightgowns and pajamas should also be as lovely as you can afford. Whether they are lacy or tailored, depends on your personality and preferences. The plain types of course will give better wear; and cottons can be sent out to the laundry if necessary. Make yourself as pretty as possible when going to bed. If you think of "dressing for bed" instead of "undressing for bed," the final effect will be more satisfying. The fact above holds true for lounging and work clothes also. They can be flattering and still serve their purpose. There is no excuse for going round in "any old thing" just because you are doing housework, or have come in from the office and removed your business clothes. If you can sew, you can make lovely, washable house dresses with an individual touch; but they cost very little even if you have to buy them. A fresh, clean appearance at breakfast will send your husband off in a better mood for the day. If you prefer to prepare breakfast for the family and get them all off before attending to yourself, have a smart washable, cotton housecoat to wear over your pajamas or nightdress. Leather slippers to match in color are pretty and can do double duty with your flannel robe. But do not indulge in flimsy negligees and fancy mules, and then drag around the kitchen in them. They are completely out of place and belong only in your bedroom.
The business girl is wise to take off her street clothes when she comes home and hang them up after brushing them. Lounging pajamas, housecoats, cotton or rayon washable dresses are a restful change, and save your more expensive things. This is also true when you have been in town shopping. Although you may have to wear severely simple things for the office, you can indulge your love of gay colors or soft fabrics in your 11 athome" clothes. It is growing increasingly smart to entertain informally in hostess gowns or lounging pajamas. I have a friend who made the loveliest pair of slacks from an old velvet evening dress, and wore them with a white satin blouse, set off by ruffles at the neckline and cuffs. A bow in the hair, house sandals on your feet, and there you are, a "lady of leisure." Need I remind the housewife that she should be clean and fresh and pretty when her family comes home? Men dislike women to be messy and unkempt and crying about how much work they did during the day. Even children notice their mother's appearance more than may be realized, so be sure their childhood memories of you are what you want them to be. Indeed, fastidious grooming at all times is an essential part of your whole new way of life, of your entire program. The dictionary defines grooming as "equipping, preparing or dressing, especially in a smart and tidy way." I use this word in a larger sense, to include the selection and care of your undergarments and accessories, even the bureaus and closets in which you keep them. Remember, it is "the little things in life that count." Check over the following list, then, and go to work with a firm avowal never again to commit one of these errors: (1) Girdles: Your girdle must be immaculately fresh and clean. Years ago, when women wore heavy, expensive corsets that required dry cleaning, these garments were protected by a shirt [chemise] worn under the corset and a corset cover and a petticoat worn over it. Today, when girdles are worn next to the skin and over an area of the body which perspires freely, they become soiled in a day or two. Unless you wear a vest next to the skin to absorb most of this moisture, it will be necessary to wash your girdles two or three times weekly; that is, to wear them not more than twice between launderings. It is well to own at least three, or preferably four girdles, and thus be sure of a fresh supply on hand. It takes only a few minutes to whisk them around in warm soapsuds, but hang them up to dry by the garters; do not put them over a rod. These garments will last so much longer when cared for in this way, because perspiration rots the fabrics of which they are made. If you wear pantie girdles, these should be laundered after each wearing to insure perfect cleanliness and freedom from any possible perspiration odors. Here is a convenient trick which you can use if you are going out directly from the office. Place a cleansing tissue in the crotch of the pantie girdle, and remove it when you freshen up for the evening. You will feel that you have donned a clean garment. Should your figure require a heavier corset than the girdle type, which can only be laundered every week, or so, then of course you must wear a vest, and air the corset after each wearing. But do not wear one too tight; it will stretch out of shape and be useless very shortly. (2) Slips: Many women sin unnecessarily with pins to hold broken shoulder straps, rips in the seams or in the lace trimming; knots in the straps to make length adjustments; or even worse, a string tied around the waist to keep the slip from showing (which it seldom does); and slips that are too short or show below the hem of their dress! In the first place, slips may be bought in varying lengths to suit the height, or there are types which can be clipped off at the bottom to make them shorter; and of course shoulder straps are adjustable on many models. But if you cannot procure these models, you can always take a tuck or shorten a strap with needle and thread! And that same needle and thread will do a good mending job in a very few minutes. If you agree with me that pretty slips and underwear make you feel more luxurious than anything else, that underwear deserves care. To parody the old phrase "a stitch in time" may I add, "a stitch in time saves the hole from getting bigger!" Many a girl has lost a beau because her slip showed, so beware. And it hardly seems necessary to mention that your slip, and all your underwear, must be fresh and clean! Finally, try to match your underwear. If you wear a flesh-colored brassiere, then have your slip in the same shade, and your girdle, too. Or if your girdle is in white, a white brassiere and slip is so attractive: harmony under your dress is just as important as it is on the outside. (3) Stockings: To begin with, do not wear them wrong side out, or even worse, with ladders, holes, or rips. Such things look as if you had flung yourself out of the house in a terrible hurry. Wash them every night; you will need fewer pairs with a fresh supply always on hand. Besides, your stockings wear longer when they are kept free of soil and perspiration. Don't abuse them and don't go walking or hiking in your dress sheer stockings: not only are
they unsuitable, but you'll be sure to come home with a hole in the heel. Have the right length hose for your legs as well as for your feet. Turning them over before hooking in your garter will start runs; and do be careful when you put them on that you don't snag them with your nails or rings. The seams must be straight: the most beautiful legs are spoiled by crooked stockings. Try this plan for placing your seams so that they will stay put. First adjust your girdle exactly right. When the foot is in the stocking, grasp the seam with your thumb. Then, as you draw the stocking up, let the thumb trace a straight line up the back of the leg, past the knee, right to the end of the stocking. Now stand up, check by backing up to your mirror, and hook the garters while you are standing.
The Dress Doctor by Hollywood costume director Elizabeth Head, 1959:

P. 160: Edith, Danny [Kaye] says, WHY do women wear girdles? The place falls apart. Thats Danny again. But when we get THAT matter settled, he is ready to discuss seriously . Pp. 202-03: STEP II: Prepare to go shopping. Each of us can do what Alma Hitchcock has done. Each can look better if--she'll take the time to analyze her figure, the trouble to choose the right clothes for that figure and have them properly fitted. Before you go shopping at all, get the right underpinnings. There are few perfect figures. The money you spend on corrective undergarments is the most important money you spend. You're interested in the masculine point of view? I wish you could be with me when a producer calls to say: "Edith, the clothes are fine. Before we test them, will you please get that actress into a bra and girdle?" Then I go to her and say: "Don't you think it would be better for the test if you wore a bra and girdle?" "I never wear them!" she's likely to say. "They restrain my acting. If she's Anna Magnani or Shirley Booth playing a sloppy woman, then it doesn't matter. If she's trying for glamour, then, thanks, to the producer, she ends up correctly sheathed. By all means when you go out to shop for clothes, wear the right girdle, the right bra and the right shoes. Never shop simply became you have "nothing to do." Never buy anything as a whim. P. 215: It isn't those who spend the most money who are the most smartly dressed. It's those who spend the most time and thought. If, when you go out, you know that your costume is smart and that you're neatly and securely put together, if you do not feel it necessary to hike your girdle, adjust your straps, pull your stocking seams straight; you have physical and mental poise. You can wear your clothes with grace and pride--with assurance. P. 231: High school clothes are similar in fabric and line to college clothes, with these exceptions: No pants are worn on high school campuses; heels are worn only for formal and semiformal occasions, stockings are seldom worn, full skirts are more popular than sheaths for date wear, and sport clothes are worn more frequently at night.
How to Dress for Success, Elizabeth Head & J. Hyams, late 60s, pp. 168-73:
Today's designers have created garments for every purpose from lifting the bustline to rounding the fanny and from flattening the tummy to smoothing the thighs. What you can't do about your figure through starvation and exercise can certainly be improved through wearing the right foundation garment. There is no longer any excuse for a woman to be flat-chested or flat-bottomed. Bras and pantie-girdles fill in where nature failed. The waistline bulge is a thing of the past, if you will merely take the time to find a garment that eliminates it, and to have it properly fitted. The time to buy new bras and foundations is when you buy new clothes. As fashion changes take place, the foundation people are "with it," and the contours of their garments are revised to do the most for your figure under
the new clothes. The "natural" look of recent vintage changed foundation garments from a rigid standard of control to a softly rounded line which looks better under shifts, knits, and easy-fit-garments. The younger, less aggressive bust-line of recent years has been achieved successfully with bras that can be characterized as "pointless." The pantie-girdle has come a long way from tile brief thing it was a few years ago--developing a long-line of smoothness for the thighs, and for wear with jump suits, going all tile way to the ankles. The introduction lightweight stretch materials made it possible for any woman to be corseted (even the word seems obsolete) in complete comfort, while achieving the utmost in figure improvement. The wildly popular pants craze which was started many years ago by Marlene Dietrich shows no signs of abating, but unless you look well in pants, or are willing to spend the time and money to equip yourself with a really efficient pantie-girdle, I say stick with skirts. And if you think your derriere looks all right without a girdle--in either pants or skirts--I suggest you get someone to take a moving picture of you from the back. Chances are you'll get the same reaction a cab driver did driving through Hollywood a few months ago. We were stopped for a traffic light when a plump ungirdled lady in a shift crossed the street. As he viewed her from the rear he shook his head and commented, "it looks like there's two guys fightin' in there. When it comes to bosoms, the perfect feminine figure is a rarity. Yet ready-made clothing is made for perfect figures. No consideration is given to the proven fact that many womens bustlines are either too large or too small, too droopy, too flat and sometimes even lopsided. Knowing the score, top manufacturers of upper-story glamour have compensated for all these defects so that everyone can have a perfect bustline. And for those who want to have such a bustline twenty-four hours out of every day, there are bras to sleep in. Slips are also part of your secret for dressing successfully. Just because you have a lot of perfectly good slips from two years ago in your bureau drawer doesn't mean you should wear them. No matter how much you hike them up or adjust the straps, they're still too long and as the day wears on you'll be walking around with two skirts showing. As far as shoulder straps are concerned, the sleeveless dress has made it a must that you sew little ribbon "anchors" in every dress so your slip straps never show. There's nothing in the world that makes a woman look sloppier faster than a dangling shoulder strap, unless it's dirty fingernails. Get to the basic problem before buying clothes--start from the skin out. Different clothes call for different foundations. If you think the very same undergarments will suffice for all the items in your wardrobe you're mistaken. While a lightweight all-in-one may be just fine under a loose-fitting shift, it is not adequate beneath the dress that is sheath-like in its line, requiring more control through the hips. There are long-line bras to eliminate diaphragm bumps. There seamless girdles or tights to wear under knits and clingy clothes. You don't need all these in your wardrobe, but a successful outer wardrobe cannot be developed unless what goes underneath is considered. In many cases women leave clothes they never wear hanging in their closets just because they haven't got the right thing to wear under them. Every time they try those clothes on over that same old girdle they look the sameungood. There's nothing wrong with the clothes themselves: theres something wrong with the shape underneath. No one knows better than a studio designer how important underthings are in changing a woman's appearance. Take Julie Andrews for example: one type figure for Mary Poppins, another for Torn Curtain (a modern figure), another for Hawaii and a completely different silhouette for Thoroughly Modern Millie. The time to buy new undergarments is not every time you buy something new, but every time there is a major change in the fashion silhouette--from loosely fitted to form-fitting, from long waistlines to short (or vice versa), from overblouses to high-busted Empire or from slim skirts to full. Each major change calls for something different, whether it be a bra, a girdle or an all-in-one. Aside from the importance of your underthings in shaping your outer silhouette, there is the psychological factor of feeling lovely from the skin out. No matter how rich and elegant the clothes a woman wears on the outside, if her underwear and foundation garments are tacky, ill-fitting and mismatched she cannot feel right in her clothes. A surface beauty who is a mess underneath it all may fool her public, but the knowledge that shes wearing a blue bra, a white girdle and a faded pink petticoat pinned up at the hemline doesn't add to her assurance or self-esteem. A meticulous, fastidious movie star has put it, My mother always insisted we dress for an accident. By this she meant we should never be ashamed to have the doctor, nurse or anyone else see what we were wearing underneath."
As far as love and marriage are concerned the continuance of a perfect romance has often been halted in its tracks I when a husband sees his bride in a lumpy old girdle and a sagging bra. By contrast, any woman can look fresh and attractive in a half-clothed state if her wardrobe of underclothing is as well coordinated, as well cared for and as well chosen as the costumes in her closet. When you complete reading this chapter, I suggest you take a look at your undercover agents--the girdles, bras, slips and nightgowns in your bureau drawer. How many are out of' shape? How many have stringy, stretched-out garters? How many are faded, tacky and unfit to be seen? How many can be coordinated into compatible "sets" by color? If you wouldn't be caught dead in any of them, don't take the chance of wearing them while you're alive. They not only ruin the shape of your outer clothing, they're poisoning your own mind your about you. For a better-dressed, more confident you, start at the bottom (of that bureau drawer) and build a new and better foundation for fashion with the right intimate apparel. Formula for Successful Dressing Underneath 1. Evaluate your present collection of girdles, bras, foundation garments for (a) condition, (b) efficiency. 2. Seek the advice of the experienced corsetire in your favorite store to find the right garment to improve your figure. 3. Buy underwear (slips, petticoats) that co-ordinate with your favorite foundations in color, trim and type. 4. Remember that last year's shape may be wrong for this year's silhouette. 5. If you wouldn't want anyone to see you in your undies--get new ones.
So You Want to be an Airline Stewardess by Keith Saunders. 1967, 1973, p. 50:

[A stewardess] can quickly put on five or ten pounds. And it is next to impossible to conceal this extra avoirdupois from the searching eyes of her supervisor. Not only does an airline weigh each girl periodically, but the uniforms are generally well tailored and somewhat form-fitting, and bulges are easily spotted if they are not in the right place. So the airline hostess whose slim, trim figure you admire may be fighting the "battle of the bulge" just as you do. In addition to watching what she eats, the hostess has to wear good foundation garments: some airlines suggest a fresh brassiere for each day of the week and four girdles--all perfectly fitted. The hostess you see on your next flight may be slender and well formed, but the chances are that she, no less than her earthbound sisters, has to work hard at maintaining that appearance. In fact, it is safe to say that there is almost no profession, except modeling, in which the girls have to work as hard and as long to present that fashion-plate appearance every working day and hour. All in all, the girl who graduates from the hostess/stewardess college, particularly that of a major airline, pays very little for a course in grooming and styling that would cost her a lot of money if purchased elsewhere. And she has learned things that can help make her an attractive woman for years to come. Ironically, from the standpoint of the airline that pays for it, this superior grooming and styling is one of the factors that often cause hostesses' careers to end so soon at the altar.
Discover a Lovelier You, Ann Craig London, 1972, pp. 123-24:

What about the woman under the dress? Next to her skin she's wearing something that is fully as important as her dress--lingerie. When you come right down to it, there's nothing like the secret knowledge that you're wearing pretty underwear to make you feel great. It may not be such a secret, either. Besides your husband, there's your doctor, and the other women in the communal dressing rooms of modern boutiques to see what you've got on
underneath. Take the plunge and buy yourself something downright luxurious. Also have at least one bra, slip, pair of pants, or girdle that isn't white. Try black, beige, or a splashy print to give your morale a boost. While we're on the subject, take the time and spend the money to get properly fitting bras, girdles, and foundation garments. Don't be embarrassed to ask for the advice and assistance of a saleswoman in the lingerie department. She's seen hundreds of other women and knows more than you ever will about how to suit the garment to the figure.
I Havent a Thing to Wear, by Judith Keith, 1968, pp. 50-51:

F0UNDATION GARMENTS Old, stretched-out bras and girdles which you still cling to because "they don't show anyway" really do show every way: in outer thigh bulges, protruding stomach, drooping breasts and waistline rolls. Unless you are figure-taut and close-to-the-bone, do not forage for just any foundation or bra. Take time to be fitted expertly. The right kind of garment helps to undo what years of underdoing did underneath it all. Sometimes a simple adjustment of a brassiere strap (most women wear them too long) provides instantaneous figure improvement. An insecure you, plus an insecure or incorrect girdle, does not gird you for fashion success. Check these points when you buy a bra or girdle: The Fit: Do you spill out of the brassiere cup? Does the bra cup spill over you? Switch to the next larger or smaller size as the case may be. There should be no bosom bulge above the front of the bra or under the arm. If the bra cup does not fully blossom out, you are too small for it. Do not allow straps to cut into shoulder. Make sure they lie flat. Underbands should be flat and comfortable as well. If the band causes you to bulge at the waist you need a larger size or a long-line bra. Girdles should be comfortable as well as snug. If you bulge out at the waist, or out at the thigh, you need a larger size and a different style (long-legged girdles for heavy-thighed gals). If the girdle is too short or too tight it will hike up. Panty styles should not cut into the crotch or thigh. Before you make an undergarment purchase, perform corset calisthenics! Sit down and stand up a number of times. Breathe deeply. Pretend you are playing golf or tennis and take a couple of good practice swings. Do a deep knee bend. If the garments are right for you; they will move with you. Always try your dress on over a new girdle or bra to check the appearance. Putting 'em on: The nails I have broken until I learned how to put on a girdle properly! Here's how. Fold panty, roll-on and Lycra all-in-one girdles in half. Step into it. Pull up on hips, unfold, roll up. Run your hand under the girdle at the side of the hip and smooth the fabric, pulling it down gently. (I like to fasten my back garters first, seems to make it easier.) Brassieres: Bend over (great for the waist). Fit bosom into cups. Adjust straps. Make sure straps lie flat both front and back, Today's undergarments are unbelievable and they are a conversation piece (among close friends, that is). Not only are they available in the happiest, wildest and most feminine coordinated color and print combinations, their functionalism is unlimited.
Time to Grow Up, Candy Jones, 1962, p. 57:

Clothes, Fashions and You As a student of the fashion ads and editorials in magazines and newspapers, I know you want to look as pretty as a picture in your clothes. If "she" (in the advertisements) can be flattered by the colors, fabrics, lines and styles of our talented American fashion designers, so can you. But, please . . . don't believe that the flattery of the fashions comes from the obvious, surefire assets--a cute hairdo, new-looking shoes, or an armful of bracelets. Sure, these things all are important to making the picture complete and fashionable, but they aren't responsible for a slim thighline, a trim waist or a pretty bosom. Fashions are created on sketchboards, and are fitted on models who wear figure-controlling garments--a good bra and girdle. And that's what makes the big difference in the appearance of clothes. Your bra and girdle.
Art in Clothing Selection, by Harriet T. McJimsy 1963, p. 58:

Lines and fabrics to flatter your figure: Because our ideal fashion figure is tall and slender, more women appear to be concerned with creating the illusion of height and/or slenderness than with adding weight. The problems of large hips or thighs out of proportion to bust or waist measurements are particularly common. Clothing is frequently chosen with the main object of concealing undesirable contours and creating or emphasizing those considered desirable. Attention is directed principally toward reducing waist and hip measurements and enlarging the bust through carefully selected under, as well as outer, garments. Foundation garments may not only improve the proportions of the body but also give support where needed and improve the appearance of the outer clothing. Even if your figure is slim and beautifully proportioned, never wear a closely fitted dress or skirt without a foundation garment. Foundation garments of all types are available from the light-weight two-way stretch pantie girdle to a boned and paneled garment of heavy nonelastic fabric. Girdles cannot actually decrease width, but by controlling and redistributing the flesh they can give a smoother, firmer contour, free of unsightly bulges. Select your girdles and brassieres in relation to your particular figure requirements, preferably with the help of an experienced salesperson.
Elegance, by G.A. Dariaux, 1970, pp. 149-50:

The number of articles of lingerie worn by a fashionable woman has considerably diminished since the beginning of the century. She started out equipped with a brassiere, a chemise, a corset, a pair of underpants and a slip, but today she has reached the point where she wears only a pantie-girdle and a bra; very often these two elements are combined in a single garment, and sometimes they are even reduced to a simple garter belt. A woman's age and social position are not of the slightest influence in this particular field. In fact, it is often the most elegantly and extensively attired women who wear the least underclothes, for all of their dresses are lined with silk and many of their gowns have built-in bras. And yet there exist in every price range perfectly charming lingerie ensembles in bright or pastel colors and even in prints, which would make their undressed appearance much more attractive. Women are making a mistake in neglecting this potential added attraction to their charms. Although I certainly do not advise going so far as to indulge in the seductive lingerie styles more suitable for striptease, it is still to a
woman's advantage to give as much thought to undressing as she does to dressing. (I am reminded of a friend to whom I once confided how worried I was because my teen-age daughter was completely disinterested in pretty lingerie. Her reply was that I shouldn't really worry until the day she did start to take an interest in it!) Marvelous progress has been made in foundation garments in recent years. No more tortuous whalebones, no more hot rubber materials hugging you affectionately around the waist. The new miracle fibers such as Lycra and nylon hold your curves with just as much devotion but without the same inconveniences. American girdles are the best in the world, if only because of the three garters on each leg which prevent one's stockings from twisting. But too many of the American brassiere styles are overly aggressive, in my opinion. The most important inventions of the past few years are the long-legged panty-girdle, which is extremely practical, much more attractive than a separate garter belt and briefs, and much more decent too; and the low-cut strapless brassiere which is completely invisible underneath the most daring dcolletage. Even though a woman's lingerie may be reduced to two pieces, they should at least be matching. It is the height of negligence to wear a white brassiere with a black girdle, or the reverse. [Thats too stodgyand its often more practical to wear such a combination, to match ones clothes. This sort of fustiness makes me remember that this is the author who less than ten years earlier had utterly condemned pierced earrings as inelegant!] Bright-colored undergarments are charming, but of course they can only be worn under dresses which are opaque or dark. In the summer, it is preferable to stick to white. If you are extremely refined and moderately rich, your underclothes might match the color of your outer costume. The shortage of domestic help has certainly been an important factor in the present simplification of feminine lingerie and in the vogue for materials which are easy to launder, quick to dry, and require no ironing. But, alas, what is very practical is not always very elegant. Foundation Garments Girdles and brassieres are delicately called "foundation garments," and these invisible, at one time "unmentionable," articles are indeed one of the foundations of an elegant appearance. The girdle and brassiere a woman wears (or doesn't wear) can either enhance or distort the lines of an ensemble, the hang of a skirt, and the charm of a neck-line. I do not know a single elegant woman who does not wear a girdle under her city clothes and an elasticized panty under slacks. She may dispense with a girdle when wearing a full-skirted summer dress or a long, full hostess gown without stockings, or a full tweed country skirt with the knee-high sports socks that are enjoying a revival. But an elegant woman-even very thin one-always wears a girdle underneath a straight skirt. Until the age of eighteen or twenty, a garter belt and panty with a light brassiere are adequate foundations, if one is very slim, beyond that age, a little more control is needed to create a smooth, firm silhouette. You may prefer an all-in-one foundation garment, a panty girdle, or an ordinary girdle. It is a matter of individual taste and individual figure requirements. The present trend is certainly to wear the least possible number of separate undergarments, and to take full advantage of the miraculous synthetic fabrics which produce a soft, smooth outline with-out the trace of a whale-bone. A girdle that is tight-fitting over the hips can reduce their measurement by as much as two inches, but those vanished inches are bound to pop up somewhere else-in the form of a bulge around the thighs or waist, for instance! One of the principal advantages of the long-legged panty girdle is that it at least avoids a roll around the thighs. On the other hand, a girdle that is very tight at the waist, aside from being most uncomfortable, tends to make the tummy more prominent. Consequently, if you usually wear styles with full skirts and fitted waistlines, you would do best to buy a girdle that is rather snug around the waist; but if you usually dress in straight skirts, you should choose a girdle that is primarily designed to control the hips. In general, all-in-one foundations flatten the diaphragm but not the tummy or the derriere. You must, moreover, take care when buying one to see that it fits you vertically as well as horizontally, because if it is too short the shoulder straps will dig into your shoulders and, in the case of plump women, can even leave a permanent furrow that is most unattractive.
American girdles are the best in the world, and there is no excuse for an American woman to be badly corseted.(This document is from rather old source material, anyone who has seen the British girdles of the last several years is aware that it is no longer true! Ed.) She must, however, be willing to devote the necessary tune and effort to try on a variety of models, if possible with the aid of a specialist. She should also he quite honest with herself and select the foundation garments that suit her figure as it really is and not as she wishes it were or as she expects it to he after she has started to diet. . . tomorrow! She can then attempt to camouflage her defects and emphasize her good points by exploiting all the arts and artifices of fashion. We may as well face the fact that while good foundation garments lend firmness and definition to a figure, they cannot magically subtract excess poundage. But it is also a fact that a woman need not necessarily be pencil-slim in order to be elegant. Slender silhouettes are, of course, much easier to dress. A woman with a perfect figure can choose her fashions from the most classic to the most eccentric without restriction, and she can be elegant even in a simple, inexpensive dress. But a woman with an imperfect figure can also be extremely chic if she selects her clothes from among the styles that do the most for her particular shape instead of trying to radically remold her natural forms by means of rigid corsetry. I have often helped a client with a far from ideal figure select a dress or suit in which she looked just as elegant as and sometimes even more so than the figure-perfect mannequin who presented it. A minimum wardrobe of foundation garments should include: 1-All purpose girdle (to be worn with snug, abbreviated matching panties) 1-Long-legged panty girdle (for slacks and sheaths) 1-Lightweight short panty girdle (for sportswear) 2-Daytime brassieres Strapless, back-less, and ultra-low-cut brassieres as required by the evening gowns in your wardrobe It is practical to own one complete wardrobe in black, to be worn under dark clothes and another in white. And it is a lovely luxury to add to this basic minimum a set of undergarments in one of the less banal shades that harmonizes with your outer wardrobe, such as pale blue, brown, or navy. Vivid colors, however, as well as stripes, are seldom elegant in lingerie, although they may be amusing for teen-agers or for winter sports. Most women make a special effort to wear their very best foundation garments when they come for a dress fitting and since I am in and out of the fitting rooms all day long, I have seen some exquisite lingerie-as well as some surprising examples of negligence! One of the most attractive and practical foundation ensembles I can remember was a fine custom-maid all-in-one girdle with a deep flounce of lace attached to the bottom and falling almost to the knees, like a built-in petticoat. The errors I have most frequently observed are girdles that are too tight, and brassieres that are too rigid, too padded or too provocative; all of them deadly enemies to a woman's elegance.
Experiences with Clothing (high school home-economics text), L. Belle Pollard, 1961, pp. 142-43:
The Effect of Proper Clothing What you wear in a considerable degree determines how you feel and act. An inadequate girdle and bra encourage slumping and slovenly posture. From such physical attitudes it is only a step to slovenly manners and a disgruntled mood. A carelessly fastened dress, a ripped hem, a slip showing below the dress line suggest to others a careless, disorganized person. Worse yet, such disregard of personal daintiness discourages the girl herself and exerts an undesirable influence on her whole personality. Expensive clothing should not be confused with personal charm. An expensive dress in careless hands is just as likely to suffer a spot or a rip as an inexpensive dress. In fact the less expensive dress immaculately clean and neat in every detail makes a far more attractive appearance than a more costly one that is marred by even one small flaw. And the most expensive dress worn over a poorly
fitted or improper foundation garment is a complete waste of money. Foundation Garments One of the first things a well-dressed girl learns is the value of proper foundation garments. They are so important that a wise girl chooses a really well-made and properly fitted girdle and bra in preference to a more expensive dress or coat. Any outer garment is dependent for its fit and general appearance upon the foundation garment with which it is worn. The right foundation garment helps to improve posture, strengthens the abdominal muscles, and builds poise and self-assurance. Bras and girdles give support where it is most needed. The figure and posture of most girls and women can be improved by scientifically designed foundation garments. Bras and girdles should control and refine contours through gentle molding and firm, but not restrictive, support. There are foundation garments designed for every type of figure. They range from garter belts and panty-girdles to conventional girdles. They should be chosen, according to body measurements, for fit and comfort. For the young girl they should be especially designed for the growing figure. The garments should be soft in texture, comfortable to wear, and should allow freedom of body action. Choose foundation garments according to your figure type, your personal preference, and the outer clothing to be worn with them. Trying on a foundation garment before you buy it is the only completely satisfactory way to select it. Walk around in the garment. Bend over and sit down. Do not purchase garments which constrict you uncomfortably or fail to add to the attractiveness of your figure. A girl who has invested in proper foundation garments knows she looks her best and is confident that she is making the most of her carefully chosen outer garments.
Jan King, Killer Bras: And Other Hazards of the 50s,

Pp. 3-4: THE MERRY WIDOW. These were made from 50 gauge all-weather tarpaulin canvas and reinforced with genuine whalebones procured from Moby Dick, himself. The Merry Widow had the amazing capability of molding even the plumpest of teenage figures into a perfect hourglass silhouette under prom gowns. However, they could not be worn for long periods of time before we gals suffered some pretty major side effects. Many girls sustained fractured ribs and became woozy from oxygen deprivation about an hour into their dates. In this hypoxic state, our moral resolve was severely compromised and we literally turned to "putty" in our dates' hands. And if those hands were dexterous enough to unfasten 76 sets of stainless steel bra hooks before you arrived home, he ended up with a lot more than putty in them. Let's just say we had a lot "riding" on that ride home. The Merry Widow bra also had some unusual moves of its own on the dance floor. Utmost caution had to be taken during those tricky underarm spins, because the bra remained steadfastly cinched to the waist and acted as a launching pad, propelling your cleavage upward at full warp speed. This made it possible to knock yourself out in more ways than one doing the shag. Plus, these bras were so intractable, when you did the Cha-Cha, your bosoms would move from left to right, but the bra remained steadfast, pointing straight ahead at your partner. This made it tough for him to decide which set to follow and he often ended up across the room dancing by himself. P. 11: THE GIRDLE: The 50's girdle was brought to you by the same people who manufactured steel belted radials in Akron, Ohio. Made from crude neoprene, these garments were built to withstand 15,000 pounds of female cellulite packed under perilous pressure. It was common in the fifties to hear about teenage girls who suffered a spontaneous "blow out" on the dance floor during those dangerous slow dancing dips. Stretching from waist to mid-thigh, the girdles strained to reduce both of these anatomical areas into roughly the same circumference. Because they had metal garter clasps which dug into the flesh, most women were able to tell their age by counting the rings of broken veins indelibly etched around their thighs. The good news for parents was that the girdle served another purpose--and that was birth control. There wasn't a teenage boy alive in the 50's who had either the strength or patience on a date to successfully peel one of those
babies off his babe. And even if by some miracle he succeeded, the sight of the mushrooming cellulite released from the flab under pressure would've stopped even the horniest guy dead in his tracks. Historical Point of Interest: One teenage guy who witnessed this ghastly sight in the front seat of his Dodge cleverly used this haunting memory to invent the first safety air bag installed in today's automobiles. P. 12: Q. What was the only 100% effective birth control method in the fifties? a. abstention b. the Formica diaphragm c. wearing a girdle to bed d. not wearing a girdle to bed A. both c and d were pretty unappetizing. Pp. 17-18: GETTING STIFF: NO ALCOHOL REQUIRED The Cardinal Rule of Prom Gowns was that they had to be worn with no less than six freshly starched crinolines underneath. In the starching process, the following steps were ALWAYS taken to insure the crinoline stood out at a 90 degree angle from your body: 1. They were soaked for a full week in a supersaturated solution of sugar and water. 2. Next they were dried over an opened umbrella for a week. 3. Finally, they were sprayed with enough starch to feed the country of Italy for a year. The resulting product was about as flexible as Don King's hair. In fact, if you tried to sit down in the crinolines, the front of your gown usually flew up over your face. And naturally, there were those guys who were just so "polite" that they'd be getting a chair for you every two seconds--then running around the front to reap the benefits of the floor show. . And do you remember how those starched crinolines shredded our good nylon stockings so it looked like we were wearing old woolen sweaters on our legs? But the absolute worst was the way the ten rows of stiff ruffled netting on the bodice chafed our underarms until they looked like we had a terminal case of razor burn. P. 67: THE 50's BATHING SUIT: A REAL BONER Remember the traditional one-piece bathing suit of the 50's? It had a little pleated skirt which reached mid-thigh and lots of draping to conceal the bustline. In fact, nowadays, this style could be worn to church. These suits were so modest, they covered more territory than the Yukon. In fact they hid womens' saddlebags so well that cellulite went virtually undiscovered until the late 60's They also had built-in shelf-style bras, molded with Formica contour pads strong enough to launch the Space Shuttle. Furthermore, all of the suits in those days had built-in rubber girdles. Even if you weighed only 75 pounds soaking wet, a girdle under a bathing suit was a must. Remember, muscle tone was not an important part of anybody's physique back then. So to give our bodies some kind of shape, the 50's bathing suits had about two dozen "bones" sewn into them--and if any of them broke, the suit would require a total body cast. Pp. 84-85: BREAST CHECK: GETTING THE LEAD OUT The first step is by far the toughest part--assessing what you've got. You're going to have to take a hard, cold look at your naked body in a full length mirror Keep in mind that this alone can be a terrifying experience. You're going to discover more lumps than you do in your mattress and count more rolls than you'd see in a deli. Some of you may become particularly distressed to discover that the cute little puppy tattoo on your butt has grown to the size of a water buffalo. Or worse yet, the perky little rose on your left breast has grown a six-inch stem over the last few years. Turning sideways to check out the state of our breasts can be a real bummer. They will probably look about as firm as last week's bratwurst and will have assumed the same shape, too. To be truthful, nowadays most of us are wearing a size 36 Long bra.
Marge Caskey, The Merry Widow: ah, sweet misery of life , West Seattle News Herald, July 8, 1981, p. B1:
It was one of those trans-generational remarks that just tumbles out and there you are, an only slightly redeemable relic in the eyes of your granddaughter. I wonder what this would have looked like with a Merry Widow, I said jokingly as I helped my almost teenage granddaughter slip the flimsy blue chiffon junior bridesmaid dress over her head, past her training bra and down over her absolutely hipless young figure. She raised a slightly penciled brow and stared at me in the bathroom mirror. WHAT, she asked, is a Merry Widow? She knows that her grandmother never washed clothes on a scrub board or listened to Caruso on a crystal set. But I did exist before television and jet planes and that makes me irrevocably aged in her eyes. I tried to explain. It was a bra contraption that was hooked together all the way to the belly button, I said. It was so tight you could hardly breathe, with wired cups and vertical boning and a little flap in the front that pushed your stomach in. Sometimes when you moved it didnt. She looked at me with amazement. How awful, she said from the depths of her 12-year-old soul. How could you stand being so uncomfortable? CRAZY! She had picked the right words. Yes, it was uncomfortable, and yes, it was crazy. That jolted me into thinking how much has changed in the past 25 years in the way we think about clothes. Today it is popular to talk about dressing FOR something. Women aiming for the corporate boardroom wear twopiece suits and bowed blouses because they are dressing for success. Clergymen trying to keep a congregation together are supposed to stick to black suits with plain ties because they are dressing for authority. Magazines and fashion designers show slithery satin blouses and tight sequined pants because its o.k. now to be dressing for sex. We women of the tight-wired strapless bra generation dressed for character. We put up with the inconvenience of restrictive clothing because this was the price one paid to be well-groomed and attractive, and there was no use whining about it. If beauty came too easily, it wasnt worth much. Can you imagine trying to explain that to a 12-year-old girl? The message always was, clothes were work. I treasured a pair of white kid gloves I had, even though when I put them on my hands would sweat and I could hardly bend my fingers. I always kept a hanky handy in case I had to pick something up. We starched summer dresses until they stood like statues in the laundry room, then sprinkled them, rolled them into little balls, and stood for hours ironing them dry. We wore them with petticoats that raised welts on our legs on a hot day. The examples are endless. We wore shoes with skinny heels that got caught in sidewalk grates, and girdles with little garters that dug into our thighs, and silk stockings with wiggly seams up the back that never stayed straight and were the despair of our lives. Granddaughter kept repeating, Why, why how COULD you?
Doing these things gave us our fortitude. They increased our stamina, they were lessons in happy agony. I think I could have climbed Mount Rainier with the training my clothes gave me. Fortunately, most of us learned that it was not just the spandex and cinch belts that kept us buttoned together. It was the invisible lacings of what we thought about ourselves. Then came liberation, when it was discovered that it was finally all right for clothes to be comfortable. So Im glad that my granddaughter was horrified with my talk about the Merry Widow, and thank goodness that nobody wears them anymore. Its a better world for women, now. [Yes and no.] There is one thing that bothers me, though. Its a tiny cloud on the fashion horizon that isnt bothering my granddaughter. Shes interested. All my girlfriends are getting those new pantyhose with the lines down the back. Have you seen them, grandma? Egad! Seamed stockings are coming back. Must history repeat itself?
Ann Combs, Girdle Grief, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Nov. 6, 1977, p. C1:

It had to happen, didnt it? The nostalgia craze wasnt content with Happy Days, old Mario Lanza records, and reruns of Jimmy Dean movies. Now some idiot wants to bring back the Playtex rubber girdle. Its not the Playtex people. Theyre too busy crossing our hearts to lift and separate. Besides, they realize they made a mistake. Presumably theyre sorry, and they havent brought up the subject in years. Its B.P. of Battle Creek, Mich. whos causing all the furor. Recently she wrote a letter to Mary-Lou Luther, The Los Angeles Times and P-I Columnist, suggesting a consumer write-in campaign to convince the Playtex people to bring back rubber girdles. I read her plea with the same horror I would a request to resurrect the zoot suit, because as far as Im concerned the rubber girdle deserves its place on the endangered species list, and its extinction cant come a moment too soon. I know whereof I speak. I used to wear one. It was almost a part of our uniform when I was a boarder at Annie Wright in Tacoma. Frankly I wouldnt be surprised if the faculty had had a hand in its invention, for in its iron grip young ladies remained young ladies. The Playtex rubber girdle, for those who missed the experience and as a result still have normal circulation, was built on the order of a truncated wet suit with air holes. There were no front and back panels to eradicate tummy bulge or spreading hips. The entire girdle was on duty at all times, making the imprisoned flesh impervious to heat, cold, speeding bullets and casual lecherous advances. It wasnt a simple thing to put on or take off either. Rubber doesnt slide easily over warm skin. Instead it bunches up, then snaps, leaving large welts that make you look as if youve been flogged. Ideally, in putting it on, ones body temperature should have hovered somewhere around 95 [?] degrees, but I never had time to soak in ice water before dressing for dinner. I had to dash in from a game of field hockey, take a quick bath, and rush to get dressed before the study hall bell. So I powdered myself and it. In fact, I spent most of my teenage years in a cloud of Evening in Paris. Then I grabbed the top of the girdle with both hands and sprang around the room in wild contortions till it inched into place. There was only one way to take it off and that was to roll it as fast as possible like a jelly roll from the waist down. Any delay and it gathered like a tourniquet around your hips, and you turned blue. More than one of my friends had to be cut out of her girdle before she expired. But all of this I would gladly have borne for the sake of beauty had it not been for one final drawback. The rubber
girdle tended to rupture. I discovered this at the Sophomore Cotillion. In those days dances at a young ladies seminary were stuffy at best. Attendance was mandatory. Boys were imported by the bus load, and escorts were assigned. Protocol rivaled that of the State Department, and though we were instructed to enjoy ourselves, hilarity was frowned upon. On this particular occasion fate had smiled upon me. My date was almost handsomeeven taller than I. I felt resplendent in my strapless blue tulle with its dyed-to-match shoes, and as the first strains of Moonlight and Roses filled the gymnasium, he held out his arm to lead me to the floor. All of a sudden I felt my girdle explode like the Teton Dam collapsing. There was a loud swoosh, and I lurched against him, clutching at his sleeve to keep from falling. Then I looked at my feet. There nestled around my ankles was my Playtex. I could hear laughter bubbling up around me, and I felt my date inching away. With all the dignity I could muster, I hobbled to the sidelines, then sprinted for the safety of my room. I hid there for two days. So B.P. of Battle Creek, organize a campaign if you must. Write letters till your hands fall off, but dont expect me to encourage you. Next thing I know youll want to bring back a Merry Widow strapless foundation, and you should hear what happened to me in one of those.
Patricia OBrien, Repressed? You Bet! And Heres Why, originally in the Chicago SunTimes, reprinted in the San Jose Mercury, Nov. 28, 1975:
Many people think the women of the 1950s were terribly repressed because they had flowery ideas about love, little pre-marital sexual experience, and they married early. They think this was strange, but it wasnt strange at all, and Ill tell you why. Of course we were repressed, we women who grew up in the 50s. And of course we didnt have sex, and of course we married early. All these things happened because of one very popular item of dress in the 50s that simply hasnt been given its due as a shaper and molder of history. It was the Playtex Living Girdle, and it certainly shaped and molded me. And its companion in history was the Merry Widow. We were repressed because we were half-asphyxiated. Each day we stuffed reasonably normal-sized hips (maybe an inch or so of extra flesh) and reasonably unpudgy waists into a singular contraption known as the Pencil Skirt. Visualize a pencil, and youve got the idea. These skirts were made out of four narrow strips of material with a five-inch slit up the front, not to increase sex appeal but to increase ones ability to walk. We called them, quite rightly, hobble skirts, and no one laughed. Or cried. Given the restrictions of the Pencil, you can see it was necessary to pay a good deal of attention to ones superstructure, as it were, before putting it on. That meant wearing the Playtex Living Girdle, an ingenious device sold in a silver tube of cardboard in department stores everywhere, guaranteed to whittle, pare, hone, and squeeze unsightly fat. The Living Girdle did not fool around. Im convinced Playtex sold mostly Extra-Smalls. Thats the only size I ever bought, 38-inch hips or no, for the challenge was greater. The first step was to turn the Living Girdle inside out and give it a good sprinkling of Johnsons Baby Powder. Johnsons Baby Powder is nice stuff, and it smells delicious on babies. It also smelled all right on the Living Girdle at first, but after wearing it all day, the aroma was distinctly of burning tires. Then one had to roll the girdle up like a sausage because, remember, this was RUBBER and rubber can rip, which had disconcerting consequences, which I will tell you about later. Anyhow, once the Living Girdle was properly rolled, you pulled it carefully over one foot (watching the toenails) and pulled hard in the opposite direction, for otherwise it had a tendency to snap tightly around ones ankle. Some
people lost heart when they saw this phenomenon. They did not want a well-girdled ankle. The next job was to work it around ones other foot, and then get it up around the knees, without poking ones finger through a hole. (All Living Girdles had carefully spaced-out holes in them, ostensibly so the body could still breathe. Thats why they were called Living. It was reassuring to first-time users.) I forgot one important detail. A pair of gloves. Wearers of Living Girdles needed to carry a pair of gloves at all times, for no one has been known to get that girdle on or off without them. It wasnt just rings or hangnails. A slight case of chapped hands could do it. Once the girdle was worked up over the knees, the pressure was on. Now it had to be carefully unfolded until it was just doubled, easing gently, upoverUh! Success. There was usually a short moment of giddiness, so it was wise to be standing next to a door or a wall. I used to think it was simply euphoria (I had done it again!). But keeping ones head down and holding ones breath for the usual ten minutes or so it took to get on the Living Girdle had its health problems. Then it was time to put on the Merry Widow. A Merry Widow was a cloth and rubber contraption that operated both as a brace and a bra. The brace part extended from beneath the breasts down to the lower waist where it met your Living Girdle. Its one drawback was an unfortunate tendency to snap up in front when one sat down. This gave the illusion of pregnancy, which was terribly embarrassing, so it was important to keep an eye on that flap, and slap it down every time it flipped up. That kept us reasonably occupied during long movies. We didnt think much about anything else. Usually the Merry Widow and the Living Girdle ensured that we looked as beautiful as possible. (We became experts in bladder control, so as not to lose too many hours getting trussed and untrussed each day.) One memorable weekend I visited friends in another city, wearing my favorite Pencil Skirt. They raved over what a slim beauty I had become. Little did they know, I thought with satisfaction, that I owed it all to the Living Girdle and the Merry Widow. On the third day, my Living Girdle burst, and out poured me. Humiliating? Oh, yes. But the most terrible thing was the knowledge I could no longer rely on the Living Girdle to preserve me as a mass of tube-slender flesh. All my care, all my coaxing of that slippery piece of rubber over my body had been changed perceptibly. I abandoned Pencil Skirts, and started wearing the kind that required five yards of material gathered at the waist, pushed out to there with huge crinolines underneath. All I wore under it for constraint was a waist cincher, which allowed a reasonable amount of air in my lungs. I subsequently discovered there was more to do in movie theaters with boys than worry about the flap flapping. In a sense, it was my emancipation from the 50s, or, more accurately, from total acceptance of the idea that beauty required a high tolerance of pain. (It still amazes me that we waddled around, mono-buttocked and confined to two-inch steps, never seeing the connection with the Chinese custom of binding womens feet at birth.) [Actually age six years was usually the earliest.] We were certainly interested in sex. But our primary pursuit was ultimate control of our bodies, so we would be good-looking packages to be opened only after marriagewhich should make it clear why we married early. We married early, dear readers, so we could take off those damned Living Girdles and Merry Widows and breathe again.
No title--Author Unknown (from the Internet) Getting Ready for the Reunion! With the towel firmly wrapped around my glistening body, I pulled out the black lace, tummy-tucking, cellulitepushing, ham hock-rounding girdle, and the matching lifting those bosoms like they're filled with helium bra. I greased my body with the scented body lotion and began the plunge. I pulled, stretched, tugged, hiked, folded, tucked, twisted, shimmied, hopped, pushed, wiggled, snapped, shook, caterpillar crawled, and kicked. Sweat poured off my forehead but I was done. And it didn't look bad. So I rested. A well deserved rest, too. The girdle was on my body. Bounce a quarter off my behind? It was tighter than a trampoline. Can you say, Rubber baby buggy bumper butt? Okay, so I had to take baby steps, and walk sideways, and I couldn't move from my butt cheeks to my knees. But I was firm! Oh no...I had to go to the bathroom. And there wasn't a snap crotch. From now on, undies gotta have a snap crotch. I was ready to rip it open and re-stitch the crotch with Velcro, but the pain factor from past experiments was still fresh in my mind. I quickly sidestepped to the bathroom. An hour later, I had answered nature's call and repeated the struggle into the girdle. I was ready for the bra. I remembered what the saleslady said to do. I could see her glossed lips mouthing, Do not fasten the bra in the front, and twist it around. Put the bra on the way it should be worn --- straps over the shoulders. Then bend over and gently place both breasts inside the cups. Easy, if you have four hands! But, with confidence, I put my arms into the holsters, bent over and pulled the bra down...but the boobs weren't cooperating. I'd no sooner tuck one in a cup and, while placing the other, the first would slip out. I needed a strategy. I bounced up, and down a few times, tried to dribble them in with short bunny hops, but that didn't work. So, while bent over, I began rocking gently back and forth on my heel and toes and I set 'em to swinging. Finally, on the fourth swing, pause, and lift, I captured the gliding glands. Quickly fastening the back of the bra, I stood up for examination. Back straight, slightly arched, I turned and faced the mirror, turning front, and then sideways. I smiled. Yes, Houston, we have lift up! My breasts were high, firm and there was cleavage! I was happy until I tried to look down. I had a chin rest. And I couldn't see my feet. I still had to put on my pantyhose, and shoes. Oh... why did I buy heels with buckles? Then I had to pee again. I put on my (purple) sweats, fixed myself a drink, ordered pizza, and skipped the reunion.
Meet Girdle Girl by Claudia Connell
Sunday, 8th March 2009
As one of Femail's Two Fat Ladies, Claudia Connell has been keeping a hilarious dieting diary since she vowed to lose weight at the beginning of the year. But is there an instant way to get rid of the flab without dieting or going under the surgeon's knife? Claudia road-tested the latest figure-transforming underwear to find out. . . So is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Girdle Girl to the rescue! Although I should point out that she won't be coming immediately to the rescue, as I don't exactly fly through the air at the speed of light. In fact, once I am in my full costume, I can't run, walk, dance, laugh or jump without difficulty. I can, however, move sideways like a crab if required. OK, so I make a pretty unimpressive superhero and I'm unlikely to be the star of my own summer blockbuster, but I do fight the sort of crime that affects most women at some stage: flab and cellulite. Everyone who watched The Bionic Woman on TV in the Seventies will remember the opening line where the voiceover dramatically announced: 'We have the technology, we can rebuild her.' As a child, I used to dream of having supersonic hearing and being able to run faster than a truck, just like the
Bionic Woman. But now, aged 42, I'm not so fussed about being able to hear a conversation on the other side of the room or leaping over a giant building. But I do fantasise about a midriff area that doesn't look like a festoon blind, and the days when the tops of my arms didn't resemble a side of ham in a delicatessen's window. For years, surgeons have been able to rebuild and reshape women's bodies with breast implants, liposuction and tummy tucks. In order to obtain the Jessica Rabbit-style figure that I crave, I would need only to alter my breasts, shoulders, stomach, waist, bottom, thighs, upper arms and back. But what's a girl to do when her budget doesn't quite stretch to such major and costly intervention? Is there a credit crunch alternative? Well, I am delighted to announce that there is, and that the answer lies within - within your underwear to be precise. It is now possible to alter the shape of your body and drop a dress size without the need for a scalpel and bank loan. Control knickers are, of course, nothing new. It would be a safe bet to assume that every actress at the Oscars was wearing a pair beneath her frock - but that wasn't what I was looking for. As a size 14-16, my days of just needing magic knickers are gone - an all-encompassing body suit would be more suitable to my needs. Luckily, a company called Lipo In A Box have invented the very thing. It's the brainchild of an American southern belle called Connie Elder. I called Connie at her home in Nashville to discuss my figure faults. It wasn't a short conversation.She promised to send me a box full of remedies that would give me the body I crave. Connie was able to take care of most of my body. She recommended two different body suits - one knee length for daywear and a calf-length one for evening, a waist clincher that would magically make my spare tyre disappear, and a pair of briefs that would flatten my stomach and lift my buttocks.The final touches were some shoulder shapers and breast enhancement pads. But there was nothing on offer for the dreaded bingo wings. It's no good having a goddess-like hour-glass figure and then, after a romantic evening, waving goodbye to your matinee idol beau, and knocking him out with one blow from an unruly lump of swinging arm flab. But those Americans think of everything. Flabuless is a new product which you wear like a sausage skin over your bingo wings to create a slim and toned effect. I was like a child at Christmas when my parcels arrived. I don't think I ever envisaged the day when I would be wildly excited by a box of grandma-sized knickers landing on my doorstep. I stared at them with a mixture of fascination and terror. How many people can boast that their underwear comes with a 24-hour helpline? Suddenly the idea of surgery didn't seem so scary after all. Lipo In A Box products are based on the compression bandages used by the medical profession. It doesn't sound sexy, but if it does the job, who cares? I divided the items into two batches: one for day to be worn under dresses and suits, and one for evening to be worn under longer, clingier dresses. Anybody who has worn control underwear will know it is not ideal for a girl in a hurry. The first piece of my Girdle Girl outfit was a pair of cycling-style shorts. They trimmed half an inch off my thighs, half an inch off my hips and an inch off my waist and, most importantly, persuaded my backside to shift back to where it used to live. But not content with a mere inch loss from my stomach area, I pulled an additional waist clincher over the top, which whittled me down by a further two inches. My Ultimo gel-filled bra - worn by Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich - gave me a va-va-voom cleavage, while the Flabuless sleeves made my bingo wings magically disappear. The final touch was a pair of clipon shoulder pads, as Mother Nature, in her wisdom, decide to curse me with the narrow, sloping shoulders of a 12-year-old, meaning that nothing with straps ever stays in place. After 15 minutes off huffing, swearing and sweating, the result had better be worth it. So, what to put on top? For my day outfit, I chose a grey Marks & Spencer suit with a pencil skirt and jacket. A pair of black high heels completed the outfit. Normally, I strain to fasten the button on both the skirt and the jacket. Would that all change with my superhero underwear? My pencil skirt slid effortlessly over my hips and the zip went up in one go, while the jacket fastened with room to spare. If the underwear had allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief, then I would have. Usually when I sit down, I do so without too much thought, but I had to lower myself inch by inch for fear that something would give way. I also had to make sure my skirt didn't rise to reveal my flesh-coloured underwear which started at the knee. Standing up also required the assistance of two people, as my arms were starting to go numb from the Flabuless sleeves. My daytime body got the thumbs up from most of my friends, but would I pass muster in my evening dress? It was time for Girdle Girl to gain some additional super powers: the body suit. With its in-built bra, this beauty was going to tone my body. I lost track of how long it took to shove my wobbly bits inside, but it was long enough to necessitate a tea break. Connie from Lipo In A Box had also sent me a pair of 'perkies' - lightweight jelly inserts to go inside the bra, which promise the effect of a boob job but without the surgery.I added my waist
clincher over the body suit, shoe-horned my bingo wings back into the Flabuless contraption and clipped on the shoulder pads. Finally I added a pair of bottom-lifting briefs. The dress fitted like never before - my waist had never looked trimmer, my bottom was so uplifted you could rest your mug of tea on it, and I was mesmerised by my new perky bust.To go with my new movie-star figure came a new movie-star walk. Unfortunately, not Marilyn Monroe's wiggle, but Frankenstein's Monster's lurch - a result of not being able to bend my arms or legs. After half an hour of marvelling at myself, I realised I needed to spend a penny. Suddenly I understood the reason for the helpline. 'I'm dying for a pee and I'm wearing a body suit and buttock clenchers,' I wailed down the phone. 'Ok. Calm down, if you check the garments, you'll see that they all came with a special, hidden opening, so you don't have to remove them entirely,' said the nice lady. Phew.I was prepared to sacrifice walking and eating, but fighting the call of nature was going to be too much even for Girdle Girl. Dropping two dress sizes, having a visible waist and not having to lie down to fasten my clothes was wonderful. But it is a look that should be kept for special occasions; I don't think my flesh could withstand the restriction and discomfort. It was time to put the control underwear away and go back to being plain old, wobbly-sized 14-16 Claudia Connell. But my superhero outfit is safely boxed under the bed, just waiting for the next emergency call. Watch out for Claudia's next Two Fat Ladies diary in Femail. For more information about the products she used, visit Flabuless and lipoinaboxm.
Three Humorous Girdle Memoirs

Marge Caskey, The Merry Widow: ah, sweet misery of life ,
West Seattle News Herald, July 8, 1981, p. B1: It was one of those trans-generational remarks that just tumbles out and there you are, an only slightly redeemable relic in the eyes of your granddaughter. I wonder what this would have looked like with a Merry Widow, I said jokingly as I helped my almost teenage granddaughter slip the flimsy blue chiffon junior bridesmaid dress over her head, past her training bra and down over her absolutely hipless young figure. She raised a slightly penciled brow and stared at me in the bathroom mirror. WHAT, she asked, is a Merry Widow? She knows that her grandmother never washed clothes on a scrub board or listened to Caruso on a crystal set. But I did exist before television and jet planes and that makes me irrevocably aged in her eyes. I tried to explain. It was a bra contraption that was hooked together all the way to the belly button, I said. It was so tight you could hardly breathe, with wired cups and vertical boning and a little flap in the front that pushed your stomach in. Sometimes when you moved it didnt. She looked at me with amazement. How awful, she said from the depths of her 12-year-old soul. How could you stand being so uncomfortable? CRAZY! She had picked the right words. Yes, it was uncomfortable, and yes, it was crazy. That jolted me into thinking how much has changed in the past 25 years in the way we think about clothes. Today it is popular to talk about dressing FOR something. Women aiming for the corporate boardroom wear two-piece suits and bowed blouses because they are dressing for success. Clergymen trying to keep a congregation together are supposed to stick to black suits with plain ties because they are dressing for authority. Magazines and fashion designers show slithery satin blouses and tight sequined pants because its o.k. now to be dressing for sex. We women of the tight-wired strapless bra generation dressed for character. We put up with the inconvenience of restrictive clothing because this was the price one paid to be well-groomed and attractive, and there was no use whining about it. If beauty came too easily, it wasnt worth much. Can you imagine trying to explain that to a 12-year-old girl? The message always was, clothes were work. I treasured a pair of white kid gloves I had, even though when I put them on my hands would sweat and I could hardly bend my fingers. I always kept a hanky handy in case I had to pick something up. We starched summer dresses until they stood like statues in the laundry room, then sprinkled them, rolled them into little balls, and stood for hours ironing them dry. We wore them with petticoats that raised welts on our legs on a hot day. The examples are endless. We wore shoes with skinny heels that got caught in sidewalk grates, and girdles with little garters that dug into our thighs, and silk stockings with wiggly seams up the back that never stayed straight and were the despair of our lives. Granddaughter kept repeating, Why, why how COULD you? Doing these things gave us our fortitude. They increased our stamina, they were lessons in happy agony. I think I could have climbed Mount Rainier with the training my clothes gave me. Fortunately, most of us learned that it was not just the spandex and cinch belts that kept us buttoned together. It was the invisible lacings of what we thought about ourselves. Then came liberation, when it was discovered that it was finally all right for clothes to be comfortable. So Im glad that my granddaughter was horrified with my talk about the Merry Widow, and thank goodness that nobody wears them anymore. Its a better world for women, now. [Yes and no.] There is one thing that bothers me, though. Its a tiny cloud on the fashion horizon that isnt bothering my granddaughter. Shes interested. All my girlfriends are getting those new pantyhose with the lines down the back. Have you seen them, grandma?
Egad! Seamed stockings are coming back. Must history repeat itself?
Ann Combs, Girdle Grief,

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Nov. 6, 1977, p. C1: It had to happen, didnt it? The nostalgia craze wasnt content with Happy Days, old Mario Lanza records, and reruns of Jimmy Dean movies. Now some idiot wants to bring back the Playtex rubber girdle. Its not the Playtex people. Theyre too busy crossing our hearts to lift and separate. Besides, they realize they made a mistake. Presumably theyre sorry, and they havent brought up the subject in years. Its B.P. of Battle Creek, Mich. whos causing all the furor. Recently she wrote a letter to Mary-Lou Luther, The Los Angeles Times and P-I Columnist, suggesting a consumer write-in campaign to convince the Playtex people to bring back rubber girdles. I read her plea with the same horror I would a request to resurrect the zoot suit, because as far as Im concerned the rubber girdle deserves its place on the endangered species list, and its extinction cant come a moment too soon. I know whereof I speak. I used to wear one. It was almost a part of our uniform when I was a boarder at Annie Wright in Tacoma. Frankly I wouldnt be surprised if the faculty had had a hand in its invention, for in its iron grip young ladies remained young ladies. The Playtex rubber girdle, for those who missed the experience and as a result still have normal circulation, was built on the order of a truncated wet suit with air holes. There were no front and back panels to eradicate tummy bulge or spreading hips. The entire girdle was on duty at all times, making the imprisoned flesh impervious to heat, cold, speeding bullets and casual lecherous advances. It wasnt a simple thing to put on or take off either. Rubber doesnt slide easily over warm skin. Instead it bunches up, then snaps, leaving large welts that make you look as if youve been flogged. Ideally, in putting it on, ones body temperature should have hovered somewhere around 95 [?] degrees, but I never had time to soak in ice water before dressing for dinner. I had to dash in from a game of field hockey, take a quick bath, and rush to get dressed before the study hall bell. So I powdered myself and it. In fact, I spent most of my teenage years in a cloud of Evening in Paris. Then I grabbed the top of the girdle with both hands and sprang around the room in wild contortions till it inched into place. There was only one way to take it off and that was to roll it as fast as possible like a jelly roll from the waist down. Any delay and it gathered like a tourniquet around your hips, and you turned blue. More than one of my friends had to be cut out of her girdle before she expired. But all of this I would gladly have borne for the sake of beauty had it not been for one final drawback. The rubber girdle tended to rupture. I discovered this at the Sophomore Cotillion. In those days dances at a young ladies seminary were stuffy at best. Attendance was mandatory. Boys were imported by the bus load, and escorts were assigned. Protocol rivaled that of the State Department, and though we were instructed to enjoy ourselves, hilarity was frowned upon. On this particular occasion fate had smiled upon me. My date was almost handsomeeven taller than I. I felt resplendent in my strapless blue tulle with its dyed-to-match shoes, and as the first strains of Moonlight and Roses filled the gymnasium, he held out his arm to lead me to the floor. All of a sudden I felt my girdle explode like the Teton Dam collapsing. There was a loud swoosh, and I lurched against him, clutching at his sleeve to keep from falling. Then I looked at my feet. There nestled around my ankles was my Playtex. I could hear laughter bubbling up around me, and I felt my date inching away. With all the dignity I could muster, I hobbled to the sidelines, then sprinted for the safety of my room. I hid there for two days. So B.P. of Battle Creek, organize a campaign if you must. Write letters till your hands fall off, but dont expect me to encourage you. Next thing I know youll want to bring back a Merry Widow strapless foundation, and you should hear what happened to me in one of those.
Patricia OBrien, Repressed? You Bet! And Heres Why,

originally in the Chicago Sun-Times, reprinted in the San Jose Mercury, Nov. 28, 1975: Many people think the women of the 1950s were terribly repressed because they had flowery ideas about love, little premarital sexual experience, and they married early. They think this was strange, but it wasnt strange at all, and Ill tell you why.
Of course we were repressed, we women who grew up in the 50s. And of course we didnt have sex, and of course we married early. All these things happened because of one very popular item of dress in the 50s that simply hasnt been given its due as a shaper and molder of history. It was the Playtex Living Girdle, and it certainly shaped and molded me. And its companion in history was the Merry Widow. We were repressed because we were half-asphyxiated. Each day we stuffed reasonably normal-sized hips (maybe an inch or so of extra flesh) and reasonably unpudgy waists into a singular contraption known as the Pencil Skirt. Visualize a pencil, and youve got the idea. These skirts were made out of four narrow strips of material with a five-inch slit up the front, not to increase sex appeal but to increase ones ability to walk. We called them, quite rightly, hobble skirts, and no one laughed. Or cried. Given the restrictions of the Pencil, you can see it was necessary to pay a good deal of attention to ones superstructure, as it were, before putting it on. That meant wearing the Playtex Living Girdle, an ingenious device sold in a silver tube of cardboard in department stores everywhere, guaranteed to whittle, pare, hone, and squeeze unsightly fat. The Living Girdle did not fool around. Im convinced Playtex sold mostly Extra-Smalls. Thats the only size I ever bought, 38-inch hips or no, for the challenge was greater. The first step was to turn the Living Girdle inside out and give it a good sprinkling of Johnsons Baby Powder. Johnsons Baby Powder is nice stuff, and it smells delicious on babies. It also smelled all right on the Living Girdle at first, but after wearing it all day, the aroma was distinctly of burning tires. Then one had to roll the girdle up like a sausage because, remember, this was RUBBER and rubber can rip, which had disconcerting consequences, which I will tell you about later. Anyhow, once the Living Girdle was properly rolled, you pulled it carefully over one foot (watching the toenails) and pulled hard in the opposite direction, for otherwise it had a tendency to snap tightly around ones ankle. Some people lost heart when they saw this phenomenon. They did not want a well-girdled ankle. The next job was to work it around ones other foot, and then get it up around the knees, without poking ones finger through a hole. (All Living Girdles had carefully spaced-out holes in them, ostensibly so the body could still breathe. Thats why they were called Living. It was reassuring to first-time users.) I forgot one important detail. A pair of gloves. Wearers of Living Girdles needed to carry a pair of gloves at all times, for no one has been known to get that girdle on or off without them. It wasnt just rings or hangnails. A slight case of chapped hands could do it. Once the girdle was worked up over the knees, the pressure was on. Now it had to be carefully unfolded until it was just doubled, easing gently, upoverUh! Success. There was usually a short moment of giddiness, so it was wise to be standing next to a door or a wall. I used to think it was simply euphoria (I had done it again!). But keeping ones head down and holding ones breath for the usual ten minutes or so it took to get on the Living Girdle had its health problems. Then it was time to put on the Merry Widow. A Merry Widow was a cloth and rubber contraption that operated both as a brace and a bra. The brace part extended from beneath the breasts down to the lower waist where it met your Living Girdle. Its one drawback was an unfortunate tendency to snap up in front when one sat down. This gave the illusion of pregnancy, which was terribly embarrassing, so it was important to keep an eye on that flap, and slap it down every time it flipped up. That kept us reasonably occupied during long movies. We didnt think much about anything else. Usually the Merry Widow and the Living Girdle ensured that we looked as beautiful as possible. (We became experts in bladder control, so as not to lose too many hours getting trussed and untrussed each day.) One memorable weekend I visited friends in another city, wearing my favorite Pencil Skirt. They raved over what a slim beauty I had become. Little did they know, I thought with satisfaction, that I owed it all to the Living Girdle and the Merry Widow. On the third day, my Living Girdle burst, and out poured me. Humiliating? Oh, yes. But the most terrible thing was the knowledge I could no longer rely on the Living Girdle to preserve me as a mass of tube-slender flesh. All my care, all my coaxing of that slippery piece of rubber over my body had been changed perceptibly. I abandoned Pencil Skirts, and started wearing the kind that required five yards of material gathered at the waist, pushed out to there with huge crinolines underneath. All I wore under it for constraint was a waist cincher, which allowed a reasonable amount of air in my lungs. I subsequently discovered there was more to do in movie theaters with boys than worry about the flap flapping. In a sense, it was my emancipation from the 50s, or, more accurately, from total acceptance of the idea that beauty required a high tolerance of pain. (It still amazes me that we waddled around, mono-buttocked and confined to two-inch steps, never seeing the connection with the Chinese custom of binding womens feet at birth.) [Actually age six years was usually the earliest.]
We were certainly interested in sex. But our primary pursuit was ultimate control of our bodies, so we would be goodlooking packages to be opened only after marriagewhich should make it clear why we married early. We married early, dear readers, so we could take off those damned Living Girdles and Merry Widows and breathe again.
Girdle Odds and Ends (mostly humorous)

P.G. Wodehouse, Spode and Eulalie Soeurs
The Code of the Woosters, Ch. 14: Jeeves, I said, Give me the low-down, and Ill come on that World Cruise of yours. He wavered. Well, in the strictest confidence, sir Of course. Mr. Spode designs ladies underclothing, sir. He has a considerable talent in that direction, and has indulged it secretly for some years. He is the founder and proprietor of the emporium in Bond Street known as Eulalie soeurs. You dont mean that? Yes, sir. Good Lord, Jeeves! No wonder he didnt want a thing like that to come out. No, sir. It would unquestionably jeopardize his authority over his followers. You cant be a successful Dictator and design womens underclothing. No, sir. One or the other. Not both. Precisely, sir.
News item, Lingerie & Sexy Women Affect Male Judgment,

reprinted in McPeteSez online lingerie newsletter, May 1, 2006: Researchers at the University of Leuven in Belgium asked men to play an ultimatum game, in which they split a certain amount of money between them. High-testosterone men drove the hardest bargain, unless they had previously viewed pictures of bikini-clad models, in which case they were more likely to accept a poorer deal. The sight of flesh had less effect on the bargaining tactics of low-testosterone men. The testosterone dose that interested the researchers was that encountered by their participants when developing in the womb. This can be measured by comparing the lengths of the index and ring fingers a relatively long ring finger is a sign of a hightestosterone man. For these men, even handling a bra was enough to sap their resolve, report economists Bram Van den Bergh and Siegfried Dewitte, who publish their findings in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B1. Pictures of landscapes or elderly women, or handling a t-shirt, had no effect on the men's steely bartering power. The discovery might help to explain advertisers' reliance on sexy women to hawk their products, the researchers speculate. "Commercials and advertisements are populated with beautiful and sexy women, but the consequences on cognitive processes of males had not been fully investigated," Van den Bergh says. This is not the first study to show the effect of a well-turned ankle on male behavior. For example, the sight of a beautiful woman makes men more likely to accept a small cash sum up front rather than a larger one later, perhaps so as to appear wealthy straight away. But that doesn't explain why sultry sirens can sell anything from computers to carving knives. Perhaps men faced with an attractive woman just don't strive so hard for a good deal, Van den Bergh suggests.
Weekly World News, Nurses sexy underwear is banned, June 13, 1989:
Hospital officials have issued a ban on sexy panties at a clinic in Almeria, Spain, telling nurses they are forbidden to wear red or black underwear. Nurses have protested the ban, which presumably was announced to keep undies from showing through their white uniforms.
Four Snippets from The Guardian & Observer

Senior disservice, By Alexander Chancellor, Saturday May 15, 1999, Guardian A letter from a reader in Oldham says that his mother-in-lawlike mine, in her 80s"attended a service in which the visiting clergyman began his sermon by asking how many ladies present were wearing girdles". Taking the veil, Saturday November 17, 2001, Guardian When Margaret Atwood wrote The Handmaid's Tale, it was a fiction drawn in part from fact: her conflicting feelings about the purple chador she bought on holiday in Afghanistan. It was a cultural custom and since I had grown up hearing that you weren't decently dressed without a girdle and white gloves, I thought I could understand such a thing. Let's hear it for granny pants: On lingerie and lies Shane Watson Friday May 12, 2000, Guardian As a child I remember my mother confiding in a friend that it would be impossible for her to be unfaithful to my father because of the underwear issue. He was used to her greying 18-hour girdle and darned bra, whereas a new lover would expect the red carpet of alluring undergarments and God knows what else. Who needs it! Open season for gropers: Summer office parties bring out the best, and the beast, in everyone, Cristina Odone, Sunday July 15, 200, The Observer In tones that betray flattery and annoyance in equal measure, we warn one another in the privacy of the ladies' loo that when a certain broadcaster is around, you're best off in a suit of armour.
Globe, Used undies of the stars for sale in LA, April 11, 1989, p. 23:
Sonny Bonos second wife, Susie Coehlo, is making a bundle selling off the hand-me-downs of his famous first wife, Cher. Susie got the idea to sell the celestial seconds of Cher and other stars after attending a friends garage sale. She persuaded some of her celebrity pals to play along, and thats how her trendy Los Angeles shop, A Star Is Worn, was born. You can wiggle into Jayne Mansfields girdle for only $1250.
Himanee Gupta, book review of Live to Win, Seattle Times, Jan. 29, 1990, D6:
Once a salesman came up with what seemed like the ideal way to sell more Playtex girdles. Knowing that girdles frequently were hard to clean, he offered a special promotion: women who brought in their old, worn-out girdles could buy a new, Playtex model at a discount. The plan worked a little too well. So many smelly girdles were turned in at a New York department store that the salesman was nearly arrested for violating health codes.
Nose magazine #11 (late 1980s), Our Ever-Changing World, p. 80:
Japans underwear industry has created a third Valentines Day, this time in September, in which men are encouraged to give undies and nighties as a gesture of love.
Nicole Hollander, text of a Sylvia cartoon, 1991:

Sara Lee just bought Playtex. Great, theyve got us coming and going. Why dont they just package the girdle right in there with the cheesecake?
H. Allen Smith, Life in a Putty Knife Factory, 1945, p. 115:

One afternoon I had an assignment [as a reporter] that took me into a corset factory occupying part of a building on Union Square. The proprietor of this establishment proved to be an interesting personality. He was a designer of corsets and girdles as well as a manufacturer. He took great pride in his accomplishments and told me he was an authority on the female form. Hed drag out corsets and girdles and yank them around in all the variations of the two-way stretch. Then hed yell for a model and a girl wearing a corset would come in and hed use her to illustrate what he had been talking aboutgrabbing hold of her here and there as impersonally as he might grab a fire hydrant. I am always doing research. Most of my research, he said, I do on the street. I get behind a girl and walk along and watch her rear. I take mental notes of all the strains and stresses. When he finished giving me the information I sought, I started to leave, thinking that maybe I had missed my calling.
US Girdle Sales Statistics, 1960 - 1982

by
Roger K
Table of Contents
Introduction Sales Table Discussion of Trends 1. Sales of girdles and garter belts rose each year during the 60s until 1968. 2. The transition away from the girdle was not an overnight affair. 3. Sales of garter belts rose and fell more swiftly than those of girdles. 4. Sales of zippered girdles declined steadily as a percentage of girdle sales. 5. Sales of corselets rose by only 2% from 1960 to 1968. 6. Anomalies (surges and dips) in corselet sales. 7. Anomaly: sharp drop in sales of laced foundations ("corsets") in 1971. 8. Sales of torsolettes. Postscript on False Claims of the Girdles Demise in or by the Sixties
Introduction
The common impression that American women began getting rid of their girdles in large numbers roughly the mid-1960s is contradicted by the annual sales statistics collected by the Dept. of Commerce and published in their Current Industrial Reports pamphlets each year, under the title Brassieres, Corsets, and Allied Garments. I dont have the complete run of these pamphlets, but here are the figures from ones I do have. (Sales were originally given in thousands of dozens; Ive converted this to thousands. I.e., 60,240 below stands for 60,240,000.) This periodical is no longer published; it fell victim to David Stockmans budget-cutting axe in 1983.
Sales Table
1. Year; 2. Girdles. The Census Bureau collected statistics on sales in price ranges for both zippered and roll-on girdles, but unfortunately failed to collect data on two subdivisions of much more interest to fashion historians: Open Bottom Girdles vs. panty-girdles, and High-Waist vs. Normal Waist; 3. Corselets: These are the swimsuit-like items with open bottoms or legs. The latter are sometimes referred to as all-in-ones (AIOs). 4. Corsets (the Census Bureaus outdated term for the mild, 20th century foundations with flexible busks or no busks at allso a better term would be Laced Foundation or Non-Elastic Foundation); 5. Total of columns 24 (Girdles, Corsets, and Corselets). The items in these three columns were everyday shapewear, so theyre more important than the last two items. 6. Garter Belts: These hardly count as shapewear, except for deep garter belts. 7. Torsolettes. These were special occasion items, worn to dances and parties. They were commonly known as Merry Widows, a trade name that the Census Bureau avoided with the neutral term, bra-lettes, defined as hip-length with garters. Torsolettes would have been a better choice, being the generic term used by other manufacturers. (Note: in 1974 the Census Bureau added the words, including briefers, which caused an immediate 80% jump in this category, and began a strong upward trend. That explains a puzzle, because previously torsolettes had to have the by-then unpopular garters.) The figures include imports, which rose from .3% of shipments in 1960 to 14% in 1980. In all cases except 1982 I have used the revised figures that appeared in the next years report. E.g., the 1961 figures were taken from the 1962 report.
Girdles 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 60,240 67,032 70,776 75,624 84,960 88,368 90,552 94,080 94,956 82,692 70,884 63,096 61,128 53,256 45,192 46,464 44,532 46,308 44,112 43,068 43,992 42,492 37,740 Corselets 2,856 3,120 3,072 2,952 3,000 3,012 2,880 2,700 2,916 3,060 2,388 2,184 2,640 3,108 3,336 2,916 3,648 3,864 3,492 2,736 2,256 2,676 3,636 Corsets 900 840 780 756 696 828 780 780 720 720 636 360 348 312 240 216 120 96 84 72 108 72 48 TOTAL 63,996 70,992 74,628 79,332 88,656 92,208 94,212 97,560 98,592 86,472 73,908 65,640 64,116 56,676 48,768 49,596 48,300 50,268 47,688 45,876 46,356 45,240 41,424 Garter belts 6,792 7,452 9,324 9,024 9,804 11,484 12,828 12,708 9,060 7,032 4,104 3,180 2,436 1,956 1,644 1,500 1,236 960 948 1,200 1,320 1,656 1,884 Torsolettes 1,728 1,716 1,632 1,176 1,008 924 828 792 636 540 372 324 300 252 456 372 420 480 420 660 564 828 648
Table 1: Annual US Foundation Sales in Thousands
Discussion of Trends
1. Sales of girdles and garter belts rose each year during the 60's until 1968
E.g., girdle sales rose by over 10% from 1960 to 1961, and rose 36% from 1960 to 1968. This increase involved a large number, 24 million additional items, suggesting that more women were wearing a girdle more of the time. (Especially since these girdles were lasting longer, due to their being made of Lycra / Spandex, not latex / rubber.) Sales in 1970 of these longer-lasting girdles were 118% those of 1960, so its highly inaccurate to say that the girdle died in the sixties.
2 The transition away from the girdle was not an overnight affair
In 1974 girdle sales were still 48% of the high-water mark six years earlier, in 1968. Furthermore, in the next six years girdle sales fell only 3% (by 1980), refuting the common notion that a reified group called women trash-canned their girdles en bloc as soon as they could. Only half of them did so. And even that is an overstatement. What the figures more likely suggest is that a minority of women (say 40%) abandoned them for everyday wear, some of them continuing to buy girdles occasionally for special events, others wearing panty-girdles regularly to help hold up saggy early pantyhose. By 1980 the steep decline resumed, with sales falling in the next two years by 14%, from 43,992 to 37,740 (in thousands). The likely explanation, as one wearer (SusanQ) testified, is that Once they made good control-top pantyhose (197580 Im guessing) I abandoned my girdles. The gradual resurgence in light-control garments (control briefs, shapers, and Spanx) that started in the 1990s is likely due to their being more comfortable. (Their use of seamless construction and microfibers is the probable explanation.) As evidence, the same wearer added, Maybe ten years ago [i.e., 1998] I tried a control brief and really liked how it felt, so I kept wearing those, usually with pantyhose also. The advantage of the control brief was that I no longer felt like I needed to wear panties under it.
3 Sales of garter belts rose and fell more swiftly than those of girdle, and peaked earlier
The peak year for garter belt sales was 1966; the high year for girdle sales was 1968. Sales of garter belts rose 89% from 1960 to 1966, whereas sales of girdles rose only 50%. On the down-slope, sales of garter belts in 1970 fell by 68% from 1966 levels, whereas sales of girdles at that point fell only 22%. Over the next six years sales of garter belts continued to fall about twice as fast as those of girdles: In 1976, garter belt sales were only 30% of 1970 levels, compared to 63% for girdles. Taken together, and bearing in mind that garter belts were primarily worn by the young, these figures support the contention that many high school girls switched from wearing knee socks and bobbie socks to garter belts and stockings at the start of the sixties, then started to switch to panty-girdles in the mid-sixties (since pantyhose sales didnt take off until late 1967), then defected en masse to pantyhose in the late sixties. Probably only two-thirds (? ?) of women over 35 had abandoned girdles for daily wear by 1980. What women were abandoning, much more than their girdles, which they retained for evening wear, etc., were stockings. Again, this is contrary to the message conveyed by many impressionistic histories of the period.
However, the girdles that were sold in the mid-seventies and after came without garters attached, were rarely open bottom type (because those required stockings), and were rarely zippered (see item 4 below)and hence were likely less firm on the average than earlier girdles. (There are no Census Bureau statistics on OBG vs. PG sales, because the dumbkopfs there didnt realize wed be curious about it.)
4. Sales of zippered girdles declined steadily as a percentage of girdle sales from 1962 onwards
Zippered girdles were typically worn by those needing support (older women), This suggests that the surge in girdle wear up to 1968 was primarily due to younger women, especially students, adopting girdles, not to all segments of the girdle-wearing population increasing their girdle wardrobe due to greater prosperity. It also indicates a trend away from firm girdles and the ultra-fashionable flattummy look of the 50s and early 60s in subsequent years. The only departure from the gradual descent was the sharp drop-off from 1970 to 1972, indicating that the high-fashion, grin-and-bear-it ethos lost ground faster than everyday girdling. (Note: Prior to 1962 its not possible to make an apples-to-apples comparison, because prior to 1962 a third category that was subsequently merged with the other two, Latex Girdles, didnt differentiate between zipped and unzipped items.)
Year: Percent: 1962 32 1964 31 1966 30 1968 28 1970 28 1972 23 1974 24 1976 22 1978 21 1980 20
Table 2: Zippered girdle sales as a percent of all girdle sales
5. Sales of corselets rose by only 2% from 1960 to 1968

These were typically worn as an alternative to the combination of longline bra and high-waist girdle by those needing support or wanting fashionable smoothness (older women). This further buttresses the proposition that the much larger surge (36%) in girdle wear in that time frame was primarily due to younger women adopting girdles, rather than to all segments of the girdle-wearing population increasing their foundation wardrobe due to greater prosperity.
6. Anomalies (surges and dips) in corselet sales

There was a recovery in the sales of corselets in the years 1968 & 1969, which was odd in light of the declining sales of all other foundations in those years. It was followed by a peculiar sharp drop in 1970 (perhaps due to a bankrupt company not reporting sales at the end of the year), and then by a pronounced upward spike in 1972-1978. Probably this was due to a surge in popularity of garterless body briefers. (The suddenness of these jumps and dips may also have been the result of certain manufacturers recategorizing items in their product lines, or realizing that they had either been failing to record sales in this category, or had been recording sales of corselets as both corselets and girdles.) Again, since younger women were overwhelmingly the purchasers of these lightweight items, this indicates that there was no complete rejection of figure firming and feminine fripperies per se, although histories of the
period sometimes imply or assert that that was the case, based on the attitudes of progressive types. E.g., see Ellen Melinkoffs What We Wore: An Offbeat Social History of Womens Clothing, 1950 to 1980, p. 125: By the end of the sixties all girdles were viewed with suspicion. Rather, for most, the shift was based more on fashion and technological changes than on an anti-undie mindset (although that too existed to some extent).
7. Anomaly: sharp drop in sales of laced foundations ("corsets") in 1971

In 1971 sales were only 57% of the 1970 level. This is another probable statistical artifact, possibly due to a bankruptcy. However, it was only a blip in the overall long-term downward trend. Comment on the term Corset Although the Census Bureau called them corsets, most of them lack a busk, which is a key element of a true corset. And yet they cant be called girdles, even if they have a lot of elastic. Theyre in a sort of grey arealaced (or rigid) foundations is probably the best term for them.)
8. Sales of torsolettes
The sales of this item declined slightly in 1961 & 1962, and then declined steeply in 196373. Its heyday was the mid- to late-fifties, when it was mostly worn for special events in conjunction with a petticoat. It was too elaborate and formal for the sixties. (Still, over a million were sold in 1964.) The uptrend in sales from 197481 can only be accounted for by some vendors classifying a different garment as a bra-lette. The long garters and bones of the real thing wouldnt have sold well at that point.
Postscript on False Claims of the Girdles Demise in or by the Sixties

1. Sociologist Erich Goode was incautious enough to write: The girdle was worn until about 1960." Goode was writing about women generally, so any defense that college girls were abandoning the girdle by the mid-sixties is beside the point. And Goode wasnt talking about the date when these trends began to aggregate in a serious way. He was talking about when they ENDEDin the date when the girdle was no longer worn (i.e., by the generality). For that, even 1975 would be too early, since sales were only down 50% from their peak1980 (or still better 1985) would more on-target. So hes not off by just five years, hes off by 20 or 25 if one wants to be a stickler for accuracy. (And accuracy is what sociologists pride themselves on, supposedly.) 2. A similarly uninformed statement on the Girdles and More site was that By 1966 or so, the girdle was large[ly] pass among college women. That is highly exaggerated. Cheap pantyhose didnt arrive, or at least catch on among more than a tiny percent of women, until 1968. Until then a girdle (or sometimes garter-belt) was needed if stockings were wornand even beatnik girls often wore stockings (black) (usually tights, though). My guess is that 10-20% of leading edge coeds had by then turned against the girdlebut not a majority, except at a few avant garde colleges. The fact that many girdle ads ran in magazines aimed at young women until the 1970s undermines the pass assertion. If such ads hadnt gotten a response from their audience for over a year, theyd have been dropped and they werent. Finally, I doubt the recollections of a representative sample of women would support this
claim. Most that Ive read (and they also include recollections of what their friends were wearing) didnt indicate an abandonment of the girdle until years later. Girdles were still worn to hold up saggy early pantyhose until well into the 70s. 3. Another flat-wrong statement made by the same G&M poster was that Newspapers of the late 1950s were filled with advertisements for girdles. These ads were rare by the mid-1960s. Although I dont have the statistics to prove it (perhaps undie trade journals or newspapers themselves published stats on advertising expenditures that could settle the matter), the fact that his impressions about womens girdle habits from that period are so badly wrong suggests that his impressions about newspaper ads are similarly skewed. I was recently browsing a girdle site that republishes old girdle ads a couple of months ago. Its webmaster said that the mid-to-late sixties were the high point of girdle advertising, with color being used much more extensively than before to show off the new pastel-colored girdles of the late sixties. My impression (from living thru the period and (for ad-impressions) from buying the Sunday NY Times throughout it) is that ads in the fifties (at any rate until 1958 or so) were usually small and somewhat embarrassed. In the sixties ads became much larger, more colorful, more numerous, and more exuberant. A comparison of the space devoted to such ads in randomly chosen issues of the Sunday NY Times Magazine from each year of those two decades would easily prove my point.
Bras: Bewildering and Bewitching

There's nothing more complicated than a bra snap when you're in a hurry. Anon. Roger has found a number of articles written by others on the subject of the brassiere. We have assembled these articles below. Anon, Bras: The hidden dangers, about 2004 Anon, Andy McNab to Design Lingerie, in McPeteSez, 12/15/05: Euan Ferguson, Christmas spending: 'Fifty quid for a bra? Oh, go on then' The Observer, Sunday December 15, 2002 Tony Chase, Dollys Secrets Bared, National Enquirer about 1990: Jessica Maxwell, The Black Bra Connection: Why is this sultry queen of intimate apparel de rigueur in the Northwest?, Washington magazine, Dec. 1989, pp. 33-35 Roger K, Doubled-Letter Codes for Bras are Irrational Anon physicist, Spurious Rounding, in Funny Times, News of the Weird column, April 2003
Anon, Bras: The hidden dangers, from p. 11 of The Little Red Book, a booklet published by The Week magazine, about 2004: Undressing a woman is risky business. Men have such a poor understanding of the mechanics of feminine undergarments that many risk injuring themselves while trying to remove a brassiere, says a new study. The British Journal of Plastic Surgery cites the case of a 27-year-old man who, at the culmination of a convivial and alcoholic evening with an attractive female companion," twisted his left middle finger in a bra strap. So severe was the injury that the man went to the emergency room, where it was discovered he had sustained a fractured finger and ligament damage. "This is the type of thing that is more commonly associated with sport, particularly rock climbing," plastic surgeon Andrew Fleming of London's St. George's Hospital reports. Surveys show that 40 percent of men in their 30s and 40s are equally uncoordinated when grappling with clasps and hooks, and risk similar injury. Researchers recommend that men take lingerie-removing lessons to prevent accidents. News item, Andy McNab to Design Lingerie, reprinted in McPeteSez online lingerie newsletter, 12/15/05: SAS hero Andy McNab revealed his latest undercover missiondesigning lingerie. The Gulf War veteran and thriller writer is set to put the bra into Bravo Two Zero with his own "sporty and military" range for women aged 16 to 25. He hopes to launch the McNab brand at London Fashion Week next year. And the 45-year-old feels he'll be a success because: "Heterosexual men know more about women's underwear than women do. He said: "We know what works and what doesn't, what buttons and catches are easy to undo and which ones aren't while women, frankly, don't have a clue." Most men have been thinking about little else except women's underwear since their teensso they know their subject." Euan Ferguson, Christmas spending: 'Fifty quid for a bra? Oh, go on then' (Euan Ferguson joins the hordes of men in lingerie shops who no longer blush when they're going for a thong); The Observer, Sunday December 15, 2002 (online at http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,860227,00.html) Five short years ago, British men stumbled through ladies' lingerie departments, reaching out for the price tag on a
bra with the furtiveness of a vicar grabbing a porn video. We made wild guesses at size, and struggled manfully not to look at the chest of the female assistant and blurt out a comparison, and generally made breasts of ourselves. All has changed, forever. I have just left one Soho branch of Agent Provocateur, where they were so crowded at 6pm on a Friday that they were buzzing in customers four at a time, most of them men on their own. Savvy, unembarrassed at the racks of pink bras and sexy corsets before them, and well-versed in female dimensions. They'd come prepared with sizes, and knew all the stuff about the width of the back, and the cup, and the only statistic that surprised them was the price. Tony Chase, Dolly Partons clothes designer, Dollys Secrets Bared, National Enquirer, about 1990: Of course she is very conscious of her wonderful bust. She lost a lot of weight some time backand that included her bustline. None of her old bras fit her. I said, Lets throw out the old bras and go for new ones. Dolly agreed, but she wouldnt let me throw out the old bras. I was baffled, and I asked her why. She laughed, Youd better let me burn them. Can you imagine what would happen if collectors got ahold of these monsters? Jessica Maxwell, The Black Bra Connection: Why is this sultry queen of intimate apparel de rigueur in the Northwest?, Washington magazine, Dec. 1989, pp. 33-35 When a friend of mine was 8 years old, she got a part as one of the "no-neck little monsters" in a community production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The female lead had to do a whole scene wearing a black bra. "She let me sit in her dressing room with her before the show," my friend recalls, "and watch her put on her makeup. I thought her black bra was the most womanly thing I'd ever seen. I couldn't wait to have one of my own." One night the star forgot to bring her black braall she had was the white one she was wearing. She panicked. "I can't do the scene in a white bra!" she screamed. "It has to be black!" Finally she sent a stagehand back to her apartment to get her black bra, saving the scene, the show, and probably her career. She was right, the bra had to be black. White is utilitarianyour mother wore white. Pink is immature. Flesh has all the allure of a Band-Aid. Red has the fire, but not the mystery. Other colors might be arty but their message is unclear. A purple bra? A green one? Interesting, maybe. But black ... black is a complete sentence written with invisible ink in a secret language every American male past the age of 12 understands. "Yeah, it has to be black." "Black. Definitely black." "Black, only black." "Black bras? They're gonna let you write about black bras?" "Before we were married, my husband told me he'd never seen a woman wearing garters. So one night I wore a merry widow under my jeans and sweatshirt. We went out to play pool, and while we were waiting for a table he put his hand on my thigh and felt the little bump of the garter. We were out of there in two seconds. When he saw that it was black, I thought I was going to have to give him tranquilizers. The effect was amazing." The above are highlights of a quick survey on the Black Bra Effect10 men and one woman (because she happened to call me in the middle of it). The findings were unanimous from both sidesblack bras have this weird power, this irresistible force field. It's something men acknowledge without thinking about it, and they admit to it with complete candor. To them, the existence of the Black Bra Effect is not open for discussion. It is fact. More interestingly, there is no shame in itnone whatsoever. It is simply The Big Of Course. I decided to call another friendhearing about Black Bra Power from those who wield it has its insights. "My husband bought me a black corset for a Valentine's Day present," one woman recounted. "But it didn't fit quite right, so I tried to return it. I found a great deep-purple one and took it up to make an even exchange, but the saleswoman remembered when my husband bought the black one. 'Oh, no, no, no, no,' she said. 'It must be black. He really wanted it to be black.' Then she had me try it on and showed me how they could tailor it to fit better, which she assured me was a much wiser solution."
The very fact that Northwest women own so much black lingerie was a revelation to me. When I was in college in Oregon in the '70s, none of us had the money to buy fancy underwear, and of course bras weren't in anyway. The subsequent years I spent working in California were years spent in pastels; you might own one black bra for a holiday dress But in the Northwest these days, everyone wears so much black, an entire wardrobe of black bras is a necessity. Our obsession with black, in fact, deeply disturbs many visitorsespecially if they're from a sun state. "Everyone's so depressed up here," one Miami woman proclaimed while visiting her Seattleite sister for the first time. All you wear is black." We are not, of course, depressed. It is merely our eclectic Italian/ Japanese palette, a sophisticated recognition of the world's two most profound design centers. The Milan suit, the Nippon kimono, both have long been black for the color's elegance, its understatement, its clarity of form, its subtle power. And besides, black looks right beneath our northern silver skies. Consequently, a Northwest woman is unprepared if she doesn't possess a comfortable black bra for jeans, sweaters, a T-strap one for tank tops, a French-cup one for a bit of dcolletage, a backless one for low-back dresses, a strapless something or other for strapless something or others, and it's always good to have a lacy regular black bra for one's better cold-weather clothes. This is hardly depressing. As a woman, I find it great fun; if I were a man, I reckon I'd be in Hawg Heaven. The possibilities of surprise are endless, the variations ... oh my. Still, none of this answers the question: Why do black bras have the effect on men they do? Why wouldn't the scene work without a black bra? And why on earth is the male response to black bras so incredibly universal? We could explore the idea of contrastblack is dramatic against pale boreal skin. But if that were all there is to it, the Black Bra Effect would be rendered null and void against dark skin. And it isn't. One of my interviewees is married to a glorious black woman; another one's wife lives in a tanning booth--both men still firmly prefer black lingerie. We might wax artistic and offer up the old black--all colors theory, that it possesses a unique full-spectrum power. Too heady, I say. As I explained, men do not think their way through the Black Bra Effect; black bras, in fact, turn men's brains to Grape Nuts. We could chalk it up to social conditioningto the mind warp of Playboy and Penthouse and the like, although the attraction was always in a model's lack of clothing. And we could examine the dark potential of Forbidden Fruit, of the inherent badness of black, of the black bra as the answer to the black leather jacketheaven forbid a woman should wear both! For this, of course, we have only the Victorians to thankonce they rendered carnal knowledge a sin, the black market for the Black Bra Effect took off like a French postcard in the Pony Express. There's truth in this, surely ... the French, after all, invented the brassiere. But why is black so bad? What is the source of that old black magic? It must lie in the realm of the unconscious, and its roots must be deep. In fact, I strongly suspect we are dealing with nothing less than the fear, and the titillation, of the unknownand of woman's association with it. The true power of woman is her mystery. Like nature, she is cyclic, in sync with the moona phenomenon as elemental as the very ocean. The void she carries in her womb is the source of all human life. All males come from that, and on tome primal level they know it. When a man makes love with a woman, it is an act of blind faith he knows not where he is going. He is going toward the void, the void is black. Whether we understand it or not, black bras, then, just might be the most profound sexual signal a woman could give, a delicate, external promise of the dark joys of the abyss. And wouldn't it be wonderful if the essence of black bras weren't mindless, superficial lust? Wouldn't it be grand if the real Black Bra Effect were love, were the expression of a man's inexplicable longing to return to the body where he was born?
Roger K, Doubled-Letter Codes for Bras are Irrational: Why do the letter-codes for bra sizes double up after D? (I.e., DD, etc.) In some cases manufacturers numbering systems compound the oddity by resuming single-lettering after DD or DDD, sometimes skipping E or F, and sometimes not. Its illogical, and it wasnt done with other products. For instance, when the scale for shoe sizes was first established, it wasnt realized that a few folks would like shoes narrower than size A; hence size AA had to be slipped in later. The same thing happened with the size ranges of drill gauges and various other mechanical items. On the other end of the scale, however, when it was necessary to add an unforeseen size or two on the upside, the hardware industry didnt double up the letters, because there was a whole alphabets worth of headroom for them to use, stretching all the way out to Z. Hmmm. Maybe bra mfgrs. didnt want to hint to their customers that they might eventually stretch all the way out to Z?! Anon physicist, Spurious Rounding in Funny Times, News of the Weird column, April 2003: Writing in The Journal of Clothing, Science and Technology, a Southampton University (England) physicist found that many women wear the wrong-size bra because retailers commit a math error known as spurious rounding when converting bust and rib-cage size to bra size.
US Bra Sales Statistics, 1960 - 1982

by
Roger K
Table of Contents
Discussion of the Bra Sales Table Table: Annual US Bra Sales in Thousands Discussion of Bandeau Bra Sales Trends 1. Strapless bras sales declined sharply in the sixties
2. Padded bra sales rose sharply (117%) in the sixties, then reversed 3. Sales all bras declined during 1975, a probable anomaly Discussion of Longline Bra Sales Trends 1. Longline sales declined by 2/3 from 1967 through 1977
Discussion of the Bra Sales Table

On the next page is a table of sales figures for various categories of bras. Unfortunately, the Census Bureau wasnt farsighted enough to include the category underwired, which would have been of most interest to us historians.
Column Headings
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Year. Regular (in other words, unpadded bras with straps). Padded, including contour-lined. Strapless or convertible. Total of Bandeaus (the non-longline items above, 24). Longlines, defined as with band 3 inches or more, excluding bra-lettes [torsolettes, or Merry Widows]. (The Census Bureau retained the term (dating from before WWI of brassiere for longlines, and also the old term bandeau for non-longline bras. This parallels the way girdle used to mean only open girdle or straight girdle, with panty-girdle having to spell out its deviation from the norm.) 7. Total of All bra-types. This figure differs from the Census Bureaus total, because I have categorized bra-lettes (torsolettes, or Merry Widows) as shapewear (since their main purpose was to squeeze the waist) and placed them in the girdle category. See my other article.
8. Longline sales as a % of Total bra sales.

TOTAL: Bandeau 175,068 185,496 192,012 213,204 205,908 214,032 227,220 231,888 238,980 234,768 213,816 214,848 216,912 214,572 199,944 175,464 195,240 198,852 195,960 204,468 204,396 204,024 193,764 Longlines 18,456 17,280 17,088 17,712 17,196 17,724 18,216 16,404 16,260 15,744 14,016 14,076 14,952 12,720 8,556 8,076 7,488 6,192 6,108 6,804 7,308 6,948 6,120 TOTAL: All 193,524 202,776 209,100 230,916 223,104 231,756 245,436 248,292 255,240 250,512 227,832 228,924 231,864 227,292 208,500 183,540 202,728 205,044 202,068 211,272 211,704 210,972 199,884 Longlines as % of Total 9.5 9.0 8.2 7.7 7.7 7.7 7.4 6.6 6.4 6.3 6.2 6.1 6.4 5.6 4.1 4.4 3.7 3.0 3.0 3.2 3.5 3.3 3.1
Regular 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 130,704 138,216 143,652 142,380 155,904 158,412 164,652 165,180 167,100 166,992 158,436 155,784 158,292 157,104 143,256 126,828 137,352 136,056 130,248 141,816 133,464 135,876 131,148
Padded 30,516 33,648 35,484 35,412 42,924 48,864 57,120 61,476 66,324 63,168 51,276 55,368 54,360 51,720 51,348 43,884 51,456 53,544 53,736 51,228 58,284 55,596 51,096
Strapless 13,848 13,632 12,876 7,824 7,080 6,756 5,448 5,232 5,556 4,608 4,104 3,696 4,260 5,748 5,340 4,752 6,432 9,252 11,976 11,424 12,648 12,552 11,520
Table: Annual US Bra Sales in Thousands
Discussion of Bandeau Bra Sales Trends

1. Strapless bras sales declined sharply in the 60's
1970 sales were only 30% of those of 1960. This presumably indicated a decline in interest in dressing up for special occasions where formal strapless gowns were worn, like proms and so forth, and an increasing focus on everyday clothing. The same trend away from the centrality of formal affairs is indicated by the even sharper decline in the sales of torsolettes (Merry Widows)1970 sales were only 22% of those of 1960.
2. Padded bra sales rose sharply (117%) in the
60's, then reversed

This compares to a rise of only 28% for non-padded bras. This was part of a strong trend toward the acceptance of more artificiality in everyday dress. (E.g., makeup was more often worn as an everyday item, and much more often worn by schoolgirls. Most schoolgirls got their ears pierced and therefore regularly wore earrings, which they hadnt done in the 50s. Etc.) Following 1968 this trend was reversed by a new trend toward naturalness and authenticity: by 1974 padded sales had fallen 23%, compared to a decline of 14% in non-padded bras.
3. Sales of all bras declined in 1975, a probable anomaly

Sales of all categories of bras fell sharply in 1975, but three of those categories rebounded just as sharply to their previous levels in 1976. I suspect there was some anomaly in the data collection processe.g., one or more companies may have gone bankrupt or been taken over and had failed to report their sales at the end of the year. So I would assume figures for the three categories that rebounded hadnt actually declined. Since bankruptcies were ongoing throughout the 70s, the likely failure of many of these firms to report their sales to the Census Bureau in the first quarter of the next year may well have artificially depressed sales figures for several years. So foundation sales probably declined a little less sharply in the 70s than they are thought to.
Discussion of Longline Bra Sales Trends

Longline bra sales declined by from 1967 through 1977
Longlines were usually sold for use in conjunction with high-waist girdles worn by older women. (They concealed the ridge of the girdle and the bulge above it.) Longlines sales held steady through 1966but that meant their share of the bra market declined, because overall bra sales were rising. This indirectly supports the view that the increase in girdle sales in that period was not due to women who regularly wore girdles adding to their girdle wardrobes as a result of rising prosperity, but rather to younger women wearing girdles more often, and starting at a younger age. Sales of regular bras over the next nine years, from 1966 to 1975, declined by about 25%, but sales of longlines fell more than twice as sharply, by 55%. This was only a bit more than the roughly 50% rate of decline in sales of girdles and other foundations during those same years. Because longlines were a girdle
accessory and were primarily worn by women over 35, this suggests that it was primarily girdles that were being burned during this period, not bras. The stabilization of longline sales at the six million level after 1978 was probably due to the arrival of waistlength posture bras. (Its a pity the Census Bureau figures didnt split them out, because they arent really figure-forming items, or foundations.)

Some of the photographs that appear on this page have been taken to sell for charity and are therefore protected by copyright.
What is the Ivy Leaf Collection? At the beginning of the 20th century, burgeoning technology allowed for numerous inventions and patents, not the least of which was the flexible metal stay that replaced whalebone in women's' corsets. The sale of such garments, and the success of the industry, relied upon a legion of corsetieres, and those that worked for Spirella, the pioneers of the flexible stay, joined the company's Ivy Leaf Club. Emblems were issued and corsetieres could collect pins for each decade of selling. It was hoped that the influence of Spirella would grow and cover like the ivy itself. In a small tribute to these energetic ladies, we have named this collection of corsetry after the emblem of the Ivy Leaf. The collection started many decades ago in a draper's shop in Renfrew from where has grown well beyond its original beginnings in the parochial world of suburban Glasgow. It now contains over 500 items. Foundation garments from Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Egypt, Syria, Singapore, Australia, the USA and Canada are represented. In no way is this a comprehensive collection. There are many repeated makes and sizes of garment. Some are brand new and some show the patina of wear and care. Retired corsetieres have donated dozens of garments. Shop liquidations have added the inevitable odd, and therefore unsold sizes, and, of course, the advent of Ebay has been kind to the serious collector. Occasionally we receive packages from children or grand-children disposing of a senior relative's effects and uncertain what to do with "The mysterious underpinnings of an all but forgotten era." All we hope to achieve is to preserve a collection of garments and recollections from an era that has has passed. In 2009, an amazing opportunity passed our way where a group of ladies elected to make a calendar based on vintage underwear. The proceeds would go to charity and, as it turned out, they raised several thousand pounds in the process. We felt that it was a marvellous way to show-case the collection.
Twelve charming volunteers model a small selection from the Ivy Leaf Collection.
The ladies featured above, who agreed to model the Ivy Leaf Collection for a calendar, and whose ages span six decades, were all quite unfamiliar with corsetry. They represent a typical cross-section of professional females in modern Britain. Nevertheless, without exception, they took to their vintage underpinnings with an enthusiasm that surprised both the film crew and director. Perhaps they even surprised themselves! If you wish to contact the curator of the collection please email us at
It really is quite amazing how a dozen professional women, ranging in ages from late 20's to early 80's, enjoyed the unusual task of modelling some choice garments from the Ivy Leaf Collection. The glorious corset quality satins were much in demand and, although nobody had ever worn a lower foundation before, several of the ladies found the experience thoroughly good fun, interesting and quite an education. The youngest model when asked if she would like to wear a corselette, corset or girdle, paused for a few seconds before replying that she was not exactly sure what such things were! In the event she was one of the most enthusiastic models and tried on many garments from the collection although, as her expression (below left) reveals, struggling into a 1970's Marks & Spencer girdle was not an easy experience. The final product however (below right) shows that, as many women have learned over the decades, that one must suffer to be beautiful!
The design of the calendar was inspired by many of the publicity photographs used by Spirella and Spencer since the 1920's. Models posed in apparently normal household situations, having a cup of tea, chatting with friends, sitting in the library, all the scenes redolent of a comfortable lifestyle. The charming eccentricity of these photographs is that the women apparently have forgotten to wear any clothes. The lifestyle depicted is somewhat aspirational since many clients of Spirella and Spencer came from far humbler abodes.
All the models were given a free choice of garment from the extensive range in the Ivy Leaf Collection. It was quite apparent that the intricacies of the more complex foundations were neither understood nor appreciated, however, the elegance of the satins and the brocades was the attraction. Since we were trying to fit garments that had been specifically made-to-measure for individual clients, it is not surprising that the fit on many of the models would make (and indeed did make) a corsetiere cringe! Short of re-constructing all the garments to fit the models, an exercise that, even if it was possible, would cost many thousands of pounds and negate the simple objective of the calendar that was to make money for charity. In order to get the calendar made, we had to recruit volunteers from a professional woman's society, get the measurements of all the amateur models, find a venue, find photographers and construct what I believe is called a 'story board'. Then we would would try and take all the photographs in a day-long session. As it happened, we were lucky on nearly every count. My husband initially was highly sceptical that we would find any volunteers, so the enthusiastic response was something of a surprise. We tried to fit between two and four models per evening however, time pressures meant that on one hilarious occasion, we had four models, two helpers, a guest and somebody's mother all in the limited area of the fitting rooms at the same time! It was only the mother that recognised some of the garments and volunteered "I used to wear one of those." Without exception the fitting sessions were incredibly good natured. The only stress was when today's woman failed to fit into yesterday garment (we are a species that has been growing with our increased wealth, a sentiment that caused my husband to suggest that we'll all be as thin as rakes in 10 years time!) We realised that the models' estimated measurements and reality were often a little adrift. "Oh dear; I seem to have grown since I last measured myself!" We would call up my husband to search the collection for the larger garments
"Are you all decent up there?" he would enquire, totally un-nerved by the feminine giggles and arch comments. Eventually, all sizes were not just fitted as well as we could manage, but looked very elegant as well. At this point, we were very fortunate in that one lady possessed a fabulously decorated house and offered it for the whole photographic session. The snag was that she was going on holiday far sooner than we would have wanted, however, there's nothing like a deadline to concentrate one's mind. Another lady volunteered her son-in-law as photographer. This was extremely fortunate. There is no way we could have afforded a professional's fees, however, the son-in-law, although breaking into the professional business, offered to do the shoot for expenses only, realising that he would be able to add a unique collection to his portfolio. It took many evenings, spreadsheets, plans and crossings out to come up with sufficient scenarios to fill the 12 month calendar whilst keeping to the theme of the women's society. Finding a date was actually helped by the restricted time-frame. "It's that Saturday or nothing. If you can't make it, you won't be in the calendar. Sorry, but that's the way it is!" Since everybody wanted to appear, everybody found a way to make it on time, however, not all could stay for the whole day. So the plan was torn up again, and re-drafted to accommodate the timings, to move the photo shoot from the top of the house to the bottom and to minimise the setting up time for the photographers. The day, thankfully was very sunny, that allowed some photographs to be taken outside. Sometimes it is worth noting what is going on in your neighbour's garden.
The two photographers were brilliant. They knew that this was a rare opportunity for them and their artistic interpretation of our clinical 'story board' really bought the scenes to life. "Pink ladies in the library - five minutes" would be answered by a flurry from within the dressing room and the 'pink ladies', ranging from 50 to just over 80 years old, would troop more or less obediently into the library. Meanwhile the properties would be placed in the next room on the schedule. "Ladies to the garden; grab a glass of Champagne on the way out" was a popular one.
The photographers not only amassed what may be a unique portfolio, but one of them had the interesting privilege of photographing his motherin-law looking rather stunning in a reproduction Victorian corset! The lady in question was very pleased with the corset and wore it all day. She has a back problem and the garment seemed to work wonders. The only drawback, unknown to women
"Lunch in the kitchen (a room that I might add is larger than many apartments) - and don't loosen your stays, ladies!" They were most inventive, and quickly we realised that we should modify the 'story board' on the fly and let the photographers have their head whilst ensuring that our critical scenes were taken. Despite many of our secret worries that we could not complete the photo shoot in one day, we did. We are most thankful to the photographers who saw scenes where we simply saw rooms. Within a few days we were visited by the son-in-law with Even opening a door brings surprises! a DVD of all the photographs and some glossy prints of what he considered to be the best and most appropriate shots. We took his advice with very few changes. We hope he really does well in his new profession.
of today, was the embossed markings left on her back after the sessions. Nevertheless, she still wanted to buy such a corset!
An incredible diversity of garments was modelled that day. On the left is a German Ilona brassiere from the 1970's and an Australian Jenyns corset from the 1960's. On the right is a relatively modern British Spirella brassiere from the mid 1980's worn over a Canadian Spirella 325 corset (front and back-laced) from the 1960's. In the middle we see an American Spencer matching brassiere and corset from the 1950's and a beautiful pre-War Charis all-in-one. A purist (and our corsetiere friend is one of those) could point out many deficiencies of the fit, the looseness of the lacing and that the lady on the left wears her brassiere inside the corset, but without a seamstress on hand, we simply had to manage as well as we could. As the smiles below indicate, everybody enjoyed what was for many, one of the most unusual days of their lives.
Credits:
Photography: DDM Photographic www.ddmphotographic.co.uk Fabrics: Indigo Flair www.indigoflair.co.uk Garments supplied by the Ivy Leaf Collection www.corsetiere.net/ILC
Making the 2012 & 2013 Calendars

Four of the 'models', that is respectable middle class ladies ranging in age from late 50's to early 80's, have agreed to pose for a new calendar. Our fan-laced friend makes a welcome return and, I might add, I hope I look that good when I turn 80!
Preparation:
I managed to gather together four ladies from the calendar of 2010 who are very enthusiastic to try on garments from the Ivy Leaf Collection once again. It was such fun two years ago and all of us are keen to re-kindle the experience. As before, we have been granted the use of a lovely house for the setting. I love the picture on the left where a lady, completely unused to
the crushing embrace of a Spirella 325, attempts to sit upright and eat lunch. It was not easy and yet she was one of the most enthusiastic models. What I found interesting was the models' preference for the satin foundations. Certainly they look very elegant and allow clothes to move well, but satin is a cold material and I had always thought that it was more of a male preoccupation. Who would have thought that a selection of middle-aged women would volunteer to pose in vintage foundations for charity. What really surprised us was one of the volunteers for the 2010 calendar who phoned us to ask why she had not been selected for the 2012 edition! The lady in question has just had heart problems and is in her early 80's!! I suspect the photographer in 2010, who was called in to help with the lacing might have had heart problems, certainly he was unusually flustered! We wish to recreate some of the scenes that Spirella used in their house and training magazines. We hope to feature the measuring garments and foundations of the 1960's. Why? Because 2012 is the centenary of Spirella in Britain!
Fitting Sessions:
The fitting sessions for the 2012 (and possibly 2013) calendars started two Mondays ago. In contrast to the previous calendar where few changes of clothes were required, this time, there are far more garments to wear. Our first model was as full of enthusiasm as she was two years before and in the fitting room we were reduced to helpless laughter as we struggled to get our volunteer into corsets and bras that patently were not designed for her. The girdles, by the very nature of their elasticity were easier to fit. "My mother wore one of these" commented our model as she zipped up a 45-year old Marks and Spencer girdle ( right). Afterwards, we estimated that her mother would have been born in about 1920 - 1930, so indeed would have been wearing girdles in the 1960's. Our model, as a young girl in those days remembered them well but is of an age (and enviable figure) to have never worn a foundation garment (other than a bra) in anger. My husband, who climbs a steep learning photographic curve (as he has done for several decades) learned much about lighting whilst taking some photographs of our model. He was called into action several times to force some recalcitrant hooks-and-eyes to meet. We discovered a serious problem with black foundation garments. The black painted hooks on a black background were very difficult to see clearly, certainly at our age. What a fund of knowledge must lie in the memories of the old corsetieres!
Models two and three have passed through during the last week. I have a reasonable eye for what will fit whom, but there were still some struggles and some beautiful garments that sadly will not make it to the final photo session next month. Our third model apologised for weight gain in the hip region, but to our eyes, she had simply become more shapely and filled out a brand new M&S girdle to excellent effect ( above ). My husband, who fully approved of the classic combination of M&S girdle and Triumph Doreen bra (surely one of the all-time great sculptors of the female form), has improved his lighting technique and can now even get some shots in focus! The third model, whilst rummaging through some of the larger brocade garments destined for model four commented "My aunties and granny used to wear stuff like this!" The fourth and final fitting session was as hilarious as the others, but due to our improving eye for fit, less of a struggle for the poor 'model'. Yet again, the hours spent wriggling in and out of the collection prompted recollections of the past. "I'm sure my mother was fitted by a Spencer lady; I remember the contraption well!" Model four was game enough even to try on this amazing garment. Once again, as all the models have commented, the Triumph Doreen long-line brassiere was a major success and the powerful elastics and laced brocades of yesterday far less restrictive than legend portrayed. All have been most enthusiastic, and if we can carry this through to the calendar, we may end up with a decent product! Each model has asked whether they could buy some of the garments that they have stoically paraded, however, I suspect that this is a whim of the fitting session, and however glamorous or shapely these garments might render the wearer, I doubt whether they would ever adopt the confinement of such foundations on a regular basis; although one never knows!
The Spencer fitting garment that, in practice, was so complex that many fitters never used it!
The Photographic Session:

Yesterday, the photographs were taken for the new calendar. We are so lucky to have four charming ladies who are prepared to model the garments from the collection. That they thoroughly enjoyed the experience is such a bonus. The highlight had to be where the oldest model was put into a Spencer measuring garment. These are not easy to assemble and the hysterical giggles from the dresser and the other models brought the house owner and my husband rushing along from one of the sets to see what was happening. Discrete as always, my husband called out "Are you decent?" at which point the laughter erupted once more. Fortunately, my husband brought his engineering skills to bear and our long-suffering model was finally encased in the contraption. We are also incredibly fortunate to have a friend whose house is a perfect backdrop for the scenes that we had in mind. Our own humble abode is gezellig (there is no English equivalent), but with neither the style, furnishings nor space to accommodate such a venture. We are very lucky; in fact, the day started inauspiciously. Thick fog determined us to avoid the main roads and head across country, however, the road we needed was closed and we only got to our destination just in time. The house owner's husband staggered upstairs with a 25 kilo suitcase full of corsets whilst my husband assembled his camera and lights. At this point, one of the models phoned up from Exmouth to say that she had a flat tyre and would be late; she hadn't actually left home. The second dresser then phoned up to apologise. She couldn't leave her farm due to some malady afflicting the herd. We decided to press on regardless since we had a tight schedule. The first scene was to feature the gorgeous satin Camp from the previous calendar but to our horror, we discovered that one of the metal-centred suspender knobs had The mirror was popular disintegrated. Safety pins to the fore, we attacked the errant garter whilst
Rather complex!
my husband muttered darkly about PhotoShop. After this shaky start, we all settled down and the team began to function as a unit whilst our fourth model turned up and almost leapt into a back-laced German corselette. There were so many off-hand yet hilarious comments that one model suggested that we should be recording sound as well as pictures. In the jolly atmosphere, we broke for lunch and thoroughly enjoyed a totally inappropriate lunch of sandwiches, stollen bread, sticky buns and chocolates. "I really will need a corset after this" was uttered by several of the models. By chance, our planning had put the corset scenes in the morning, and the more forgiving girdle scenes in the afternoon. This is a handy piece of advice for all aspiring corset calendar designers!
In view of Letchworth's Spirella Centenary next year, we planned to re-create some of the scenes from the Spirella magazines of the 1960's and the models dressed in clothes of the period. In this respect we were very lucky. The models all found something to fit. I realised that my husband has a disturbingly good eye for picking the right clothes for the right model. He puts it down to his engineering training but I do wonder! During the 'black corset' scene, an unwelcome piece of Spirella history manifest itself as the seam of one of the black orchid material 305's started to rip asunder. Our model was quite distressed but we assured her that the corset had already split and it was a fault with the last batch of black orchid that Spirella ordered. They never made black corsets again! All in all, it was a very successful day. In fact it was one of the most enjoyable days that I can remember and the models assured us that they felt the same way. I do believe they were sincere in this since they asked when were we going to make another calendar and could they buy some of the girdles and corsets!
The Calendars:
We took some 300 photographs at the photographic session with the idea of accumulating enough material to make a calendar for 2012 and also one for the Letchworth Heritage Museum in 2013. Drafts have been made and we intend to issue the 2012 calendar in January and the 2013 calendar in September since it will be a more commercial version for the Museum. The 2012 calendar will purely be sold to raise money for charity. We have tried to keep the pictures in the calendars different whilst maintaining a similar theme. In the final version, we hope that there will be no repetition of pictures. The 2012 calendar will be sold on the web and in some local shops. The 2013 calendar, that contains extra pages on the making of the calendar, will be sold by the Letchworth Museum.
2012
2013
Ambrose Wilson
Ambrose Wilson, produced the catalogue that, more than any other, brought traditional corsetry to the British housewife for five decades. Below are the corsetry pages from one of their mid-1950's catalogues. On page 3, note the amazing juxtaposition of the 'pin-up' model in the swimsuit. On the same page is a traditional back-laced, busk-front, rubber corset. Ambrose Wilson appealed to a very diverse range of tastes and ages!
One of AW's favourite models, and probably exactly the centre of gravity of their marketing.
Ambrose Wilson catalogue from the mid-1950's
The young housewife was targeted. With a good high-waisted girdle, one could wear the very shapely, and fashionable, polished cotton, polka dot dress. Even on the beach, AW would take care of you with an elastic bathing costume complete with zipper internal girdle and brassiere. There are many modern corselettes with less control than this superb garment.
Of course, with increasing age, or in the case of this young model, the undesirable effects of pregnancy on the waist-line, invisible lacing was yours. "Nobody need know your secret" they claimed.
And if that didn't work, one could always swelter away in a rubber corset and brassiere (far left - 1939; right - 1955). Alstons, the manufacturer of these garments might have had trouble selling them, but AW managed to move quite a number of these articles.
The model above holds a rose to her nose. Although this is a classic corsetry pose, one can't help feel that the scent of the rose is being used as an antidote to the pungent smell of the rubber corset. With advancing years, the polka-dot dress is still available, and the best of British corset engineering can be provided to reduce that waist to, well, not quite what it used to be, but better than anything you are likely to see on the streets these days!
From the Ambrose Wilson Catalogue of 1962 comes more
That old favourite, the V53, is back, with its 'invisible lacing'. The laces pass through wire loops, rather than conventional grommets. It's a counter-sunk, and actually rather effective way of keeping one's laced foundations a secret! The V10, is something I've never encountered before, and certainly not worn by anybody until at least six decades older than the lovely model. The there's the usual page and a half of rubber 'reducing' foundations. In typical AW style, a small suspender belt, completely out of context, material and place, appear in the top middle. I'd love to get hold of one of these torture contraptions, but sadly, the latex does not seem to have stood the test of time. I can't imagine that any women wore these garments enough to wear them out!
I suspect that Gale, Kellogg,
Jenyns and Samuel Higsby CAMP might challenge the notion that the fan-lacing principle is unique!
The laced-back corselette (left), makes one of its last appearances in Britain. This mainstay of the German Hausfrau would last for another two decades in Germany. The corset shop proprietor of St. Leonards once said "Women don't understand these things any more!" Personally, I hanker after the V80. Busk-front and fan-laced. There's no quicker corset to put on and adjust. My beloved Spirella 305 requires numerous hooks and eyes, and then a brief tightening of the laces. Smooth and elegant, but not rapid! Footnote: One of Ambrose Wilson's brand names for their foundations was 'Eve'. We came across this Eve corset recently and it brought back such memories. It dates from the 1950's, and was just one of many unexceptional but very functional corsets in their catalogue. Made from a 'no nonsense' beige coutil, the corset was back-laced with a busk front and a hook-and-eye'd under-belt. It was the property of an elderly lady since the back suspenders have been removed (they have been replaced on the image). Even what on other, more upmarket corsets would have been elastic gores have been replaced by coutil and the laces are not flat, but circular in section. This was a post-war 'utilites only' corset (CC) and elastic was still in short supply. Unchanged, it featured in Ambrose Wilson's catalogues right up to the end of the 1960's which is when I first remember
coming across one of these study relics.
Just when you thought that the corset was a thing of the past, the Ambrose Wilson catalogue of 2011 suggests otherwise:-
Three Decades of Charis Foundation Garments 1930, 1939 & 1953
Fitting the Charis Belt
1930
Charis was a very successful bespoke corset manufacturer that lasted from early in the 20th century until the 1960's when peer pressure forced women to accept that yards of intricate lacing were a unnecessary complexity in a modern world of freedom.
The lacing was designed for adjustment, not on every wearing, it was too tedious for that, but to accommodate the wearer's natural fluctuations. The corsets are surprisingly lightly boned with the exception of the underbelt.
Between the Wars

The period between 1939 and 1953 covered World War II. The demand for war materials, the shortages and the absence of menfolk, kept fashion on hold, and particularly underwear. The invention of nylon in 1938 benefited the war effort well before its influence would be felt in foundation garments. The difference between the Charis catalogues of 1939 and 1953 show essentially unchanged styles (below 53, 39, 39, 53). Many companies went broke in the war, and those that survived didn't want to lose a returning clientele by changing what had hitherto been successful.
Charis were selling some classics in 1953. Corselettes on the left and the ever-popular combination which was one piece at the back and two pieces (brassiere and corset) at the front. Note the girdle-hooks to attach the top to the bottom. Corselettes appealed to the older women.
Good, traditional girdles (above) were available for the housewife. Nevertheless, despite a resistance to change, Charis had to explore a younger market. The end of the war brought a freedom, and as soon as newer materials became available, the major fashion houses incorporated them in the hope that the daughters of the pre-war women would still enjoy the confines of a properly fitted foundation. And they did. Clever marketing, and Howard Hughes's reclassification of the bosom as a weapon of womanhood rather than a milk-delivering organ saw to that. Add in the pencil skirt, Dior and the defined waists of the era, and foundations became mandatory.
Of course, the daughter and young wife were not forgotten (below) as the maternity girdle (with adjustable lacers) and satin-elastic pantie-girdle demonstrate.
In 1953, the pantie-girdle still had the suspenders attached at the base of the legs. This called for far shorter stockings than are available today, but were common in the 1950's. As the pantie-girdle progressed, so the suspenders moved inside the leg, and ultimately became removable, or even absent as women realised one of the essential truths of the lower foundation garment. The lower garment is there to hold up the stockings, so if you wear tights, why do you need suspenders ? Charis's advertising for brassieres shows a slightly different style, which perhaps reflects a fact well-known to corsetieres , and that is, a fitted brassiere is a harder in which to find satisfaction than a fitted lower. (This is before full elastication of materials).
"Are those laces going to show?" "Is the brassiere going to stay attached to my girdle?"
Getting there, but the lady in the middle is all "My mother wants me to wear this."
Satisfaction is a well-fitted brassiere! It must be true, Bette Davis wears one. Not actually, however, in the same way that Playtex used a Katherine Hepburn look-alike (before Jane Russell appeared for real), so Charis took Bette Davis as their role model ( left ). Mind you, the brassiere on the right (and I've seem many women wear them like that), is not well-fitting. If the cups cover the breasts in all the other models, why, oh why, do they dig into the bosom on the strapless version?
Gossard
This page has only just started, and with a company like Gossard, how does one adequately cover 100 years of glorious history? We thought that these fine images from their catalogues of 1916 and 1920 would be appropriate, since the corsets mark the watershed between the Victorian / Edwardian tight-lacers, and the 'conventional' front-laced corset that lasted well into the 1980's, and still may be purchased today.
Gossard even made the combined brassiere and corset ( left ) that achieved fame as Spencer's Spenall, but I wonder, which came first ?
This incredible flight of fancy comes from a Gossard cartoonist in 1940! In fact, in 1950, they excelled themselves once more with an incredible display of models and the factory products. These pictures were available for Gossard corsetieres (to purchase at their own expense).
It's interesting how the two corselettes (basques or guipures) above speak of the fashions and the times. Both ladies are going to an evening function in strapless gowns. Neither has wide hips, however, the lady on the left will wear a figure hugging design, whereas, the model on the right will wear a skirt 'en bouffant' style.
As with all reputable corset manufacturers, a trained corsetiere or fitter was absolutely essential.
This heavy satin Gossard comes straight out of the box in 1964. It would be stiff and tight on first wearing, but if well-fitted, it would become as comfortable as a good pair of shoes. A staunch ally, a necessity even, for the older woman to attain a good figure. Suffice it to say, that we feel the image below sums up so much about the art of the corsetiere and the corset shop where she worked. This is why it graces the opening page of Ivy Leaf's tribute to the corsetiere.
Lane Bryant
Engineering for Stout Women
Adaptolettes, Abdo-lift, the Bust-confining Diaphragm Reducer, Adjust-eze, Even-pul; these are just some of the names that sprang from the fertile brains of Lane Bryant's marketing department from the 1930's to the 1960's. The poor stout woman was left in no doubt about her predicament. Do you have a large bust, large hips, large abdomen or sloping shoulders? Do you have an extra-large bust or extra-large hips? Perhaps you had them all in which case the engineers who built the Sydney harbour bridge, armed with the latex exports from half of Malaya and steel from Pittsburgh could fashion you a contraption to hold it all together. Bust-confining and figure-slenderising (within the physical constraints of human incompressibility) Lane Bryant's Adaptolettes guaranteed that those straps would stay in place; sloping shoulders or not. Adapto Silk Hose in TRIPLEEXTRA size was available to cure YOUR problem just in case you felt that your legs had missed out on the action. The BendoBack was available with abdominal supporting and reducing inner belt with firm diaphragm reinforcement, well-boned back all connected by surgical elastic sections. Extra-long abdominal belt and long corset back with straps were designed to hold you in. Amazingly, this bullet-proof armour gave perfect freedom for the stout woman. This must have implied that she could move her arms - just! In place of the reinforced steel, rubber was available, cunningly perforated to allow perspiration to waft away, although in hotter climes, I can image the poor matron spraying the neighbourhood with sweat like a garden sprinkler.
I poke fun from the arrogant vantage point of eight decades in the future and I am the first to admit that Lane Bryant made some remarkably fine foundation garments that brought relief, style and shape to the stout woman. I feel that I can justify my levity by admitting that I am, indeed, a stout woman. Nemo (below) summed up their practical approach to the problem:-
Comfortable, Durable and Add Grace to the Figure

isn't that what us stout women need!
Marks and Spencer

featuring
In 1967, this charming lady of my acquaintance displays what the perfect middle class lady in her early 60's would wear to a wedding. Silk twin-set and pearls, hat, gloves, long-line bra and zippered high-waisted girdle from Marks and Spencer. So I wrote in the chapter on Weddings. Millions of women wore Marks and Spencer, and many, who could well have afforded Spirella or even Rigby and Peller, filled their drawers with the favourite brand of the British High Street, and for good reason, as is described below.
We are rather lucky to have eight satin elastic girdles in our collection. They are the popular sizes of 2632 waist and three are unworn. Three have been worn a bit and the other two, I imagine, must have been the regular foundation for a middle-aged women in 1970. They could well have belonged to our friend from the wedding (They didn't incidentally; one was purchased from a charity shop in 1974 and another in 1981). All are as tight and as strong as the day they were manufactured. I sometimes feel that those girdles, even if worn on a daily basis, would last a lifetime. The oldest and most worn is a strong and as supple as the new models although a patina of yellowing has suffused the garment. My husband worked on the image for a while and, for artistic reasons, increased the contrast beyond reality, however, the silver and gold appearance of these superb foundations justified this poetic licence. For those of you that have a fascination with numbers, we possess four different styles of this classic foundation:-
Models 8000/714 (red label), 8028/1903 (blue label), 8054/956B (black label) and 8054/953 (black label)
In Britain, the girdles of Marks and Spencer occupy a prominent niche in the foundation garment history of the nation. From the mid-1900's to the present day, M&S, as we shall call the company, provided support to millions of women. During the 1950's to 1980's they provided girdles that were unmatched for strength, durability and style. However much I might praise the made-to-measure foundation retailers, M&S captured a huge proportion of the market during those years.
Consider the all-satin / satin-elastic girdle of the 1960's. It was a classic of its time, and the fact that so many still exist in the drawers of the elderly and fashionconscious implies a change in fashion rather than the wearing out of the actual foundations themselves.
These girdles were generically referred to as the '8000 series' and came in various styles and hip-springs between 10 and 13" to suit the majority of Britain's women. The 8000/714 is perhaps my favourite. It is unique in having the inner facing of the bone casings in satin rather than cotton. The attention to detail on, what after all was just a high street brand, is simply amazing. How often do we pay for a name brand and come away the envy of our peers, but actually disappointed inside. In all honesty, Ive never seen a Spirella or Spencer as well made as these garments.
Early Days
Marks and Spencer's first girdles were sold under the "St. Michael" brand name in the 1950's. The hook side version shown here is made of corset quality tea-rose satin, and has the unusual feature of an additional waist strap, presumably to achieve the waist required for the 1950's fashions. This girdle (which for many would be called a corset) is exquisitely detailed; notice the apron front and the old-fashioned suspenders.
To be honest, this beautifully constructed foundation (far left) quite escapes my memory. Both my husband and I well remember the satin elastic girdles and the rows of boxes in the high street branches of Marks and Spencer, but neither of us remembers this. It is from the 1950's. We were amazingly lucky to find one in such excellent and unworn condition. If I could find a friend with a 25" waist, I'm sure the girdle would be eminently wearable and long-lasting. The elastic is of a gauge not used in foundation garments any longer (probably rubber, rather than lycra based.. Recently observed is an even older model (middle). This must surely go back to the beginnings of Marks & Spencer as it has the CC41 utility mark.
Another early, rare M&S girdle.
Classic Girdles: Marks & Spencer 'Firm Control'
The fabulous satin elastic M&S girdle from the 1960's. These seriously strong garments, finished totally in satin elastic, were some of the greatest foundation garments ever manufactured for the masses. All the girdles photographed above are over 40 years old, yet could could be worn today and would probably give a decade's service to their wearer.
The evolution of the traditional M&S girdle. (From top left: satin elastic; satin front panel zipped; satin front panel hooked; pull-on; nylon front panel and finally there is neither satin, nor even shiny nylon, nevertheless, this girdle is as strong, as long-lasting and as powerful as her sisters.)
Each year M&S subtly changed the panelling, but the entire construction in satin elastic was a feature of the first of these foundations (top left). A later model incorporates some nylon flanking the central front panel, but the majority is satin elastic (middle right). Hook-front was an option instead of the metal zipper on this exquisitely panelled girdle (top right). In the 1970's, heavy elastic replaced the satin at the sides and the front was faced in fancy nylon (bottom left). The serious boning over the tummy is obvious. The boned 'roll-on' without zip or other entry was the last incarnation (bottom right). For many British women, this girdle was the final 'open bottom garment' that they would wear before changing to tights and the panty-girdle. All these examples come from the 1960's and 1970's, and are as wearable today as when they were new.
Something that is often forgotten, is that all these girdles were available in black as well as white. Flesh, and skin-tone, were not fashionable in the 1960's and 70's.
The Pantie-girdle
At the beginning of the 1970's, even with such beautiful foundations on offer, the majority of Britain's middle-aged women suddenly realised that a social revolution had occurred. The Beatles, Carnaby Street, Christine Keeler and the Swinging Sixties had moulded their daughters' attitudes, and mature women decided that the panty-girdle would mould theirs. The girdle and the corset of their mothers were discarded within a few years and Britain changed forever. Contrary to popular fiction, it was the daughters that forced their mothers into foundation garments, not the other way around! The model on the right is from the very early 1970's, and possesses the satin panels that were the hallmark of its American cousin. Even the vestigial bow is present at the waist. It would take another decade before boning at the waist would be eliminated. In the evolution of the panty-girdle, the suspender attachments have vanished, however, that weird and uncomfortable 'gripper band' is present at the bottom of the legs. Who on earth would trust the security of their stockings to such a fallible system?
Flower power was neatly represented on many of these pantygirdles from the 1970's. High-waisted, long-legged (but oddly never together), they came in all styles, even with a matching brassiere.
Marks and Spencer produced so many patterns during this period that find a match bra and girdle set is quite hard. As the 1970's progressed, so the flowers vanished to be replaced by a purple hue, surely one of the worst colours for underwear! Some of these pantie-girdles represent the nadir of this collection. They look like the knickers a seven-year-old might wear. It wasn't just Marks and Spencer who flirted with colour; nearly every other manufacturer got in on the act, and several were severely taken to task for portraying National flags
Women had become liberated and, when they chose to, could dress as men. Unisex was the theme, and women started to wear underpants, albeit perhaps with a slightly higher elastic content their husbands'! This page brought forward two recollections from my husband. Firstly, when he was studying at Oxford, he remembers that all the students had to dress in regulation white shirt, black trousers, white bow tie, academic gown and mortar board for the exams (I'm not joking)! Girls were allowed a modification of this dress code, being white blouse and black skirt, but coloured underwear (brassieres in particular) was prohibited*. It was deemed unsettling for the boys to see the colours of the brassieres through the thin blouses.
Shortly after university, my husband was working alongside an elderly engineer, who, in an attempt to describe the colour he needed for a map said "Oh, you know, it's the colour of ladies' underwear!" (implying purple). He quickly added "Er, perhaps you don't know that!"
For a company that could produce the satin elastic girdle, the hideous corselette above has plumbed the depths. Shapeless torso with hemispherical padded cups. 1974
* Caledonian Airways prohibited their stewardesses from wearing coloured brassieres under their uniform white blouse.
Dating Marks and Spencer Girdles Memories of the Marks and Spencer Girdle
Memories of a Marks and Spencer Teenage Girl I was born in 1945 and as a teenager, I went through the usual sequence of suspender belts to a girdle. I think I had a suspender belt from about 12 for best wear at the same time as my first brassiere. From about age 14, I had a roll-on for best wear. The visit to M&S for firm control was at 16 for my first adult dance, rather than youth clubs and 78 records! My mother managed my expectations about only for when you want to look your best, so I was not surprised at my reactions on trying on the zip-up, boned girdle and strong hooks and eyes on the long-line bra. I was very pleased with the results, I was grown up at last! But oooh, they pinched. I remember that I could not curl up on the sofa to read a book. They were tight and I could not bend as I wanted. Mother suggested I wear them for an hour a day to get used to them. I think they were so strong that I had to get used to them, because they were not going to change their shape for me! Most of my friends wore the same for best wear, so we accepted it. I am sure16 year olds today would not put up with it. One of my school-friends had an elder sister (I was 16 and she was 19.) I remember being very impressed that she had three girdles. She had a two-way stretch one, a boned zipped one, and one she called the beast for her evening dress. She also recounts:- "Bending was not much of an option when well 'shoe-horned' into the M&S firm control girdle and long line bra that I had in the 1960s for best wear!"
Memories of a Marks and Spencer Husband #1 I have seen it questioned why a woman with a 24-inch waist would need a girdle. In 2004 I'm sure she wouldn't, but back in the time when girdles were worn by just about all women, waists were generally smaller anyway, and manufacturers made and sold girdles in small sizes. Two of the three steady girlfriends I had in my teens had waists of 22 inches, the other one was 24. At that time, Marks & Spencer's light, medium and firm control girdles were sold in sizes starting at waist 23/24, hip 34/36. That was the size bought by the two slimmer girls when they started wearing girdles. (The third girl wore only a deep suspender belt at the time I knew her).
The girl who eventually became my wife was proud of her small waist (and even now it is only 24 inches) but was annoyed at having only a small (32) bust and what she thought of as disproportionately large hips (35). She therefore bought bras with slightly padded cups and wore a girdle to try to get her hips in proportion to her waist and bust. For several years she bought a standard M&S medium control (open-bottom) girdle, having tried a light control one, and immediately taken it back as "useless, even to hold stockings". She appeared to me to have a good figure, emphasised by the narrow waist, but she always thought her bottom was too big, and would certainly not have gone without her girdle for that reason. When she passed her 20th birthday she pointed to a very slight bulge on her tummy and said her girdle was getting worn out. She bought a new one but, on trying it on at her home, decided that it was not strong enough to flatten her tummy and hold in her bottom. A return trip was made to M&S and the medium control belt was exchanged for a firm one, still in size 23/24 inch waist. When I first saw her wearing it, there was no doubt about it; her perfectly flat tummy and tightly held bottom were very apparent. She still had no need of any help at the waist but from then on she quickly bought more firm girdles so that she could wear one all the time to help keep her figure in proportion as she saw it. One effect though of the heavier girdle was a tendency for some flesh to spill over the top of the belt on to the girl's waist and for a slight bulge on her thighs below the girdle hem. On several occasions thereafter, when buying a new girdle in M&S, she checked the various styles to see if there was a slightly longer one. As I remember it, she did not want a full high-waist girdle because, as she said, she had no need of it. One day she asked an assistant who said that the length increased slightly with the sizes and my girlfriend decided to buy the next size - 25/26 inch waist and 36/38 hip. She tried it on and it was slightly longer but "not as firm as my usual ones", she said. Her next idea was to exchange that girdle for an extra firm one in which the smallest size was 25/26, but she thought the additional strength would compensate for the larger size. However, on examining an extra firm control girdle in M&S, she realised it had six suspenders instead of the usual four and immediately gave up the idea saying she "didn't want to be bothered with more suspenders; four are bad enough". In consequence she bought another of her usual firm girdles and never again tried to get anything different.
The classic girdle was actually worn by young women but it was their mothers that were the main customers
That episode would have been in 1966. Only a few years later, she had begun wearing pantie-girdles with tights, and found that the M&S firm ones were not nearly as controlling as the girdles had been and, in particular, lacked the down-stretch back panel that flattened her bottom so well. She felt more rounded in the pantie-girdles. The pantie-girdles were also shorter, barely reaching her natural waist and certainly not covering her thighs. Her waist was still only 23 inches, so the girdle was really only for hip and tummy control. By then, M&S produced only the brief pantie style in size 23/24, obviously assuming that women wanting more coverage would be larger. My wife, as she then had become, was still concerned about big hips, and tried a couple of short-leg firm control pantie-girdles from M&S , that had to be in size 25/26. I remember these well because they came with a little packet of attachable suspenders which my wife threw away immediately, seeing no possible reason for wearing stockings with a pantie girdle. The new girdles also came higher at the top but were understandably quite loose on her slim waist. Nevertheless, she liked the smooth waist to thigh fit and wore those girdles quite a bit, though she found the legs a bit uncomfortable especially when they sometimes rode up. The old ritual of tugging down the hem of a risen girdle was replaced by the occasional pulling down of pantie-girdle legs. Pregnancy then intervened and, after the birth, my wife returned to her regular pantie-girdles. Unsurprisingly, she was not as svelte as before her pregnancy, her waist now being 25 inches. She was more worried, though, about her hips and tummy and complained that her old brief firm control (size 23/24) pantie-girdles were not very good. The short-leg ones were better, but starting to wear out. Having for years bought all her foundations in M&S, she was surprised to find in (I think) British Home Stores (but might have been Littlewoods) a new range of firm pantie-girdles which had a non-stretch front panel, a satin down-stretch back panel and were available in size 23/24. She bought one, found it much firmer and liked especially the effect on her bottom and tummy. Her waist once again gained a "spare tyre" from the tight girdle and within a few weeks we had returned to the shop to buy another identical girdle. She saw that there was a longer style in the same range, described as a cuff-waist girdle and available in 23/24 waist. She bought one of those, too. For some reason she found that one distinctly tighter and on one or two occasions, having worn it under a dress to go out, took it off as soon as she got home and put on a regular length one instead. By the time she became pregnant again, my wife's waist was back to an ungirdled 24 inches. After the second child was born, my wife found the panelled girdles too uncomfortable, and reverted to the standard M&S brief, firm control styles, still always buying 23/24 waist. This time, again finding a distinct spare tyre above her girdle around her waist, and realising that it could be seen when wearing dresses fitted to the waist, she bought a high-waist firm control girdle from M&S. It was in size 25/26 waist (smallest available in that style), which again made it slightly loose in that area, and had six bones; long ones at the sides, shorter ones at the front and back. She disliked the bones, especially the side ones which didn't follow her curves closely enough. The girdle was also a coloured one, pale blues and lilacs, so she liked that. It gave her a good smooth shape but she said it was no good under straighter skirts because it was not strong enough on her tummy or rear. This is a charming account from a gentleman, whose wife, although as slim as many of us would dream about, still suffers from those feminine traits of self-doubt. The history of M&S from the 1960's to the 1980's is very accurately recounted.
Memories of a Marks and Spencer Husband #2 Most of our regular correspondents are elderly women, for it is these ladies that wore the garments to which this site is dedicated. Sometimes, as above, it is the man who provides the
recollections. We talked to one such gentleman in his late 80's and he recounted how every morning for decades he watched his wife don her stockings brassiere and girdle. He found the daily ritual fascinating and was happy to provide the money for her forays to Marks and Spencer. Each night her underpinnings would reside on the chair in the bedroom. We recreated the scene with period garments and gave the picture to the old man. He was strangely moved and said "That's just what I meant. I don't suppose anybody would understand any more." He was terribly grateful for the picture.
What a lovely corset, or is it a girdle? By my definition, it is a laced girdle, but whatever, it is a beautiful foundation. The little rosebuds at the top of the front suspenders say it all.
This is a laced-entry garment. No zips or hooks and eyes here. One unlaces to the fullest extent, pulls over the hips and then laces up (tight presumably). The matching brassiere is attached to the girdle by the buttons at the back. I wonder at how many diplomatic balls this girdle was worn?
Sears
a tribute to the long-leg panty-girdle
It might seem odd to call a department store, however famous, a brand, however, Sears sold so many foundation garments (and still does) that the makes it sold were often forgotten and frequently carried the Sears name in any case. Their 'famous Gale' line of corsets was familiar to many matrons who shopped from the Sears catalogue. One has to remember that, even today, parts of the USA are nothing like as accessible as the regions of Europe and mail order, for many, was the only way to shop. But to catalogue all of Sears foundations would culminate in a volume as thick as one of their mail order brochures so I will concentrate on what may have been the most popular foundations of all time. Let us go back to 1965. Propelled by a terrible assassination and awaiting the promiscuous fall-out of another war, the world teeters on the edge of a social revolution. Beneath the smart suits and dresses of the era, the American woman was fundamentally different from her sister across the Atlantic. Consult the mail order catalogues of the day and you see that the girdle has all but died out. If you didn't wear a corset, you wore a panty-girdle, and you probably wore a Sears. In Britain (and Europe), women would keep their girdles until the end of the decade. Even then, the garments, with a few exceptions, were feeble imitations of the American variety.
The classic Sears 28497 long-leg panty -girdle
The advertisement, for once, didn't lie. This was an excellent, firm and stylish panty-girdle that, within its 20 inch length, controlled everything from waist to thigh. It was worn by mothers and daughters at least until the revolution of youth took a firm hold at the end of the decade. Latterly worn by mothers and grandmothers this garment would literally be the 'mainstay' of American women for three decades.
Strodex
Strodex was a British company that appears to have targeted the same clientele as Spirella, Spencer and Barcley, however, like Barcley, it never achieved the same number of sales as the tqo queens of bespoke corsetry, Spirella and Spencer. Their products were, however, of a similar quality and they could produce everything from the most severe surgical corset in unimaginative coutil to gorgeous confections of nylon and lace.
The matching brassiere and girdle advertised in the early 1960's ( above ) contrasts with the early 1970's abdominal support ( below) and seriously functional dorso-lumbar support ( right - 1950's ). The back support corset with adjusting strap has the date of manufacture on the label, 1982. This must have been one of the last corsets made by Strodex. Note the attachment for suspenders but lack of same. This was well into the era of tights.
None of my acquaintances nor their mothers or grannies wore Strodex. If they had made-to-measure it was Spirella, Spencer or occasionally Barcley. Strodex was based in Leicestershire where the cotton mills were and produced as diverse a range as the more widely-purchased competition. A number of foundations from the more fashionable end of the catalogue became available at auction recently and we were given permission to use the photographs of these garments. They show the exquisite detail, boning and interior construction of these foundations.
Brassiere
Sacro-iliac support Corset
Corselette (left and centre) and an all-in-one with a full length back and separate upper and lower at the front just like the Spenall.
This one is a bit more tricky! Did a pregnant woman really require four sets of lacing to accommodate her burgeoning figure, or was this the sort of complex 'measuring garment' beloved by Spirella and Spencer? I suspect the former is the case. Even Camp managed to get four lacers into a pregnancy corset. Pity the poor dear with eight lacers to adjust!
Symingtons
Symingtons were one of the largest corset manufacturers in Britain. Inevitably based where the cotton mills were in the Midlands, they never marketed under their own name but produced many trade names of their own and for other companies such as Marks and Spencer. A collection of their corsets can be seen in one of the Leicester museums and a time-line history is also available.
Triumph
The History of Triumph International
Triumph holds a special place in the history of European, particularly German, corsetry. Successful for decades, its range varied from the most elegant guipures, to that formidable back-laced corselette, the 'Brilliant K', beloved of the Bavarian Haus-frau. That they are still highly successful is a tribute to their response to market needs whilst maintaining tradition. In my opinion they made one of the world's best brassieres, the 'Triumph Doreen' (left). The 'Doreen' firm-control pantie-girdle. Together with the bra, thousands of German women in the 1970's wore 'Doreens'. The 'Doreen' brassiere is still sold today in its traditional short, long and cuff-length versions, and, despite my affection for the made-to-measure products from Spirella, I have to admit that the Doreen is my favourite brassiere.
The famous Triumph 'Doreen'
Perhaps I have dwelt too much on the heavier aspect of mature German womanhood. There were (and are) some stunning German women of all ages, as the following pictures from the history of Triumph show. The 1960's in Germany is beautifully illustrated by these young German models who show Triumph's guipures and brassieres to their best advantage.
A stunning Triumph corselette from 1964
The model on the left may appear to resent the close inspection of Herr Doktor Triumph and Irma Bunt, however, there is no doubting that the end product is very successful and elegant. ("What a wonderful job to have" my husband added. "You'd get bored with it" I retorted, but he had that dangerous male look in his eye!)
The History of Triumph International
Note a small entry in 1969, when Triumph acquires the House of Jenyns.
Twilfit
For those women that could not afford the likes of Spirella and Spencer, and perhaps wanted something a little more 'traditional', the English firm of Twilfit provided the answer. It still does today but in a greatly reduced form. Twilfit is yet another corsetry enterprise that lasted for close to a century. Regard the catalogue from 1936, this was Twilfit at its best providing corsets, belts (girdles) and some waist nippers of an almost Victorian style.
It seems that Twilfit invested heavily in in the beautiful art-work of their brochures, leaving less money for the poor models whose expressions are less than encouraging. The women on the left appear totally fed up with their complex foundations, some looking as though they would rather be anywhere except in front of the photographer's lens. Along with many of their peers, Twilfit marketed a range of rubber foundations.
Did women really wear these rubber corselettes and rubber corsets? Indeed they did. My aunt was a devotee of the Dutch equivalent and plenty of British matrons greeted their friends in a waft of perfume disguising (but not quite) the slightly pungent odour of their foundations!
That these garments still have a strong following in Latin America, a warm place, mystifies me!
At least in the 1930's, the advertising illustrated the age of the market audience. In the 1960's and 70's, the age group of the target audience appears to have dropped by several decades. I am only commenting on the marketing strategy here, not the quality of these excellent products.
By the 1960's, and still calling a girdle a belt, these pictures reveal the dichotomy in Twilfit's advertising. Desperate to attract new clientele, younger models appeared and yet it was to the older woman that the corsets and rubber corselettes were aimed. Almost every old corset shop that went out of business in the 1980's onwards has a shelf of Twilfit corsets in the unpopular sizes still unsold. The young lovely on the left, parts her lips seductively, or is she gasping for air in her overtight gupire? The two images on the right show that Twilfit catered for the fashionable and not just the matronly (above).
Regard one of Twilfit's classiest offerings, the Joycet girdle with its beautiful embroidered front satin panel.
The famous 'cathedral brassiere' was loved and hated by all women who have decided to wear a strapless evening gown. Unless the brassiere is very well fitted, the entire evening could be ruined by the fear that on standing up from the table, the brassiere might not! I've seen this happen and the mortified expression on the face of the poor woman. There's two options when this happens:- hide your breasts beneath a napkin and pass it off as a joke, or run screaming out of the room in a flood of tears. Our acquaintance chose the latter!
Warners
An American Icon
This picture says it all. The late 1930's were one of the many periods when America has lead the world in innovation, enterprise and marketing, and at the forefront of the foundation garment trade was Warners. That they exists today, and that their garments were made under licence all over the world is a testament to their iconic position in the history of corsetry. Warners were truly great innovators, and many pioneering inventions of the foundation garment industry have been (not always correctly) attributed to them. One of their earlier adverts proclaimed the rust-proof corset. This idea had been around for a short while, but was a boon to the lady distressed by the rust marks on her garters and stays. Whalebone did not rust and many women lamented its passing until the advent of rustproofing.
Famously, they did pioneer the 'Merry Widow' corset, sometimes referred to as a basque (in Britian) and rather more charmingly a 'Guipre' in France. This garment was made famous by Lana Turner in 1952 when she starred in the film of the same name. Miss Turner's enviable figure hardly needed any enhancement, but, like her peers, she would have worn such a garment for any evening function.
The alphabetical naming of brassiere sup sizes is usually attributed to Mrs. Leona Lax of the Warner Company in 1944. Again, the invention occurred about a decade earlier, but it was Warners that publicised it and extracted maximum mileage. It was in fact a great idea that will last as long as women of different sizes wear brassieres. Warners cunningly used the word elegant, and produced the brand name 'le gant' (the glove). This sounded so French, so chic, that women flocked to buy their corselettes and girdles. The
fact that 'le gant' is masculine only serves to show that most foundations were invented by men. As one famous actress quoted on disembarking from her girdle one evening, "This just had to invented by a man. No woman would do this to another woman!"
As is so often the case, it is the attitude of the models that draws attention rather than the excellence of the design. Having a cup of tea, looking for the postman, farewell to the husband (her own, one hopes), and looking for the dreaded 'ladder'.
The 'le gant' was publicised as the girdle most American women wanted to wear, and wear it they did since they sold in their millions. This picture comes from Vogue UK in 1953 and explains that this quintiscential American girdle has been manufactured (under licence) in Britain from British materials. It sold very well in Britain, and this in a country that has a burgeoning and well established girdle trade.
The emphasis placed by the advertisement on 'British materials' is interesting. A Spencer corsetire once told me that Spencer used different materials on each side of the Atlantic. Whether this was due to availability, weather or marketing preference, she could not say. Still in 1953, we see a panty-girdle, however, this
would not catch on in Britain until the late 1960's, by which time foundation garments were showing a marked decline.
Warners, although innovative, kept up with the mainstream (a clue to their marketing success) and produced an excellent selection of pantygirdles, the mainstay of Mrs. America for several decades.
Other Classic Brands

Nubone Rengo Strodex Roussel Stayform Twilfit
Over the last 100 years, there have been so many brands of corsetry. The established and highly successful brands like Playtex, St. Michael, and Triumph simply keep up with the times and keep on going. Gossard, Berlei, Spencer and Camp struggle on with a diminishing clientele, and Spirella, Charis and Jenyns have vanished from the scene. Most of these brands have been successful for more than five decades, and examples of Spirella still live on in the drawers of the elderly, their owners praying that their foundations last longer than they do, for they can find no alternative. Some brands became so common that their very name became generic. Rubber girdles are almost always associated with Playtex and Camps with fan-lacing corsets. I know of an elderly women, a life-long Camp wearer who emigrated to Australia in later life to be with her children. She still wears Jenyns fan-lacers to this day (although she can no longer purchase them) but still calls them "Camps." Some brands were referred to quite openly. "Have you got your Spencer on Mother?" These brands are dealt with elsewhere. This page is about some excellent brands that simply died out as the girdle died out:Nubone, Rengo, Stayform and Bestform to name but a few. At the end, we deal with some lesser known horrors that survived for a few years on the strength of unbelievable advertising, and thankfully passed away. I have heard enough elderly women refer to their Camps or Spencers not to comment on it, however, I cannot imagine any women saying "I've got my 'Abdo-lift' on today", and as for 'Fitzwel' and the hideous 'Duribilknit' surgical stockings, the least said, the better! The corsets that grace the left and right of this text are a 'Redfern' (serious, possible) and a 'Trixy' (hmmm), both purveyors of excellent foundations in their day, but sadly no more.
Nubone
Nubone made a huge play on their spiral steel bones which was a bit unfair since Spirella developed the concept more than a decade before. Like Spirella, they advertised "Not sold in shops" and were proud of their army of corsetieres.
Just a moment, didn't Spirella patent this around 1900? Indeed, they did, but the minute the patent expired so the vultures descended!
Nubone had an empire of corsetieres much the same as Spirella and Spencer, yet they did not stand the test of time. A remaining example of their wares is this girdle ( above right). It has the interesting feature that the zip works downwards. Nubone's materials tended to be more cottony than the brocades and satins of the other houses although satin was certainly an option. Perhaps it was simply too expensive. Interestingly, Charis's materials were similar and that was another company that failed to last past the 1960's. Nubone not only copied Spirella's patented bones, but they blatantly mimicked the Spen-all is this extremely rare satin corselette ( right). What a shame that a company with the ability to produce
such an elegant garment should ultimately fail.
Rengo
No beating about the bush with Rengo who made the sturdy, practical corset for the sturdy, practical woman! We have a couple of Rengo corsets in our collection and I still do not understand the principle. You have the busk fastening underneath the lacing. I note that the under-belt has elastic, so it could be that the laces simply exert the tension required by the wearer. It seems unnecessary.
Roussel
This manufacturer of stylish and elegant corsetry in the 1930s aimed very precisely at the flapper who had married, who had moved with an expanding family into the 1930s, and now wanted to go out and look chic in a Harlow-esque gown. Under no circumstances would bones or, heaven forbid, laces be required. She was a child of the emancipated 1920s. She wanted a light, elegant foundation that would conceal a less than youthful figure beneath the bias-cut satin gowns of the 1930s. Roussel went to great lengths to point out how all other corsets and girdles were inadequate, and how the construction of their belts (note the absence of the C-word or G-word), was exactly what the client desired. Uniquely, in my experience, the Roussel catalogues of the day, not only gave advice on deportment and how their belts supplied a means to that end, but they also recommended how ones husband might be improved also! Roussel chose recommendations carefully from the willowy heroines of the day:- Anny Ahlers, a beautiful German actress of the 1930s who tragically died falling off a balcony. Alice Delysia (1889 1979), a British actress, and ghost story novelist, Margery Lawrence, also of the 1930s. Antonia Merc (1888-1936), stage-named La Argentina, was the most celebrated Spanish dancer of the early 20th century. She gave an autographed photo to Roussel for publicity in their magazines. All these women were Roussel wearers, emancipated, certainly didnt want bones or laces, yet craved and lauded the support of Roussels foundations, and were happy to tell the world about it. In the beginning, Roussel developed the elastic 'tricot' construction of the corselette. No bones at all, freedom of movement was the concept, and the celebrities chosen, actresses and dancers, seemed to epitomise this ideal. These garments from the 1930's ( below) seem to be little more than elegant elastic tubes.
(There are so many images of Roussel garments on the web and in old magazines, that I forget the provenance of some of the images below other than those from the 1930's which come from our own archives.)
After the war when the pictures below were taken, Dior had decreed that 'the waist' was in and the 'flapper tube' most definitely was out. Roussel responded with some of the most elegant foundations ever made. The models are ex-debutante, young actress generic and the model at the bottom was one of Roussel's favourites.
Very characteristic of all these poses is the slightly artificial 'tummy in' designed to accentuate the 'nipped in' waist. Be careful girls, if you sit down in so tight a garment it is going to pinch badly. Read the cautionary tale "My gupire is killing me!" M. Roussel was, of course, French, and the model (bottom 2nd left) wears one. It is a strange feature of strapless corselettes and basques, that they always seem to ride a bit low requiring the evening gown to provide the final level of support.
Stayform
The charming Miss Hanskat hated bones and managed to design corselettes and combination uppers and lowers without them. She felt, as the before and after on the right shows, that a smooth waist-line could be achieved in comfort. One oddity, is that in many of her catalogues, the corselettes are designed to allow the back suspender to cross the side suspender pointing forwards. I've never seen that before or since.
The erudite Roger K has this explanation for the suspenders' arrangement. 1. To provide pull-down tension on the back of the girdle or corselet to keep it from riding up, and yet to provide a way to avoid sitting on the rear suspender. 2. To maintain constant tension on the rear suspender, rather providing than too little (when standing) and too much (when sitting). A trolley garter was intended to provide the same effect, but didn't supply three attachment points to the stocking, hence would have been more liable to create runs.
This link has moved to a dedicated page Strange Names
European Corsets
Recent exhibitions of European corsetry from France (left) and Sweden (right)
A huge amount of data is available on the history of British and American corsetry. This is, however, a very biased view, since our British data comes from personal experience and American data from the medium of the internet. So far, the internet has not successfully overcome the language barrier that will remain a blocker of information transfer in Europe for years to come. Therefore, our European knowledge is based on very incomplete data: memories from holidays, my childhood in Holland, and my husbands business visits to various parts of the world. So far, our web pages have covered aspects of British corsetry, a limited understanding of what our sisters were wearing on the other side of the Atlantic, and a few tales from my Dutch aunt. What of the Germans, the Scandinavians, the French, and the Latin countries -- Spain, and Italy? Perhaps we should leave this incomplete data alone; however, experience has revealed that once a topic is aired on the internet, interested parties often volunteer new and fascinating information. Another pitfall is to stereotype each nationality, and then make the corset fit the stereotype. This is unfair, nevertheless, it is true that each of the groups mentioned above have markedly different characteristics, and this is reflected in their corsetry as we shall see. It would be surprising if it were otherwise. From this casual knowledge we can add some comments and photographs of garments for each nationality in the hope that one day we will find out more and improve our presentation. I believe that once the minor quirks of each nationality have been filtered out, the main difference between the nationalities is not of what the women wore, but at what stage in the last century the change from corset to girdle to panty-girdle took place. The number of serious foundation garments worn today, whether by the rich or poor, young or old, is minute compared to the 1970s in any country. We have borrowed several images from the Internet auctions and I am most grateful to Modesecond for their permission to do so. Some other images come from years of collecting without cataloguing from where they originated. I have made a reference to two vendors who displays the corsets on sale to excellent advantage; these vendors deserve to do well.
German Corsets for Sale

Modesecond Swinbur Did our European sisters wear the foundations that we required, or was the climate too hot in summer? Did liberation arrive earlier? Of course not. Never, ever underestimate womans ability to suffer to be beautiful. On the contrary, when the mis-guided English rose set fire to her brassiere, her Italian and Spanish peers would still be fastening the dozen hooks and eyes demanded by their long-line brassieres. The German maiden, especially from Bavaria, would still be well aware of the corset that her mother wore, and the corset that she herself would wear if Mutti got half a chance. As I have mentioned elsewhere in the reducing corsetry section, the sweaty embrace of the rubber corset and girdle has re-surfaced in this latest millennium in one of the hottest locations of all, Latin America. One thing I do know is that one of my favourite companies, Spirella, not only had offices in Britain, the USA and Canada, but also in Malmo,
Sweden, Copenhagen, Denmark and Berlin. Nobody I have ever met has any details of the German and Scandinavian connection here. We keep on looking in hope. We have but one example. Please share our European experiences by clicking on the countries below:-
FRANCE HOLLAND BELGIUM
GERMANY ITALY
SCANDINAVIA SPAIN
Holland
The Dutch have a reputation for blunt, straight-forward speaking. This trait, I feel extends to their corsets as well. Pink unadorned coutil of a quality and thickness reminiscent of canvas was the order of the 1950's and 60's. To the money conscious Dutch, a corset that would last forever, totally outweighed fripperies such as satin flashes and pretty brocades. Nevertheless, the Dutch did make some lovely, if sturdy foundations. The Dutch branch of CAMP (latterly BASKO-CAMP) featured in all the upmarket high street shops and the famous 'adjustaband control' was to be seen in the corsetry department of Vroom & Dreesman until the late 1980's. The girdle on the left was even purchased in the 1990's, however, the corsetiere at Coja of Rijswijk (who still works there as she has done for 45 years), suggested that such girdles were more common amongst the British. CAMP made some ferociously strong pantie-girdles in heavy patterned elastic with the mandatory satin facing front and rear. We purchased two examples in Groningen in the late 1980's, however, they were the end of the line at a clearance sale. For comparison, the American version is shown on the right. No patterned elastic here, but more emphasis has been placed on the satin accents. It is also a formidable girdle.
The corset on the left below was a standard high street model from Hunkemoller in the 1970's. Heavy, firm and solidly constructed; this long-lasting quality product would appeal to the cost conscious Dutch. Of course, a discussion of Holland's corsetry wouldn't be complete without a mention of the amazing perforated white rubber corsets on sale until the late 1970's. My aunt swore by these, and occasionally at them for they were cold to put on in winter and ridiculously sweaty in summer.
Belgium
We have been guilty of assuming that Belgium, lying as it does between Holland and France would adopt the corsetry fashions of its larger neighbours, however, this is to do Belgium a great disservice. Flanders has long been famous for its textile industry and lace, and produced many excellent corsets of its own. Corsetry marketed in both France and Holland was often manufactured in Belgium. We have included Belgium recently to this page (September 2007) for one important reason and that is our discovery in a modern catalogue of some excellent images of panty-girdles (I hate the euphemism shapewear). Such devices were the but of golf club jokes barely a decade ago, but nowadays, no self-respecting starlet's wardrobe is complete without them.
Available from www.cette.com
Spain
The Spanish seem to be similar to the Italians in their choice of firm underwear with the dominant colours being flesh, beige and black (presumably for widows). As I described in various other sections, it is the Spanish-speaking population of South and Central America who maintain a lively interest in firm foundations. The Rubens-esque senorita needs to maintain a careful control of her figure, at least until the husband is secured and the bambinos are born.
Soras was (and still is) a well-known brand. The catalogue and the 465 model corselettes show an all-encompassing garment designed to contain those wayward Latin bulges. These garments may look elegant and conventional, however, they are not for the faint-hearted. Four heavy-duty bones run the length of the spine (below).
Another feature of the Spanish corset (which is also typical of Latin America) is the offset lacing where the corset is hooked on the left, and laced on the right. We first encountered this sort of arrangement in 1968 in Tenerife (Canary Islands). The corset was completely made of peach satin, but with surprisingly little bone structure. The example here, one of which ( above ) comes from PrincessLolly is a class above its peer group. We have a similar model in our collection from Cuba, yet another Latin country. The corsets on the right come from the 'Super Scarlet' Spanish range, although I doubt that Vivian Leigh would have contenanced the monstrosity on the right. Regard the corset on the left. This is a very robust Spanish construction. Note the buttons to attach suspenders. This is typical of any corset manufacturer whose clientele live in climates with hot, sticky summers. The corset has very little hip-spring but is long, over 50 cm (20"). The back is so heavily boned as to be virtually immobile. This was an old lady's corset, hence the tubular shape. (Older women tend to lose the fat on their buttocks whilst retaining it around their middles). The wearer would have that common complaint, the 'bad back', and I imagine that this unyielding device brought considerable relief. Note the touch of lace around the bottom. How Latin! It might be a surgical corset, but it is still a feminine garment.
A modern, powerful pantygirdle from Olith Creationes
Fortunately, the traditional corset shop still supplies decent foundations (courtesy of Triumph) in the provincial cities of Spain (2006 above).
Conclusion:
Regard the picture below. Three black foundation garments photographed against a black background (which my husband said would never work). We started this part of the site with the intention not to draw upon national pre-conceptions. We then lurched straight into those perceptions and then came to this arrangement of some rather splendid items from our collection..
All these garments are superbly crafted, made from the finest materials, yet were available at no great expense to the high street shopper. Where do they come from? Black is a notoriously risqu color. Satin has its own connotations, and we have intimated all sorts of national characteristics in the foregoing paragraphs. It's quite humbling, yet gratifying to be proved wrong, for isn't that what research is all about?. The top left corset comes from the sturdy, money-conscious, plain-speaking Holland . Top right, predictably, France; and what a gorgeous confection of femininity is is! At the bottom, this splendid brassiere that could have graced the best of Hollywood's starlets, was a product of that unique post-War British invention, the Garden City, for this is a Spirella brassiere from Letchworth, North of London. It looks like the French still carry the honours in the perceptions of fashionable underwear. Look at the label on the Dutch corset from that bastion of Dutch corsetry, Hunkemoller. Even the name of the corset is French!
French Corsets
with special regard to
Dior
The world believes the great French myth, where all the women
are Brigitte Bardot's and the men universally roguish, devastatingly attractive and heavily accented Maurice Chevaliers. Above, and to the right, are the marketing departments reinforcement of that myth. Sadly, the French are little different from the rest of the world, where most women can only dream of the shapes above, nevertheless, perhaps the French, more than most other nationalities, provided some formidable corsetry, at least to try and mould the avoirdupois of Madam, into the sylphlike proportions of Madamoiselle. My husband and I visited Calais in 1971. It was our first visit to France and we were both struck by the remarkably attractive foundation garments available to the French public. The high street displays revealed that the French seemed particularly skilled at manufacturing extremely strong garments (the elastic was stronger anything I had ever encountered) yet the detailing and the satin panelling were very feminine and attractive. Typically French, they obeyed nobody's rules but their own, producing some uniquely beautiful underwear. Sadly, that's about all I know of French corsetry, which is a great shame since the subject, I'm sure, would fill several museums. The French corsets and girdles that I have encountered have been strong, well made and with that Gallic flair for style and individuality. Satin panels abound (even on the interior, which leads me to believe that the garment would have been worn over another undergarment). The suspenders are often attached by buttons. The heat of summer in France made stockings and suspenders redundant. The strength of the materials was formidable. I have a French panty-girdle that quite easily stands up by itself so firm is the elastic. Our memories of French corsetry were rather interrupted by a question about Dior's famous girdles and corsets that defined his 'new look' of 1947. We managed to find some excellent images of this era which deserve a completely separate page. Yet, like all couturiers, Dior's wealth came from the masses; his famous corsets and gowns simply being show pieces, even advertisements, for his art. So let us return to the High Street and see what the average Frenchwoman could purchase just a few decades ago. The French have quite a passion for beige and flesh coloured underwear in immensely strong elastic. Pre-1985, the elastic would be enlivened by pretty satin panels. Another feature of French corsetry was the removable suspender attached either internally or externally by buttons. If the French matrons kept their corsets in the heat of summer, they could at least discard their stockings.
These three 'high street' girdles are, to me, quintessentially French. The girdle on the left is the strongest and heaviest I have ever encountered. The elastic is massively woven and the hooks underneath the zip, almost industrial strength to accept the tension. It's faced in satin as is the rather more feminine central girdle. The panty-girdle is so firm it could stand up unaided. Note the horizontal boning in the middle of the abdomen. This horizontal boning (seen below in this corset from 1978) is a feature of European corsets. On the left is a girdle (also 1978) from the high street end of the social spectrum. Regard the minute scalloped lace trim on the top and bottom edges, the satin flashes over and under the suspenders, and the satin detailing on the adjustable hip control. Laced and strapped, this is quite a piece of engineering, yet every chance is taken to remind the wearer (and the observer) that the French have style.
Even in their corselettes, satin, cunning stitching, and ( left and middle; 1969) the most formidable satin suspender flashes (which don't actually cover the 'bumpy bits') demonstrate an amazing elegance combined with powerful
functionality. Two decades later, the corselette ( right; 1985) has substituted powerful elastic panels for the unyielding satin, and a long zip has replaced the multitude of hooks and eyes. The older corselettes featured here all required at least 20, and sometimes as many as 33, hooks-and-eyes to put on and take off.
The French penchant for 'bullet-proof' beige elastic is occasionally replaced by flashes of alternative colours. In part II, we deal with the French passion for satin-faced corsetry.
Dior
When we speak of the French, we automatically think of elegance. Who else could produce such a garment as the one on the right (http://madefla.50g.com/expos.htm). This girdle is on display at Le muse du Jacquard Roubaix, in France.
There have been many famous French couturiers whose demands that womankind will fit their styles encouraged all manner of corsetry, however possibly the most famous example was Dior. His collection of clothes and gowns in 1947 shouted to the world "the war is over; the waist is back", and Dior's models wore girdles and corsets (designed by Dior) in order to fit this new style. Naturally, the rest of the world, who could afford it, simply had to follow. The Dior girdle on the left from the early 1950's was pure elegance in satin, and sufficiently strong (as the French knew how to manufacture) to produce the narrow waist demanded by Dior's and, by now, his rivals' creations. The style, of course, worked its way down to the High Street (as it must if fashion is to remain profitable) and companies like Marks and Spencer followed the style with their sturdy, yet beautiful, all satin elastic girdles of the 1960's. (The M&S girdle has been shown in negative for comparison with the Dior corset on the left). Patently less elegant than the stunning Dior creation, the M&S girdles put waists on the masses, and were so well constructed that many survive today.
Possibly one of the most elegant of all girdle photographs
The girdle (above left) is a 1970's Dior that demonstrates the elegant frippery of these garments. The ruffle around the bottom edge, the mandatory satin flashes on the suspenders, and the charming lace details suggest a girdle for a truly special occasion. The 'vestigial lacing' blatantly added on the front is a typical throwback to the days of the laced corset. On the right is a French girdle (1978) from the high street end of the social spectrum, yet, in its rather more functional way, it shares those essential feminine qualities. Regard the minute scalloped lace trim on the top
and bottom edges, again the satin flashes, and the satin detailing on the adjustable hip control. Laced and strapped, this is quite a piece of engineering, yet every chance is taken to remind the wearer (and the observer) that the French have style.
French Corsetry, Colour and the Use of Satin

In Britain we are used to the 'traditional' colours of corsetry; white, tea rose and black. Latterly beige or flesh colours have predominated, however, despite Marks and Spencer's strange flirtation with flower patterned underwear in the 1970's, the traditional colours are those that sell and are still sold. Not so the French, who for years ran a line of royal blue coloured underwear. Below and left are some examples from the French high street. The use of satin is not just evident, it is a fundamental part of many of the brassieres, corsets and girdles on display. The brassiere ( below) apart from its color is an otherwise unremarkable long-line brassiere. The girdle hooks, and two rows of hooks-and-eyes were standard wear for many women throughout the world. The colour, however, marks that lady as distinctly French. Dark blue satin-faced girdles ( below - Calais 1975) were popular in the 70s and early 80s and were a common sight in the shop windows of the French corsetieres. Its an odd colour for a foundation garment. These girdles were often laced at the back, once again hinting at a transition period, since the lacing served only to stretch the elastic rather than compress the wearer and in my mind at least, qualifies the garment as a laced girdle, and not a corset.
Another very French feature is the suspenders that button on for ease of removal. The hotter climates endured by the French women suggest that from time to time, our girdled maitresse would dispense with her stockings. Even when satin was not incorporated, such as in the corsets below, the material is very, very sturdy, yet pleasingly patterned. One feature above all in French corsetry is that they are fairly 'bullet-proof', and used a denier of elastic far heavier than the British and Americans.! The girdle on the right can hold in the tummy almost as well as a corset. The horizontal boning on the girdle is a very common feature of French and Belgian garments.
If our French matron required the assistance of a laced foundation, there were plenty of styles and colours from which to chose. French beige is dealt with in part 1, however, pink, both in a muted tone and in a rather violent hue is evident in these
brassieres. The laced back of the shocking pink version is not for frivolity, since this is a maternity brassiere, the laces accommodating the variable size of the breasts. I remember in the 1980's, seeing a young mother and baby in Westbroek Park in Den Haag, Holland. The outline of the laced brassiere through her thin blouse was unusually obvious. I've concentrated mainly on the French passion for strong colours. This was by no means the rule, and beige was probably the most popular. The beautiful white girdle on the right with the heavy satin and elastic panels is classic French. The weight, the buttoned attachments of the suspenders and the incredibly effective moulding of the figure are Gallic without a doubt. Of course, black features strongly in all corsetry cultures representing the two extremes of bereavement and sexuality. The brassieres on display below are extremely elegant. Indeed, all satin foundations allow the material of the overlying clothes to hang and to slide without impediment, and, to connoisseurs of this fine material, a faint but distinct susurration of fabric contact is discernible.
The corset on the left ( 1968), shows a typical European feature of the late 60's. Rather than take the major step from corset to girdle, the offset lacing was a temporary compromise, for this corset laces on the right, with the hook and eye fastening on the left. It is a feature of many Spanish corsets of the same period.
We finish these memories of the French passion for substantial corsetry made uniquely chic by attention to material, colour, with the picture on the right. It's a well-known picture that appears in many places, and close scrutiny will reveal that it's actually a composite of two photographs. The expense of hiring a model means that hundreds of similar, but subtly different photographs will be taken. A few will make it to publication and the rest will be lost forever. The full girdle is only shown with the model's face in shadow. The model's face is only seen with the girdle cropped. We took the liberty of combining both photographs since this IS French corsetry.
A Discussion on the Merits of French Corsetry

Whilst inspecting the recently arrived French corsetry, I was struck once again by that country's passion for the colour blue. The brassiere and girdle in question are exquisite confections of blue satin, and the strength of the elastic in the girdle is, shall we say, formidable. The French are highly Nationalistic, however, to wear the National colour beneath one's clothes seems improbable. I'm at a loss to explain this colour other than the fact that many women just look good in blue. Another mystery that we have solved is the peculiar horizontal boning that persists to this day in Belgian and French lower foundations. In British corsetry, the abdomen is shaped by vertical bones. These bones cannot be too long otherwise the lower ends will dig into the wearer's thighs when she sits down. Spirella even incorporated a moveable front bone in their measuring garments, so that the corsetiere could easily determine the correct length to what was called 'the crease'. (Incidentally, the term 'crease' is easily explained by looking at a well worn corset. It will have irremovable horizontal creases exactly where the wearer's thighs meet the abdomen). In a woman with heavy thighs therefore, the front boning stops before it has its full control on the lower abdomen. Various solutions are possible:Spencer tried a 'floating' lower panel that could be boned, yet would ride up when the wearer sat down. However, this was more common in maternity cases. Mae West, amongst others, elected to have full length boning, accepting the disadvantage that she was unable to sit down at all! It seems that the French have the best solution of all. Make the bones horizontal below the crease. That way they still keep the lower abdomen controlled yet allow the wearer to sit in comfort. Its quite an experience to observe at first hand, a garment that one assumed had vanished forever in the 1980s. The French make blue girdles to this day (www.daxon.co.uk), however, the sheer weight and quality of this garment dates it as old stock from several decades past. It was, in its day, the equivalent of the M&S firm control girdles of the 1970s, however, the French girdle is altogether heavier (and the M&S version is by no means a lightweight). A big difference is in the zip. Both have metal zips, which, in the 1970s were notoriously prone to fail, and for that reason, the zips are backed by hooks-and-eyes that take the strain of the garment. The zip is purely to cover the hooks with a smooth line. In the French girdle there are no less than 12 heavy-duty hooks, whereas the British version has but three. We can only surmise that the French garment was designed to be worn much tighter than its British counterpart. Certainly, the front paneling of the French girdle would flatten the most protuberant of abdomens in a way that would normally only be achieved by a corset. Compare these two below. On the left the French, and on the right, the British. The French is 14"/17" long (front/back), and the British 131 / 2 "/15". The French weighs 16oz., and the British 13oz.
Even accounting for the longer French, that's 18% heavier. The French is sized 26/36" (waist/hip 65/90), and the British 29/39", although their width measurements are identical at 26" for the waist. This backs up the notion that the British girdle is a lighter, less strong garment that will stretch to accommodate a waist 3" larger than the unstretched measurement. Yet, the M&S was one of the strongest girdles of the 1960's and 70's on either side of the Atlantic. It seems that the French just went that bit further. It's funny sometimes, how a simple question, or the acquisition of a new and interesting piece, can stimulate so much thought. The day that I unwrapped the French girdle from its package in the post I simply exclaimed "What a beautiful girdle". My husband knows that I am fairly well inured to the trappings of the boudoir, so he immediately came to see what all the fuss was about. We've discussed this piece in so much detail that this entry in Ivy's Diary is in danger of rambling out of control. Nevertheless, we'll note our thoughts and then, perhaps, transfer an edited version onto our European corsets page, such is the luxury of operating on the internet. (It was, of course, my husband who measured and weighed the garment and then started a detailed comparison with one of our all-time favourites mentioned above, the M&S satin elastic girdle. He also raised another interesting point whilst my kitchen scales were be being used. A similar girdle, with an equally firm reputation, from that Swedish Classic, Miss Mary weighed in at a flimsy 8 oz.! Enough. This must be the subject of a future article.) Bunty was amazed at the blue colour and immediately grabbed a corset that she thought would fit her, and a satin brassiere that was equally obviously not going to fit. She enjoyed the corset which held her tummy quite firmly yet in a pleasing manner. She failed to understand what the additional elastic bands were supposed to do. It seems that the stretch had gone out of them. Cramming Bunty's 48F's into a 42C receptacle was doomed to failure, however,
she posed briefly for a picture before divesting herself rapidly of the brassiere. "What a shame" she said, "If the corset had been made from the satin material of the brassiere, I don't think you'd have seen it back again"!
German Corsets
& the Pendulous Abdomen
In 1968, every German town, and probably most towns throughout the world, had a good selection of corsetry shops. On display were a large variety of corsets, girdles, and, perhaps surprisingly, panty-girdles, but of a much more substantial construction than their British equivalents. The range of girdles and corsets was surprising until one considered the range of women that they were designed to accommodate. From the descendants of the elegant Marlene Dietrich, to the latent bulk of the sturdy 'hausfrau', all shapes could be catered for, and laced, strapped, or squeezed into a Teutonically acceptable shape. Fr Rubensfrau was a term frequently used in German advertising!
Also, of note, were the colours involved. It seemed that the German hausfrau enjoyed sturdy quality with lively contrast in the patterns and materials. Rather than an invisible magnolia design on a magnolia background, pinks on blacks, and strongly contrasting shades from beige to brown predominated. Bone casings were often leather tipped. White was in the minority. Of course, it is impossible to say, whether the shops' displays represented what the average woman wore, or what the shops wanted to sell.
Sturdy corset fabrics from the 1970's. These would control the most wayward Hausfrau and keep the chill (and most other things) at bay.
A striking difference between, for example, British and German corsetry, is to be seen in the products from that famous firm, Triumph. Triumph has lasted for decades, and is still famous in Britain and continental Europe as the manufacturer of one of the best ever long-line brassieres, the Triumph 'Doreen'. As much as I liked my Spirella lowers, the 'Doreen' was, and still is, my favourite long-line upper foundation. Nevertheless, whilst the 'Doreen' sold in millions in Britain, Triumph in Germany (as well as other companies) were producing garments that harked backed to earlier times.
The laced corselette seems to be a particularly German favourite. I have seen them in Britain, but rarely--and hardly at all since the 1960's. The British versions were very much the preserve of the elderly and overweight. Perhaps this was true of their German equivalents; however, these models below look like they could have been worn by any stylish women of mature age. They would certainly put a superb figure perhaps on a German woman, past the first flush of youth but still determined to show off the statuesque lines of her youth.
The Triumph 'Brilliant K' was the most common of these garments and, until recently, was still sold in Germany. A German lady that we met in Bonn in the 1980's and
with whom we corresponded until recently said that her Mother always wore one. Sadly, it became harder and harder to find the garment in the 1990's; a sad tale all to often related by the elderly.
The laced corselette lasted on the high street until the early 1990's, well after it had died in Britain and America. The example below shows, once again, the use of satin to produce a serious, functional but extremely fashionable garment. Compare it to the Norwegian corset below.
Another feature of note here, that will be discussed later is the use of boning in unusual shapes. This appears to be a phenomenon of the 70's and 80's and restricted to Europe.
We'd like to end off these few recollections with a couple of interesting corselettes. The contrasting patterns and shades stand out, and the figured brocades and satins lend a femininity and elegance to these powerful foundations. The garment on the left, which was being made well into the 1990's, displays the characteristic German abdominal support, albeit in attenuated form. The satin facing is a lovely touch. The garment on the right is one of extreme contrasts and combines a medium weight figured elastic with a alarmingly heavy duty, virtually solid back of satin covered rigid quadruple steels. Would this garment have worked in practice? Could the elastic have held those massive steels against the wearer's spine? Well somebody wore it and cherished it since it has all the hallmarks of use but careful ownership. These bands that hold the abdomen lead us to a whole chapter of German corsetry, since so many of their garments featured this sort of control. It is a fact of life that people's lifestyles influence their appearance, and there are sufficient German 'hausfraus' whose appetite has spawned an entire type of corset: The abdominal support.
On the left, the model wearing the Elda brassiere from 1975, could well have owned the Perfectana girdle. They do go well together. Even the humle pantygirdle is treated to the hip bands. Indeed, one of the words for girdle in German is Hfthalter, literally, hip holder.
Let us end on an encouraging note. The garments above might be articles from the past, however, similar products are still available for purchase in Germany. The company involved FIGESTA has been very helpful in providing some excellent information and we have devoted a page to their excellent products. Click on the corset technician to proceed.
Brassieres
I'm sure this is not a typical German brassiere, however, it had some interesting features.
No less than than six girdle hooks secure the brassiere to the lower foundation. Certainly this hausfrau's bosom was kept firmly under control. The gaps at the back of this frontfastening garment allow the spine to breathe. But best of all is the name "Nelly" by that famous German company 'SKI'.
The Ultimate German Supports
The Ultimate German Supports

We came across these amazing examples of German corsetry that, in many ways, sum up all that we have been describing in these pages. Both garments have extremely firm, complex and with supportive underbelts to hold up that tummy. Three sets of lacing and innumerable hooks-and-eyes must be adjusted to don this armour. The corset and corselette, although ostensibly from different manufacturers, have used the same material, and how Teutonic it is. Dark, but with bright bold patterns. Certainly the wealthy
Frau that could afford these would need a barrier of petticoats and sensible fabrics to prevent her underpinnings becoming embarrassingly visible!
The German Abdomen

as supported by the corset and, the corselette
(see also bad back )
There are many, very beautiful German women, both in the present, and in history. However, the number of corsets that still appear at auctions, and that can be found on the back shelves of the few remaining corset shops (and some modern surgical supplies) reveal that the German abdomen, left to age and gravity, may assume alarming proportions unless controlled and confined. This phenomenon was explained to me by a French corsetiere in Strasbourg, the city situated by the present French / German border. Her remarks in French were so apposite, however, in English they translate roughly to, "the firm strapping of pendulous avoirdupois!" In one of the biographies of Mae West, the following comment appears; "Mae was of German stock; her mother a famous corset model. If Mae was released from the confines of the strongest that the Spirella Corset Company could offer, she had a distressing tendency to plumpness." At the risk of categorising a nation I have to admit a fondness for this cherubic lady on the right. "Ski corsets and brassieres for the stout woman". Direct, to the point, and no beating about the bush. A true characteristic that is not shared on the island side of the English Channel. As pasta effects the Italian woman in later life, so the German hausfrau has a tendency to develop an alarming avoirdupois, particularly in the region of the abdomen. Just as beer will thicken a mans waistline, so, presumably, the high fat diet of the rural German woman swelled the middle regions until gravity took its inevitable toll. This explains the large number of German corsets that are primarily abdomen supporters. Often back-laced, there are frequently straps coming round to the front to pull the abdomen into it proper place. These garments will never flatten the tummy, but they do prevent unreasonable stretching and unsightly bulging. Both my husband and I noticed on a trip to the Rhine in 1993, a number of well-built, but fashionable, ladies, their figures disguised by their drop-waisted dresses, but obviously quite tightly strapped in. The abdominal support is very much a feature of the German corset, and it survives in the German branch of CAMP today, as well as the in the Figesta corsets. Below are shown an amazing selection of what my husband refers to as "Anti-gravity" devices!
The pictures above show that from the 1950's (and probably well before that), to the 1990's (below), the mature Teutonic figure had access to the best abdominal supports on offer. They all have the same principle, whereby the weight of the abdomen is supported by straps leading to the small of the back. What remains of one's stomach after the appropriate strapping, lacing and buckling, is held firmly in a concavity of rich brocade or satin. The more modern example below (1990's), is a beautiful corset. I have tried one and it is truly effective; it would have to be.
Millions of German Hausfraus have worn such corsets, and they wouldn't stand for anything less. "Voorsprung durch technik" murmured my husband.
It should be noted that the model above barely has an abdomen worthy of such a well-made and fine garment. Neither would a lady wear a panty-girdle under the corset, since 'toileting' would be nigh on impossible, however, she does show off the garment rather well.
Sadly, the magnificent construction of the corsets (above) that shouts "My tummy sags, but I'll dress in style", is replaced five
decades later by a sad apologies that are little more than a pair of elastic underpants with a nominal abdominal strap. Sad, modern and one of the reasons that my husband and I decided to document what we could about the 'fashionable age of corsetry' before it was too late.
True to the grand traditions of German corsetry, the laced corselette, the abdominal support, and any number of supportive foundations are still made with great precision by FIGESTA.
Making corsetry is not simple. The complexity of this three dimensional task is matched only by the million different variations of the female body. Skilled cutters, sewers and fitters are still required in this age of mass-production, to tailor each garment exactly to the client's measurements. The days of Spirella that many thought were gone, are alive and well in a town just south of Hanover.
History of Figesta Corselettes
Models (on the left) 80, 100, 110 and 111 Many optional extras (below) are available for these garments.
These garments come in beige and white with black as an occasional option ( see below), Many, many optional extras are available on the however, plain fabric or models above from additional spinal support, jacquard is a choice. Personally under-belts, long-leg extensions, back-lacing and I would like to have some that innocuous last option, finishing material. suspenders on my garment. I'm Traditionally, the panel at the back, and the side sure the fit and cut prevent any straps were finished in corset-quality satin. 'riding-up', however, I like my foundations anchored by the stockings. Perhaps the long-leg extensions would provide that extra security.
Corsets, Panty-girdles and Back Supports

Stomach Binder and Model 75
An excellent back-support that translates anaemically from the German Rckensttzbandage nach Professor Lindemann! A traditionalist might bemoan the anodyne velcrofastening (klettverschlu - D; klittenband - NL; it's amazing what you learn), however, for the older client, this is far easier to manage than buckles or lacing.
Brassieres and Maternity

The Teutonic abdomen is very well catered for by Figesta, and again, a comprehensive list of options is available to exert just that correct amount of uplift. I like the idea of a made-to-measure panty-girdle and was fitted for one during our visit. These garments are firm, and made-to-measure makes sense. As a lady grows older, the bottom enlarges, but the thighs start to shrink from reduced exercise. This tends to mean that a conventional panty-girdle that is large enough to accommodate one's posterior, Of course, there's a huge maternity market will have legs far too wide. out there and Figesta has that covered as well as well as catering for the women with
breasts of unusual dimension.
Footnote
Italy
Anecdotal comments about the effects of pasta on the Italian's matron's figure are legend, and based on fact. It is true, and one may observe in several Italian actresses in their 40's, that a very delicate age is entered where the body may either grow old, thin and haggard, or balloon into the Italian 'mama'. I hasten to add that Miss Loren, who graces this page, has avoided these pitfalls and is an example to us all. My husband recalls the film the Millionairess (1960) that starred Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren. Miss Loren famously disrobes in front of Peter to reveal her black corset. Critics of the film suggested that the corset she wore was a piece of frivolous lingerie designed to titillate, and that no women in 1960 would wear such a garment. But in Italy, fashionable women did wear such corsets, they were Victorian in style, and they were black. (There are any number of photos of the stunning Miss Loren in her corset. Even today, this magnificent lady obviously has not succumbed to pasta inflation). Again, it is my husband who remembers quite clearly visiting the Italian resort of Via Reggio in 1965. In one back street shop was a corsetry display quite unlike any other he had ever seen. It was a collection of corsets, as close to Victorian in style as he had ever seen; however, these were not vintage garments, it was what the shop specialised in making, apparently for wealthy and fashionable clients. I suppose like the Norwegian corset described in the Scandinavian section, once you have invested money in a corset that is strong enough, your clothes will fit for ever more; pasta or no pasta! However, these classic photographs are very revealing about Italian corsetry, and not just literally. The sultry pose of Miss Loren (left) is well-known to millions, however, the back view is less well regarded. If one does, it is apparent that the corset was never Miss Loren's own, her shoulders that aided her hour-glass figure are too broad for the corset as the diverging eyelets reveal. Presumably Miss Loren wished to breathed during the scene! Nevertheless, when this film was made, many Italian women wore corsets like this, and the diplomatic gatherings and social weddings were populated by typically immaculate Italian women, all beautiful and perhaps all breathing with just a
little difficulty. Elsewhere in Europe during the 1960's, as traditional foundations gave way to the panty-girdle (or no foundation at all), the Italian Mama could still be relied upon to wear a good girdle or corset. Even their teenage daughters were persuaded that long-line brassieres and girdles were mandatory wear for any girl seeking to retain her morality in a world hell-bent on decadence. The Italian imagination ran riot in these Berne corsets ( right) from the 1950's. I suppose in a nation that is (a), very stylish, and (b), prone to, let us say, the excesses of pasta, substantial engineering is going to be required to render Mama's figure into a shape suitable for Rome's fashions. These remarkable feats of engineering were undoubtedly successful and probably widely worn in the decades post-War. Very few ever make it to auction, partly because not all women pass on such garments, but also because these garments would have been worn to destruction. On a less specialized front, Italians girls were not relieved of their girdles and longline brassieres until well after their AngloSaxon sisters, and like the Germans, specialised firms still manufacture traditional models in quality materials. Many of these garments are referred to 'orthopedica, paramedico' and the like, but this is simply a re-emergence of the term surgical corset.
Women feel better if their need to wear substantial corsetry can somehow be related to a medical affliction rather than sheer weight! A very rare surviving Berne corset is shown below. This was for no overweight Mama. The scant girdle can't even fit on a size 8 mannequin!
Even CAMP sold its products in Italy. Noting the complexity of the garments above, that does not surprise me. The garment on the right is a Swiss made CAMP that was destined for, and sold in Italy. What might surprise readers is that is was for sale in the 1990's. Older ladies in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and even Holland swore by their CAMPs and provided a small market for these girdles well after
the majority of their sisters had moved through the panty-girdle era into the 'let it all hang out era' that we deplore today.
Even today, Italy, like many Latin countries, remains a bastion of traditional corsetry. Lacings are not so common, however, the products from Nuovo Clara (below) are extremely functional and well made, whilst retaining stylish and elegant touches.
Nuova Clara
I have actually purchased garments from Nuovo Clara (2008) and it is so refreshing to see that proper corsetry is still available. - Ivy
Garments from Nuova Clara, Italy
"It was curious that girls who appeared to us all as fearless Dianas, even Amazons, should have crushed themselves into such constricting garments" Doreen Caldwell 1981 Even in 2006, our fearless Italian Amazons are donning their armour although, as in most advertising, the models may be somewhat younger than the target group!
Finally, "Original and Unique"
but doesn't it look awfully like a CAMP??
Scandinavia & Finland

Spirella in Sweden Other Brands Swedish Adverts Glossary & History Finnish Corsetry
I have never visited Denmark; however, my husband relates being impressed at Copenhagen airport in 1973 by a stunning display in the concourse of heavy satin girdles and corsets, all in brilliant white. They appeared to be made-tomeasure at some premises in Copenhagen (the Buddingsevij, near Lyngby). Certainly, one of the very few Scandinavian corsets that Ive ever seen (it's Norwegian) makes full use of corset grade satin as its material of construction. The use of the satin turns what would otherwise appear to be a very functional surgical corset into an object of some elegance. The wearer of this piece would certainly attain the shape required by the corset; there would be no other option. Over the years, we have learned more. Spirella had a corset factory in Malm, but little history is available, even in the Spirella archives at Letchworth. It was only the kindness of a Swedish contact who gave us a whole host of advert from the 1950's that opened our eyes to the excellence of Swedish corsetry. Again, we were delighted to receive permission from a charming Danish lady, Marianne, to publish her recollections of the foundation of her youth. This is especially interesting and revealing since she spent time serving in a corset shop. Her story is related in Marianne's Tale.
A Norwegian corset from the 1950's
Spirella in Sweden
The advertisement on the left comes from the Malm offices of Spirella in the late 1920's. Note the flapper style and the lack of a proper brassiere since the latter garment was still in its infancy in those days.
The Swedish Spirella factory opened on 17th November 1920 in Malm. It lasted for nearly seven decades when, in 1988, the Spirella trademark, machines and patterns were purchased by Berit Johansson, owner of BiJas Produktion AB of Eskilstuna. They still produce an orthopaedic corset called a Spirella, however, this is a historical reference and not a true descendant of the Spirella corset. Swedish Spirella developed in the direction that suited the Swedish female and diverged in style and materials from the English, American and Canadian branches. Their high-waisted creations have a surprising elegance that their sister companies lacked. The Spirella marketing approach, however, was similar to that in Britain and America with emblems (right - but minus the famous ivy leaf) to applaud years of faithful service.
The label from a example of a Swedish Spirella model 320 corset, and a very rare measuring garment. At least the latter patented device was the same as in England and America. As far as I can tell, slanke means slender and fyllige litterally means rich but in this context, probably full or stout!
The Swedish factory made similar styles as Britain and America but uniquely tailored for the Scandinavian woman and her predilection for the high-waisted girdle.
"Spirella kan hjalpa Er!" Indeed. The full advertisement shows two male corsetry designers commenting on their secretary's figure. Rather chauvanistic I feel, even by the standards of the 1960's.
The charming detail at the top of the front suspenders is pure whimsy on the part of the designers, but it shows an attention to detail often absent from the UK girdles. It is present on every Swedish Spirella in our collection. The girdle ( above ) that looks like a British 234, is a purely Swedish confection. It is a couple of inches longer than its UK cousins, and is made from a very transparent nylon. The cross-stitching down the front of the garment of course harks back to the era of the front-laced corset. Despite the nylon and the whimsical touches, this is a very serious garment!
Spirelettes were also on offer, and note, once again, the little rosebud details at the top of the suspenders
Another Swedish Spirella girdle made from the same, very transparent, but exceptionally strong nylon material. Note, once again the high waist, the lovely rose-bud detailing and the chrome suspenders clips with the word 'Spirella' stamped therein. Very serious but very elegant. As Spirella expanded in the USA, Canada and Britain, they pushed into Europe on 17th
November 1920 when the Swedish factory was opened in Malmo. In 1950, there were 2,200 corsetieres in Sweden and by 1957, an amazing total of 3,388 corsetieres serviced this long country with another 1,100 in Denmark. It was stated in the Spirella magazine of the time that the Swedish tended to "go for high corsets and well-defined waists".
A spirella corset 300. A Swedish Spirella designation but generically similar in style to the British and American 305.
Here are some typical 'measuring garments' that would have been used by one of those 2,200 corsetieres. "Spirella Fylliga Typen" means 'full model' or in the British Spirella jargon, simply large. Personally, I feel that "Fylliga Typen" says so much more, but perhaps that is because I don't speak Swedish!
Examples of Scandinavian Spirella corsetry were rare before the advent of the internet, however, we are lucky to have several corsets and girdles in our possession. This superb garment ( below) is constructed from a lovely silk/satin that was rarely available to the British and American markets. The weight and feel of this corset are very similar to the British versions. It is 19" long in the back and 15" in the front. It was purchased from an antique shop in Stockholm in 2003.
The corset dates from, I would guess around the 60's / early 70's, however, the suspenders were cut off (those in the photograph are period pieces superimposed) which makes dating rather difficult. The corset was probably one of the last that Spirella in Sweden made. It has been worn regularly as the horizontal creases testify. The owner was tall, since the majority of the corset's length lies below the hips. We can estimate that the woman would have been about 5' 9" tall with 32" waist and 42" hips; not unusual for a Scandinavian today, however, this women would have cut quite a figure in her youth! The owner must have cut off the suspenders (there were four originally) in favour of tights. This is another help in dating the garment. The lacing is not original. I suspect, that the owner was an elderly lady who had looked after the corset for some time. Turning to tights, the suspenders were cut off, and with advancing years, as her weight diminished, lacing became unnecessary. The old frayed laces were replaced and then never used again. The corset became a wrap-around hook-side garment that the lady probably did not need, but was an essential part of her wardrobe.
We received photographs of two beautiful Malm Spirella corsets from a collector in Sweden. The fabric is similar to that of the corset above but the first corset, which is back-laced, has lacing below the busk at the lower front. This was an extra that could be ordered to aid with what Spirella (in England) quaintly referred to as "toileting". The gorgeous rosebud detailing, that seems to be a hallmark of Swedish Spirella is present as on all the other Swedish garments we have seen.
Interestingly, as on the girdles above, the packaging is emblazoned 'Spirella' but the word 'Spirelette' features as well. The suspenders on the corset date the garment to the 1970's since they are quite modern by corsetry standards.
This last corset should technically be called a 'laced girdle' since the elastic sections run from top to bottom. The back-lacing would only be for periodic adjustment. Note the high waist that apparently was de rigeur for the Swedish lady of fashion. The instructions that came with this corset are displayed on a separate page.
Spirella in Malmo made brassieres as well but they are far rarer to find these days. Here are two examples of a standard Spirella style on the left and a lovely 'cathedral' strapless brassiere on the right. The hallmark Malmo rose is present of course and seems to be unique to the Swedish branch of Spirella
Spirella in the 21st Century
Amazingly, the name Spirella appears to live on as a medical corset produced by the company Bijas at Eskilstuna in Sweden! Whether they are a remnant of the old firm or have simply used an evocative name I do not know, their corsets remain true to the originals. Interestingly, the model on the right sports a corset
identical to the example shown here. The packing has the old Spirella logo and font, however, the label in the corset is a modern style. Spirella has indeed made it into the 21st Century.
Modern Swedish women in a modern Swedish corset bearing a modern Spirella logo.
Other Brands
One of the most famous brands to come out of Sweden was the 'Miss Mary of Sweden' line, which is still marketed today. Their products featured strongly in many specialist underwear mail order catalogues, notably Ambrose Wilson. The girdle on the right was one of their classics from the 1970's and early 1980's. It is beautifully made with satin panels in all the right places and even open cross-stitching (centre-front) to remind us of the corset laces of our mothers. The girdle is surprisingly light; far lighter than the French equivalents of the period. It actually feels quite flimsy, however, I know from a lady who swore by hers that it was quite effective if one bought a size less than normal. I suspect, however, that this girdle would never achieve the same results as the French models or even the classic M&S girdles. Interestingly, in the 1970's, 'Miss Mary' were still using that age-old, and very effective technique of the 'before and after' photograph ( below left ). Even the girl from the 1980's is well supported (below), and flanked by the high-waisted girdles of the period. I believe it would be wrong, however, to assume that all Scandinavian lasses were so well supported. It is as common for advertisers to use the 'before and after' picture, as to use models far younger than their target age. Personally I prefer the more mature women. Less than flattering, the photographs have that ring of truth!
A modern example of Swedish corsetry from Frja ( left ) compares well to an older Foxline ( right). A theme that is so often apparent in European corsetry is the use of satin. Regard the Graciella box and the lovely satin corset peeping out.
Even the normally straightforward Swedes couldn't help but bow to the 1970's trend to add unnecessary extras to a functional garment. Above from 1974, a huge tummyband, with no less than four rows of hooksand-eyes, has been added to an otherwise pretty corselette. Although this might just (on its tightest setting) have a small chance of reducing the burgeoning hips of the real Abba woman, it meant that a basic corselette now contained around 25 hooks (crotch, hips and front).
Swedish corsets. Even the prosaic liberty bodice is rendered desirable by careful choice of materials. Three gorgeous satin foxline corselettes and girdles on the right.
Swedish Advertisements
To quote Spirella "The Swedish go for high corsets and well-defined waists". Indeed, they do!
The advertisement on the left is one of the most elegant expressions of femininity that I've ever seen, however, you can wager a year's wages that the advertisement, the girdle and the company were created by a man!
The girl with glasses was in great demand!
The James Bond era had a lot to answer for in advertising!
The mail-order catalogue from Wiskadals Fabrik in 1958 ( right) also shows this high-waisted look although, to be fair, there were many pages of shorter girdles and corsets as well. Of course, those experts of the high-waisted girdle, Warners, prospered in Sweden through extensive advertising (below).
Glossary
Svarns S. Svarns Trikfabriks AB in Falkping, made Perforita. Konfektions AB Frja ( AB Skandinaviska Korsettfabriken, Oskarshamn) started in 1923 as Skandinaviska Korsettfabriken, and was a company that produced corsets, girdles and brassieres. Some of the older products are still made and they have the broadest selection within this category. After 67 years on the east coast (Oskarshamn), Frja moved to Strmstad on the west coast of Sweden in the summer 1990. It has always been a family company - now in the fourth generation. In Norway, a sister company has been run by same family for several generations. Swedish Spirella Malm The Spirella trademark, machines and patterns from the Malm factory were purchased 18 years ago (1988) by Berit Johansson, owner of BiJas Produktion AB of Eskilstuna. Germa Stockholm, (Royal supplier) Opposite is shown a Germa girdle from the 1960's. Note the high waist that was required by the formal Swedish woman. Kronan, Konfektionsaktiebolaget Karlson&Starck Gteborg. Rococo, Hll-In, Marquant, Midilastic. Bras Filmia Kanters, Poirette (only import from USA)
AB Corsettindusti, Bors Abecita, Fox, Cid, Abc, Little-X, Bras Little-wonder The Abecita story dates back more than 70 years in the world of undergarments. Founded in Sweden in 1932 by Joel kerlund, he started a major corset factory in Bors; AB Corsettindusti manufacturing traditional ladies lingerie such as corsets, girdles, and brassieres. These products were and still are the company's primary focus. Previously the company had brands such as Cid, Abc and in the 1950's they also sold the famous girdle Little X. In the 1960's, the company acquired the brand Fox. In the beginning of the 1970's, Abecita manufactured the very famous one-size bra named the Little wonder. Since the 1980's, Abecita is now part of the Swegmark group.
Swegmark, Splendide, Lyxita, Criss-Cross
Swegmark's history is reproduced below from http://www.swegmark.com/eng/index_ie.html
1937 Harry Swegmark founds the company H. Swegmark Fabriks AB. The first product made is an rmlappar?. (A small fabric piece under a blouse, to hide perspiration from the armpit.) 1940 Swegmark manufactures ribbon, plastic items and sanitary pants. At the end of the 1940's production of corsets began. 1953 Production of the brand name corset Splendide begins. Inger Juel, the first Miss Sweden was used as the model in the advertising. 1955 Production of belts and braces begins. 1957 Sales success with Criss Cross, a girdle with two permanently welded tapes, that lay crosswise over the stomach. 1958 Harry Swegmark's sons, Bengt and Gsta, begin working at the company. Bengt was trained at a design school in England and created his first Swegmark collection this year. 1962 The textile industry receives access to new materials such as elastic, Lycra and Fibre K. The development of new materials leads to Swegmark designing the first panty girdle. Swegmark makes its first export deal. 1963 The first bras with elastic shoulder straps are launched. 1964 Cooperation is entered into with Mullsj Konfektion by way of the brand names Lyxita and Splendide. 1967-68 New factories in Treboda. The launch of the brand names Linje Bekvm for pensioners and Vinetta Lady for women over 60. 1971 The building of a new factory in England. 1972 Swegmark's first moulded bras are launched. 1975 Production of bathing suits is started. 1976 Swegmark acquires the competitor brand name Fox. 1981 Swegmark acquires AB Corsettindustri Abecita. The production of gym clothes begins. 1990-95 Swegmark concentrate their business activities on ladies underwear, primarily bras in larger sizes. 1993 Swegmark acquires Sia New Rosme in Riga, Latvia. 1995 Needlework groups are introduced, thereby reducing production time from 10 to five weeks.
Arnbergs Corset Factory, Hgans

Arnbergs Korsettfabrik AB in Hgans 1893, they made girdles and corselettes for Sweden but exported to Norway and UK. 1969 the nearly bankrupt business was sold to German Triumph. Graciette, Gracita, Graciella, Gracien Lady, Gracien Junior and Miss Grace were some of the trademarks. Arnbergs Corsettfabrik AB was founded by Olof Arnberg in Hgans, the farmers son who didnt like the agricultural work. Instead, he opened in 1893 as 21-year old, tailor - dressmaker and drapers shop in his own building at Kpmansgatan, Hgans. It became the beginning of the corset factory that stood for 80 years. In 1909, he built a new big factory at Storgatan. It became the biggest workplace for the Hgans women. They made corsets with the names Grace, Graciform and Graciella that shaped woman bodies strongly, and the production became an important source of income too many women in this coal-mining and industrial community. Many girls started at 14 years old, as errand girls or cut-threads. The men worked in the delivery or department managers offices and by 1939, the number employed there rose to 635 persons, mainly women with 400 dressmakers. When Arnberg started the company in 1891, he had help of a Danish tailor-cutter with the surname Lerche. Along with her they started to produce corsets. They had problems in the beginning, since glue used in the production pasted itself though onto the tailors dummys. In Copenhagen, he learnt of a method a copper dummy was used and shaping done with steam. Arnbergs did not sell only products in Sweden, they had also an extensive export to Norway and England. Everything from the first tight-fitting corsets, flat corselettes in 1920, and later, models in more elastic materials with pointed breasts. Most of the raw material, 10,000 metres elastic fabric per week, was produced by the factory. Production grew to 50,000 garments each week. In the last years the production, in addition to corsets, corselettes, brassieres and girdles, was also extended to nightdresses. When Olof Arnberg died in 1953, the youngest son, Lennart Arnberg, assumed the responsibility as MD for the company. The halcyon period was in the 1950s when the production increased during the son Lennart's management, from five to 25 millions Kroner, due to improved mechanical parking and marketing. At one point the turnover exceeded 70 millions Kroner. When Arnbergs Korsettfabrik started advertising for the first time in 1952, they begun with the big selling girdle Graciette. The anticipated selling 12,000 girdles but it became 60,000! Then came the down- turn, despite traveling to America to gain new inspiration and purchase new materials. Arnbergs and every other corset makers biggest antagonist was the advent of the panty-hose (tights). In 1965, pantyhose came to Sweden and they rapidly became immensely popular. Now, nobody needs suspenders, corset or girdle to hold up the stockings. The skirts became also shorter and shorter. Thus did the corset sector face big losses each year and by 1967, only 186 employees were left on the factory. In 1969, Arnberg sold the company to German Triumph and narrowly escaped bankruptcy. Lennart Arnberg would continue to work in Triumphs factory in Turku for another 16 years. Left in Hgans were only stocks and offices. The factory building in the block along Storgatan was demolished 1982. As with so many towns, the characterful corset factory was replaced by faceless, anodyne real-estate offices and fast-food outlets. (Ironically, it would be these food parlours that provided modern woman with a desperate need for adequate corsetry, but with neither the knowledge nor the outlets to supply them any more Ivys comment.)
Finland
with permission from and great thanks to the owners of Liivia Lingerie
Liivia Lingerie www.liivia.org is a net shop and information centre for all kind of old models. Also historical models can still be manufactured and purchased by Liivia.
I have carefully entitled this web 'Scandinavia and Finland', since Finnish roots owe as much to Eastern Europe and Russia as they do to Scandinavia as we popularly imagine it. Certainly, the Finnish language's closest cousin is Hungarian, and even by the standards of my European upbringing (I speak three languages fluently and two quite well), Finnish, like Chinese, Welsh and the Doric will remain a closed book. Tilaus tehdn lhettmll shkpostilla tai kirjeess tilauskaavake tai vapaamuotoisesti vastaavat tiedot (tuote, malli, koko, vri, kappalemr). Klikkaa kaavake nkyviin. See what I mean!
The uniquely Finnish garment on the right was made by Atlas from 1950 - 1980. Essentially it is a warm vest with suspenders and eminently suitable for the
These adverts come from the Swedish companies Finnish climate. Germa and Froja but were widely available in Finland.
I was very surprised recently (February 2008) to discover that Finnish corsetry was, and still is, very sophisticated and, like the Swedish, a preference for high-waisted girdles was apparently de rigueur in the 1960's.
A short history of Finnish Corsetry

The Finnish word liivi (plural liivit) means all heavy foundations, like corsets, corselettes, girdles, panty-girdles, bras and garter belts, but NOT light underwear like briefs, panties, camisoles etc. Anyway, the liiviliike shops (lingerie shops) are selling all feminine lingerie. All corsets were imported to Finland before 1880 when corset shops like Palmberg and Lindfors began to manufacture their own models. By 1900 there were only a few corset factories in Finland, but already by the 1930s there were more than 30. The golden era was the 50s and 60s with more than 40 corset companies. The new innovation, panty hose slowly eroded the production numbers of girdles and corsets so that only one company, Tyyli, founded 1928 in Turku, survived independent until today and maintained production work in Finland. Now the demand of garters and corsets again is rising. Oy Sjblom Ab, was founded under the name J. Sjblomin Korsetti ja Liina in 1912, concentrating on girdles and corsets during the1930s. The first bra was produced in 1922. During the 50s and 60s they manufactured by license American Peter Pan bras and girdles. The best known own mark of Sjblom is Patricia. Wiipurin Erikoiskorsettiliike (Special Corset Shop of Vyborg) has been working for decades, now in Helsinki, because Vyborg was occupied by Russians. They are manufacturing customised corsets to clients. Figura is the most famous Finnish corset company and it was the biggest, too. They started the production in 1951. You can still by Figura foundations, but it is now in Swedish ownership.
Profile started in 1953 a corset and girdle production under the company Oy Korsettiteollisuus Ab. Later they used product name Finnprofile. Other manufacturers were Diana, Finnform, Pamela, Perho-Liivi, SiSi, Suvi ja TuLi. The most famous nylons in Finland since 1956 have been Amar.
From Finnish mail order catalogues of the 1970's come these charming images. Unlike many advertisements, the models are at least within a decade of the sort of women that might purchase such garments. Curiously (to my eye anyway) is the appearance that the breasts of the models have been pulled down rather than pushed up. Both models on the right even display a slight tummy; how refreshingly realistic!
The best web-site for Finnish corsetry is www.liivia.org and examples from this excellent site are shown with kind permission of the owner. I just love the pink satin corselette. This is a garment that I've seen made in France, Germany, England, America, Norway and now Finland. Typically, it is built from heavy corset-quality satin, extensively boned and, in this case, with twin side-lacers. Originally it also had a double-laced under-belt. Before you imagine two sturdy maids heroically straining on either side of their aging mistress in a vain attempt to force a waist onto a reluctant torso, this was not the case. Side-lacing is almost impossible to lace oneself, however, this would have been a rare, coarse adjustment for grosser body fluctuations. The daily adjustment would have been on the under-belt, with perhaps a little tightening around the waist by the external lacers.
If such garments come under the generic title of liivi, that may well be all the Finnish that I'll ever learn!
The Rest of the World:

What a title for something in which we have so little experience! I hope this page will grow as we receive information from correspondents and extend the range of our travels. Certainly the Australians, Latin Americans and many countries in the Middle East have provided excellent examples of foundation wear, and still do in the case of the Latin Americans today. Watch this space as they say.
Australia:
Australia had numerous home-grown brands, a few of which, like Berlei, became famous worldwide. Others, like Jenyns , were famous but only in Australia. Some established companies from Britain, like Symingtons , recognising a potential market, expanded into Australia. After the war in the 1950's, that market would increasingly be populated by Britain's own own emigrants. The new immigrant on the 10 pound ship ticket, could now purchase the underwear that she had left behind, assuming her husband could find a job that is! Innovations abounded as the Symingtons text shows "Nu-back, Concela, Lylow" to name but a few! Even Berlei came up with this classic piece of corsetry description:-
The Berlei "Controlacing" Liftbac, No. 7296, for the heavy abdominal figure.
Latin America:
My husband visited Peru in the mid-1980's and was struck by the number of well-stocked lingerie shops, often selling powerful looking panty-girdles. Corsets appeared not to be present other than some formidable back-supports and surgical corsets that seemed to be copies of the CAMP brand made by a firm 'Pro Infirma.' Indeed, the catalogues that the owner of the shop possessed were all from American CAMP, however, most of the products were locally copied. Basically, the Latin lady enjoys style and stylish modes and, as we shall see, will go to extraordinary lengths to achieve this. Let us travel back to a South America steeped in international intrigue in the days leading up to the Second World War. From Uruguay come these stunning, traditional silk corsets from this period. Beautifully made, they would have been the property of a well-to-do, older lady, a wealthy politician or diplomat's wife for example, determined that her figure would not be an embarrassment at the consular parties.
These styles of corset are shown modelled below on the Dollhouse Vintage (DH) site. It poses an interesting question. The corsets are obviously tight on the model's waist but very loose on the hips. Did these South American women have abnormally large hips, or were they prepared to lace in dramatically at the waist? The latter is probably part of the solution. I believe that these corsets belonged to a wealthy woman, well past her prime but determined to show a slim waist whatever it took. Forget the principles of support here, tight-lacing was the function of these elegant devices.
Our friend who lived in Argentina for several decades, referred to such parties that she thoroughly enjoyed. Fluent in Spanish, she had many Argentinean acquaintances, whom she praised for their style and deportment, whilst adding "Mind you, you wouldn't believe what they went through to achieve those figures!" Well, now we know, as would she in later life. Taking a leaf from from her South American sisters, our friend would discard her daily M&S girdle and resurrect a corset for any special occasion. I mentioned in the pages devoted to 'Reducing Corsetry'
"After eight decades of rubber corsetry, the marketers have persuaded a new generation of girls to aspire and to perspire for beauty. Perhaps in the torrid summer heat of Rio de Janeiro at least the reduction aspect may have a chance of working." The rubber corset is alive and well in South and Central America. Whether women wear these tortuous devices at home, at work, or for special occasions, I do not know. Certainly, some manufacturers recommend a four hour limit suggesting 'reduction' in the privacy of one's home. As we see below, any number of these contraptions is available to trim the seorita, and not just in pure latex. Confections of extraordinarily complex elastic and bones are pressed into service.
The magnificent creature on the left comes from the Lady Ardyss range. Although nominally American, there's sufficient Spanish in the site to suggest her origins. The actually garment above looks rather like (to quote my husband), an 'empty pair of tights.' Nevertheless, the complexity of the garment is revealed and, if you care to count, you'll find that the seorita has a total of no less than eight bones and an amazing 30 hooks-and-eyes with which to play. I've not seen such a number since the under-belted corselette, or the Spen-all.
Even the rather pretty girl on the left who wears a non-rubber pantie-girdle has the discomfort of shoulder straps, and innumerable hooks and eyes. The poor Latin woman suffers to be beautiful, and, I must confess, often succeeds as well. One feature of modern Latin corsetry advertisements is their superb quality. The prettiness of the models is somewhat contrasting to the complex rubber and elastic garments they they appear to don before a night's 'clubbing'. I have never 'clubbed' and I never will, but if I was (cough cough) years younger, I certainly wouldn't wear rubber to do so! The model on the left sports the highestwaisted pantygirdle in the world where the flesh coloured parts are elastic, and the white parts latex. Why only part of the garment is latex I don't know. Perhaps heat generation is a genuine problem with these garments. The lady on the right looks
terribly sad. Mama has not allowed her to spend the extra money on latex and she is stuck with boring old elastic. How WILL she secure a mate dressed in the flesh underpinnings of the previous generation. This is 2006. Latex is the miracle substance; it was only first used in corsets exactly 100 years ago!
Turkey:
We found a modern source of Turkish garments that we have included here, partly for the interesting captions. I know it is rude to poke fun at translations when I don't speak a word of Turkish, but they are amusing. The language comes across very bluntly and actually says what it means rather than 'beating around the bush'.
The description leads one to imagine some latex device for incontinence, but no, this is no more and no less than a panty-girdle for the fashion conscious Turkish lady!
Stress is placed on the fact that this is a postbirth corset and not a surgical corset.
The Middle East:

In our travels we have been lucky enough to come across some interesting foundation garments from capital cities as unlikely as Cairo and Damascus. But, these cities are only unlikely candidates until one appreciates the culture, which, at least for weddings, closely resembles the family intensity of the film ( 2003) "My big, fat Greek wedding". The women who live around the Mediterranean Sea can be most voluptuous, walking that tightrope between beauty and obesity that is all too familiar to the Italians. In a back street in Cairo (1990), we came across a girdle that was a slightly worn Marks and Spencer, but with no packaging. From which hotel room or washing line did this girdle originate? The blistering heat of the Egyptian summer (often around 100o F in the afternoon), precludes tight clothes in general and girdles in particular! Nevertheless, we found an amazing long-line brassiere, its label in pure Arabic. This device, when laid on its side caused my husband to burst out laughing. It looked just like a pyramid! In a Damascus Hotel, we observed the entire female cast of an expensive Syrian wedding walking through the foyer. The women, far more heavily made up than their western sisters, carried the flounces and satin finery of the party in their arms; their hair-does were concealed by scarves, as this formidable army of shapely women marched, like some army of Amazons, across the marble floor in a heady waft of perfume. Powerful panty-girdles and brassieres as we suspected, augmented their figures. Any number of these well-made garments were available from shops in the local soukh ( 1995 below). The labelling is interesting. The label on the Syrian girdle ( above ) reads 'Ayasku'. "I ask you" said my husband!
On the brassiere, it reads 'Abdul Haq' and the measurements B 40
/ 90, catering for both western and continental tastes, since Syria was once the most cosmopolitan country on earth.
The Far East:

The Far East is rapidly gaining a reputation, similar to that of Latin America, of producing more traditional foundations. In that period of rapid economic growth where style is everything, but the surgeon's blade has yet to cut, any artifice to create a good shape will be employed. The lingerie stores of Singapore and Shanghai sport a whole selection of waspies, pantie-girdles and strange, complicated shapers. I've extracted our account from a trip to Singapore in November 2003. A chance to travel in the Far East is always a pleasure, particularly as the mercury dips below 40o F and the days become progressively short and bitter in Europe. I'll not dwell upon the effects of corset bones and under-wiring on airport security devices, but, as my husband remarked with a sly smile, if I pass through the security gate and the alarm sounds, he feels confident that the machine is in good working order. The 14 hour Amsterdam to Singapore flight was remarkably pleasant. Unaccountably we got upgraded, and we spent the flight (on a totally packed 747) enjoying excellent cuisine and wines to match. The charming Singaporean hostesses (of which more later) seemed all to eager to ensure that we should consume our way into a 10 hour torpor. The whole point of this entry to the diary was what started as a desultory perusal of the stores along Orchard Road, the main shopping thoroughfare of Singapore. Having observed the minute frames of the average Asian woman, 99% of who appeared to be under 21, we considered that any foray into the lingerie sections of the major department stores would be a disappointment; as, quite frankly, it is in most cities these days. To our amazement, each store had a reasonable range of pantie-girdles. In addition, they would have a few examples of a long-leg pantie-girdle, with an attached waist cincher (similar to some USA Flexees products of the 1990's). Waist cinchers themselves were quite common, but
we were quite mystified by a well-boned bustier device, the function of which my husband and I completely failed to understand. The helpful salesgirl (Asia is full them, and they are all young enough to be our grand-children) was most helpful and explained (and these were the words she used), all about the functions of the girdles and corsets in the department. I was dumbfounded, my husband was (in British parlance) 'gobsmacked'. This-slip-of-a-girl was using terminology that I thought had died a decade ago! The girdle (lower right), is quite beautifully constructed and reasonably heavy too. There is a cunning seam at the front and rear that generates an artificial 'panty-line'. Presumably the wearer does not want the world to share the knowledge of her formidable underpinnings! On the way back to the hotel, somehow inevitably, my husband's mind began to wander along those channels denied to the female imagination. The lore surrounding the airline stewardess and the girdle has been discussed for about seven decades. My husband, inevitably started surmising that perhaps what lay underneath the sleek form of the 'Singapore Girl', the immaculate airline stewardess, was not as simple as we imagined. I rapidly brought him back to earth. Decades ago, we all wore girdles. Today, we don't; and particularly Singapore Girl! I suspect my voice rose as I said this. But I do wonder who would buy these garments. Whoever does, and goes for the full upper and lower garment, will be confronted by no less than 12 bones and 24 hooks and eyes, and, I must add, no easy way to heed the calls of nature. There are, of course, any number of tubby Singaporeans (as there are anywhere), but are they trying to compete with their sylph-like sisters? Or are they designed for the 'billy-boys', that used to haunt Bugis Street before Singapore became squeaky clean? Who knows? I would love to have tried on the girdle, but my Anglo-Saxon frame is too large to accommodate oriental sizes. The salesgirl giggled in that polite covered mouth way, typical of Asia. Had she gone "tee hee", I would have burst out laughing as well. She suggested that I try America and, of course, she's probably right.
UNMENTIONABLES UNCOVERED
by George
Introduction Photo quality Sheer Fabrics Poses and presentation Full figured and mature women Garters Descriptions and terminology Design Maternity Underwear Conclusion
George very kindly asked us to review a huge amount of illustrated text that he had compiled over the years. We found his approach different and very interesting. We offered to host his work on our site which he kindly accepted. George is an engineer, as will be apparent as you read his work. If his interest in corsetry was purely technical, however, George like ourselves would never have been able to generate the self-motivation to compile so much data. He freely admits to the fascination that the well-corseted women exerts on the male. My husband is exactly the same, and I am very grateful for it, otherwise we would never have compiled this entire site. George's style and conclusions are his own. We have refrained from editing the text, other than to change some fonts to blend in with the site. Since his work contains so many examples of interest, we will insert hyperlinks to and from George's pages as the Ivy Leaf site progresses. A word of warning: For those of you that are offended by references to to a woman's nether regions, even for technical reasons, please be aware that the section on Design concentrates on this area.
Coja
The shop in Rijswijk stills carries, and sells, the modern range of CAMP corsets and appliances .
The same family has been running the corset shop Coja for over 45 years. Years ago, there were many such shops spread throughout Holland, now they represent one of the last bastions of traditional corsetry. Of course, to survive in this modern world, they have embraced the orthopaedic end of the market, whilst filling their shelf space with brassieres. As the older Mrs. Duivestijn commented Women still buy traditional corsets, but they are 80 year-olds at least. A generation that grew up with corsets cannot simply abandon them as fashions change. Mrs. Duivestijns daughter now runs the business with her mother as help and advisor for some of the older clientele. The charming pair of corsetieres were amazed that we were interested in the history of their shop, and were only too pleased to pose for a photograph. It was encouraging to see that their shop was quite busy, nevertheless, the mother called over the daughter to talk to us. The smiles that they gave us made our day compete.
II: ESTABLISHING THE CLIENT-CORSETIERE RELATIONSHIP

INTRODUCTION When I wrote what is now the first part of "Frangard's Odyssey", I thought that was enough. I had been inspired to write it after reading 'Simon's Story', and the 'Odyssey' became a companion piece in this section of Ivy Leaf's website. The Odyssey had started out as an adjunct to my contribution 'Why we are what we are' and endeavoured to explain the reasons why one man elected to wear corsets in an era when such actions and behaviour still engendered hostility and ridicule. I closed Part 1 with the words, "but that's another story" and planned to leave it at that. But it was only the catalyst. I went on to pen the history of Gardner's. To recall, the first part of the Odyssey ended at a time when I had just met the woman who was to be my corsetiere for the next twenty-three years and I then felt it was time to write her biography. But writing the biography did not complete the distillation of my own memories. I had to record the rest of my odyssey and share how my ideas evolved and how they were attended to by Mrs. Norris. She guided me in my Odyssey. She made every kind of corset I have worn, and did so with the kindness and with the discretion that was always her hallmark, to the point of introducing me to other of her customers who became my new corset-wearing friends. Writing this second part has proved to be a daunting task that has taken the best part of a year to complete based as it was on a chronology of what I did. I have also had the good fortune to rediscover originals of my diary and correspondence I kept from those early years of meetings at Gardner's, which also helped with the Gardner History, the Iris Norris's Biography and now present work. Still, my diary was a mere record of my thoughts at the time. It lacked the insight and as it stood could be of interest only to those fascinated by the arcane. As I worked to adapt it, I realized that it could all "come to life" if it were to be leavened by some of my insights gained over the years, added to which are those contained in the wonderful contributions to Ivy Leaf's website that I noted in my years of reading it, as well as some from elsewhere. I make no apology that it is long and I hope though the good offices of Ivy Leaf and her web-site, it will be preserved for posterity to describe what life was like for a man like me in the closing years of what had been the golden age of tight-lacing and what influences there were and what I was thinking at the time. I begin thirty years ago from the time in 1977 when I met Mrs. Norris and realized I could make what for me a man was the momentous commitment to integrate the wearing of tight lacing corsets which formed the perfect thing on to which to attach the suspenders I used to hold up the seamed stockings I had already been wearing with suspender belts under my clothes, all day every day, for close to a decade. A REGULAR CLIENT OF GARDNER'S Now that I had found my corsetiere, my Odyssey was not over. It would not be an exaggeration to say it had just begun. Whilst it was clear that I could now get exactly the attire I wanted -although I noted that Mrs. Norris was not young, 57 in fact, I realised that she would not live forever. However the way I was choosing to live my life was threatened by Father time in two ways: Corset wearing was declining, as younger women did not take it up. Hence both the makers of supplies and makers of corsets were closing down. From the time I met her, Mrs. Norris alluded to the problem of getting supplies of essential materials such as busks and what she quaintly called "ends" - the clips buttoned to stockings - especially chrome plated ones for wide (1 inch) elastic were hard to find as were those with the centrally rivetted buttons which went out of production in the early 1970's. Likewise good corset facing materials were in short supply. It seemed as though I had chosen to live
in what later became known as a 'time warp'. The plummeting demand for corsets resembled what I had seen with fully-fashioned stockings a few years earlier. I had seen Morley, Wolsey, Ballito and Bear Brand stop production of the style. Charnos only made them in stretch, the sole crusader was Aristoc whilst Brettles and Lovely Lady revived briefly. Albert's in the USA continued until 1985. Aristoc finally dropped fully-fashioned stockings after 70 years in strange circumstances, refusing to answer all inquiries as to the situation in 1993. Today, specialist firms have revived them using the old machines. My motivation to continue flagged but in the event I was to continue with Mrs. Norris for 23 years until not long before her death in 2000. I was to encounter many challenges to my desire to be corseted. Looking back over 30 years I can summarise them as follows. Many things evolved for me by trial and error, since unlike a woman, I had no one other than my corsetiere, with whom I could talk to about the little difficulties I encountered. I only could see her periodically and as often as my spare cash would allow. In a perfect world, if I had been a rich man I would have achieved in a year or two what took me 10 years. My 'apprenticeship' with stockings, whilst equally as solitary an experience, had been quite different. They were easy to buy. Even someone as self-conscious as myself could gain courage with a shop assistant if it was thought I was buying for, as most of them clearly thought, an older woman, such as a mother or grandmother. Whilst young women might well have given up seams, let alone stockings, for tights, elderly widows might well opt for black stockings with seams! Indeed on one occasion one assistant actually asked "Were they for an older lady?" Likewise, if I bought suspender belts, it could be thought that was buying for a girl friend, even if I always asked for the largest size, which at 28' was much too small for my waist and needed altering. The same type of worry inhibited me from even attempting to go into a store to buy a girdle. They were never on the ground floor like stockings but on the women's section. As for Marks and Spencer, even though girdles and suspender belts were easily accessible on an open counter and came in stock sizes, their counters were always busy and I lacked the courage to even buy one there. Remember, that even in the late 1960s and then the 970s, when times were becoming more permissive, I would still be regarded as odd if anyone knew my secret. It has been so different since the end of the 1970s when almost any interest is accepted. The concerns I continued to have included: - Confirming to my satisfaction that, although I wore and liked to wear women's stockings and suspenders with my corsets, I was not and never felt seriously motivated to be a transvestite, although I did read related magazines. - Identifying shops, other than an increasing number of outfitters specialising in transvestites in response to the new climate of permissiveness, where I could buy seamed stockings and get my corsets and suspenders made to measure. However although I had photocopied the 1970 yellow pages when I came to check out the addresses six and seven years later, many had closed. It's hard to believe that Yellow Pages were full of corset merchandise even 20 years ago. Spirella and Spencer, uniquely, took out page adverts in the standard telephone directories! - Ivy - Being worried and anxious about discovery of my secret, by family, co-workers and passers by which was ever present. I had even thought of being candid with the wife of one couple I knew, who I felt would be sympathetic, but I failed to do so. The fear of being found out overrode all. - Identifying, by a process of trial and error, the multitude of different details that were 'appropriate' for wearing corsets to work from those I could wear for recreation or relaxation, without anxiety, discomfort or distress, such as number or provision of steels, the lengths of corset near the thigh in front and the number and length of suspenders that gave my stockings the pull I desired. At a more mundane level, I wanted to find a way, other than unpicking stitches and sewing again every time I had to change the suspender elastic, which succumbed far too quickly to the tension I liked to impose on them.
I came to realise that what I called "discovering my corset self" and the type, size and cut of corsets that would meet my needs was a process of trial and error. That some of the things I thought I would like to try were difficult to realise and that, learning to be as tightly-laced as I was motivated to be, was a slow process, quite different from learning to buy and wear stockings and suspender belts. What I wanted to do was also more difficult, or so I thought, than for those men ready to be a overt transvestite. I wanted to outwardly live a so-called normal life, dressing as a man, but wearing a tight-laced corset, suspenders and black stockings under my male clothes all day every day. It was a tall order, as I was to find out. In this regard a big worry was if there was any telltale evidence through my outer clothes, a matter to which Simon alludes more than once in his story. That is, if a woman's corset line is evident under her attire or it is a bra strap, it is a cause of pleasure to men, but if it is a granny corset it is the cause of amusement. I ran the risk of the latter. In all these matters Mrs. Norris, which is what I called her for five years, was a kind, understanding mentor. On occasion I would say "I suppose you think I'm very odd wanting such things", to which she would always patiently reply in the same way with words to the effect that I shouldn't worry and that a lot of her customers were men who felt like I did. She never said it but Elsie's words to Simon "It seems so strange that men are not expected to wear corsets when you must derive just as much pleasure and comfort as any woman does.", would sum up what Mrs. Norris and I agreed. As for me, I agree with Simon's reply to Elsie that "Convention does not necessarily understand what the individual finds comfortable". Over the years she was to share more and more of her own concerns and positively liked to talk about the things she liked and the problems she had with wearing her corsets, stockings and suspenders. Unlike Simon, my relationship with Mrs. Norris who was married never developed as his did with Mary his corsetiere. For my part, while I was grateful for such opportunities to talk, I never quite got over my embarrassment at uttering to someone else, the actual words for those items that were the subject of my secret, either face to face or over the phone or with any one of the people, male or female, she was to introduce me to in later years. Looking back, I realise that such was not the case in writing to Mrs. Norris to place an order or to keep a diary or to correspond with others about such things. I am no great scribe, but perhaps it is those who become successful writers are inhibited from expressing their thoughts verbally for whatever reason, be it a lack of confidence, or in my case, self-perceived shame? To be granted the chance to record my thoughts through the medium of Ivy Leaf, the pioneer e-corsetiere's, web page is equally a privilege. LESSONS FROM THE FIRST HIGH TOP Resumption of my story would not be complete without referring back to my experiences with my first Gardner corset, the high top corset faced with leatherette, of which I wrote briefly at the end of Part 1 of the Odyssey. I had learned that, in asking to have it made, to use an old metaphor, my eyes were bigger than my stomach. As a consequence, I was forced to learn that what had been made was what I asked for and couldnt be reversed: that I should rely more on the corsetiere's advice and to learn to walk before I could run. The high top was so challenging that, laced on as intended, it was extremely tight. I could not bend or twist at all while wearing it and I never dared venture outdoors in it. I also discovered a drawback of leatherette. It may look good but I understand it is not like real leather. Under the strain I put on in it, in my greed for tightness, it had ripped, not on the seams as Mrs. Norris' work was too good for that, but close to the seams. In addition several of the eyelets near the lacing loops had popped out of the fabric under the strain of my pulling on them with such force. I was faced with the fact that I had now bought two very long corsets, each so long that I could never wear them to work either because they would show under my clothes, or they would limit my movements so much that it would be obvious something was wrong with me. Try as I may I knew I could never make that leatherette corset comfortable enough to wear it for 10 hours. I always had to take it off to get relief within two hours. Good intentions were one thing, but useless if they didn't square with reality. If I was to progress, my revised
ambition was to learn what design of corset I could wear all day every day. I would have to modify my thinking to what was possible. I would have to compromise. MY FIRST FRANGARD G78 CASUAL CORSET Close to a year had passed since I had bought the leatherette corset and now the main constraint on a return visit had been spare money to buy more. The kinds of corsets I wanted were not cheap and I was going to have to make sacrifices, or limit the rate I bought and, in truth, I was still experimenting. In this regard, having read Ivy Leaf's comments about appreciative husbands readily advancing what was the relatively high cost of the better of Spirella or Spencer's creations, I was not alone. Made to measure corsets were a relative luxury for most women, as they were proving to be for me. So I arranged a new appointment with Gardner's. I had telephoned a week or so earlier to see if Mrs. Norris was free that day, knowing she didn't work on Fridays. On the agreed day, a Wednesday, I phoned early to confirm she was there. I didn't go to work. I got up and put on the white corset, the Wilbro PCRW2, to which I had now sewn on an extra pair of white back suspenders, making three pairs in all, to balance it up with all my other belts and corsets, for the appointment. I had also sewn folds or tucks into it so that it didn't gape at the top or bottom on account of the cut for a woman's hip spring. After my first appointment years ago, when I had been asked if I was wearing stockings, I had subsequently made a point of always keeping such appointments whether with the outfitter or Gardner's while wearing one of my corsets with stockings. I felt if nothing else I was being sincere towards the corsetiere about the seriousness of my endeavour and sincere to myself. I wanted to be regarded as an equal. I made my way over as rapidly as I could to 28 Barnsbury Sq. and rang the bell. Mrs. Norris remembered me and was cheerful and as matter of fact as ever. She was wearing her usual dark brown seamed stockings with point heels, Aristoc 222s, and as I saw by her deportment and gait, her corsets as I followed her downstairs, closing the door on request to stop the baby from venturing into that area and falling down the stairs. Once in the fitting room I explained that I wanted a shorter corset that I could wear all day to work and that had to satisfy my concerns that someone might see the telltale lines through my shirt and equally important wouldn't cut into my thighs while sitting at a desk or driving a car. Mrs. Norris understood and measured me pulling surprisingly tightly on her tape measure as she did so. We discussed material. She asked what I wanted and we went into the machining room with the giant cutting table in the middle of the room and looked at a number of single rolls on the shelves where they were kept. Some had silver beading, others had gold flecks, and some were in red and black leatherette. I settled for heavy black satin. The lining would be twill and proved to be a standard corsetry pink twill. Having been diffident last time, I said with a feeling of embarrassment that I would like four, rather than three, pairs of suspenders with the broad elastic and would like the rear two pairs of suspenders to have 9-inch long elastic straps with the front two pairs as usual 4 inch length. She recommended and I agreed on a 12" long corset, as she wrote it down in her corsetieres shorthand - "12-5-7" - 12 inches long, 5 inches above the waist and 7 inches below. After my experience with the eyelets it was to have the reinforced eyelets. As I was to see in the Gardner's catalogue, it was style G78 - Casual. The whole appointment had taken no more than five minutes. I paid my 24 and Mrs. Norris said she wasn't so busy and suggested that I phoned next day to see if it was ready. I could hardly believe it and in anticipation that it would be ready, I arranged a long lunch hour phoned at about noon and of course it was ready. I got to No.28 at about one pm and Mrs. Norris had wrapped the corset ready. As we stood in the machine room, she opened the parcel and showed me the garment and it looked perfect. It seemed a little short but that was the price of learning to be corseted properly. She quite matter of factly showed me the lengths of the suspenders and
at this I felt flushed and red. As she was re-wrapping the corset in the brown paper, I noticed another parcel of similar shape but close to twice as long. It was a high top waiting to be mailed and I noted that it was addressed to a Mr. Jones in Aberdeen. The sight of that parcel proved to me that if I wanted corsets it was clear I was in the right place and also that there were other people 'out there' like me. In spirit I was not alone. Years later Mrs. Norris was to introduce me to a life long gentleman tight lacer from Aberdeen, who had over the years been a client of first Lenton and then Overett. His name wasn't Jones, but I'm sure it was to him that the package was destined. Pseudonyms were still the dictates of men with 'our secret' in that era. There had never been any suggestion that I tried it on, I think she sensed my embarrassment and didn't venture to suggest it, though on my part I sensed that perhaps an established, more confident client might well have tried it on with her assistance. After I left, I regretted that I hadn't done but I was still gaining confidence in accepting all the consequences of my chosen path. Over the next few months I had worn the G78 Casual as much as I could, mostly at the weekend and in the evenings and home then, one day before Christmas I wore it to work. I experimented with every possible way of doing so to the point of moving the pulling loops one row up and one row down in the lines of eyelets. Like Simon I was very conscious of my secret being detected. Until then I had often worn a sweater at work in winter but I realised that the corset might show so instead I took refuge so to speak within the confines of my jacket, which I usually took off at work. Apart from someone remarking that I looked very formal that day, I realised my jacket would hide any tell tale ridges, real or imaginary. I even thought of adopting a waistcoat, but when I tried mine on I could distinctly see a ridge as it fitted quite snugly. With the four pairs of suspenders on the rigid corset I was able to suspender my stockings much more tightly than I had ever been able to with the suspender belts I normally wore to work. This was exactly what I wanted and what had motivated me to wearing corsets. I was reminded of this when I climbed stairs between floors of the firm and became suddenly aware that I could hear the material of my trousers sliding over my stockings in a way I'd never heard before. I put this down to the fact that they were pulled much smoother than usual and allowed the trouser legs to slide over a bigger range than they otherwise would. I felt I could get used to the fact but remained worried that if I was accompanied others might hear and point the fact out, but no one ever did and I came to live with the sound and even derived comfort from having another little secret. THE QUEST CONTINUES - A SECOND G78 CASUAL I was now ready for a second G78 corset. I was required to go on a trip overseas and so I arranged to stay with friends near the airport, and took advantage of an advance of cash and the trip preparation day I was allowed to arrange a call on Mrs. Norris and go for an interview at an office off Oxford Street for a new job. I would stop at my friend's house in Acton to leave my suitcase and continue into London. As had become my practice, I would go to my appointment in corsets and, after getting up extra early and, knowing I would be wearing the corset for as much as 15 hours, I fitted it very carefully because it was a little too big in the top and by setting it high on my hips the top edge would lay closer to my rib cage. I adjusted the lacing very carefully and tightened up. Only then did I adjusted the tension of the suspenders till I felt they would be suitable for the rigours of wearing the corset for the first time during a day of physical activity driving around, walking a
lot and on business. I drove wearing a corset for the first time. I got out wearing my corset and greeted my friend's wife and though I felt very conscious of it, I was sure she couldn't tell I had it on and I sat down controlled but comfortable. It was a cold January day, there was snow lying on the pavement which made it a little slippery. The thought went through my mind not to slip and need an ambulance for all and sundry to examine me and find out what I wearing! Before leaving Acton I finalised my appointments for the day and set out for the now familiar address in Islington. The traffic was lighter than usual and for the fifth time I rang the loud bell ready to discuss my third Gardner's corset. Mrs. Norris greeted me in her usual way, just a sort of peremptory "Hello". She closed the door and I started to follow her downstairs. She was wearing seamed stockings as usual but this time she was wearing stockings with the longest point heels and thickest seams I had ever seen, all accentuated by the backless high heel mules she was wearing and all in a rich Chocolate brown shade. They were not only sheer but they were taut and shiny on her legs and had to have been tautly suspendered. As I had come to realise she walked and moved with the gait of a woman tightly laced into her corsets. I thought she looked wonderful. She showed me into the fitting room and I stood and as before my eyes were drawn to the photos of models in corsetry on the wall. She asked me how I was. I said I was very well and that I had enjoyed wearing the G78 corset she had made last year very much only it was not quite tight enough at the top however I laced it and I was afraid the ridge could be seen by others. Also it seemed unable to wrinkle a lot around the waist and it cut deep grooves into me. I also said the steels on either side of the eyelets popped outwards when I bent because I couldn't lace it tight enough at the top. Mrs. Norris looked at me standing and thought that the problem was with me that because I knew I was wearing it and didn't want anyone to see or know. She felt the top of the corset through my shirt and said it was a bit loose and that she could fix that up right there and then. I was excited by the idea but said nothing of an over-enthusiastic nature, as I was so grateful to even visit that I didn't want to do anything to offend her, or abuse that privilege. As for the bowing out she asked me to raise my shirt and vest and I turned my back towards her. She said the lacing was quite loose and fingered it tight by pulling on the cross overs working in the prescribed manner from top to waist and hem to waist and said. Youre not lacing yourself tight enough on your waist" and proceeded to pull it tight. Although my first real corset, the red satin one, had been laced on me, that had been done over my shirt, while this time I was already wearing the corset. I was as surprised and pleasantly surprised at the feeling of another person lacing in my corset, a new experience that I had not been prepared for. Mrs. Norris took hold of the lacings and really pulled strongly, much more than I'd do myself. Suddenly I was taken with concern that it would too tight for me to carry on wearing it for the rest of the day. "There it should be all right now; now bend" she said and I did and she watched and of course when I bent forward the bowing didn't happen. As she finished knotting my lacings, she said "There it should be OK now, let me see." With the one I had on now laced properly, she took another look to see what was wrong at the top and said she would take it in a bit right there and then. She asked me to take it all off and bring it to her in the machining room. She left the room and I unknotted the lace she just tightened and loosed off the corset. I unclipped the suspenders unhooked my busk and took off the corset. Dressed again but conscious of my stockings hanging loose around my knees I left the fitting room to take the corset for Mrs. Norris to fix. The suspenders were dangling and if she didn't know already she had to have been able to put two and two together and know that I was wearing stockings. I felt myself blush as I handed over the corset but she didn't react. RUNNING REPAIRS What happened then really amazed me. Mrs. Norris took a razor and proceeded to cut the stitching on the hem of the corset at top and bottom. She did the same with several of the panels and exposed the lining. I was horrified by the amount of work she had undone in about a minute. She then cut pieces off several of the panels and in next to
no time began to sew it up on an automatic sewing machine that worked like it sewed a panel in literally five seconds or less. In no time the panels were stitched and she then began to sew up the edges of the top and bottom. In about five minutes flat she had sewn up and edged the corset again. SPARE PARTS We conversed while she worked and I watched. As I looked round the walls at the shelves with rolls of corset fabric and many drawers, I realised she might sell me some sewing spares. I said I would like some spare eyelets for the big leatherette one she had made me. The eyelets didn't have the reinforcing rings and had partly pulled out under my efforts to lace in, and as I mentioned it had split under the strain of being pulled tight. As for the eyelets she was willing to give them me but said that they needed a machine to fix and that the silver steel ones were harder than the brass to fix. I said that I had a hand tool that worked and she was pleased but surprised and gave me a whole lot of them of both types. I also asked if she could sell me some of the wide black elastic to replace some stretched suspenders. It was then that Mrs. Norris said that black elastic was hard to get and that for some reason it wasn't as long lasting as white or pink elastic she thought it was due to the weakening effect of the black dye on rubber. As for repairing the splits, she also said that it was best to glue patches on leatherette as stitches weakened it and then it would rip easily, so she gave me a piece. During our conversation I said how I found that lacing in got easier because the laces seemed to move more easily after the corsets had been laced on a few times, and she said she found that herself to be the case after a week or so, as did a lot of people. She suggested it was because the punching leaves some cloth fibres behind in the lacing holes and pulling on the lacing smoothes it out and the lace itself gets a bit polished as a result of running in the metal. REFITTING THE ALTERED CORSET In what seemed like five minutes she had handed me back the altered corset I went back into the now familiar fitting room to hook it on and lace it up. I opened the altered corset lacings to the limit and as I went to hook up the busk I immediately felt the difference on my rib cage. It was a little harder to hook the top, key stud on the busk. After a bit of a struggle I managed to complete the job, clip my suspenders back on and lace it tight. It certainly was much snugger in front and came close to my form. I was still in my thirties and to use Mrs. Norris's phrase, wasn't yet suffering from middle-aged spread. To my surprise there was a knock on the door. She had come to help and, still being shy I contrived to slide the corset down behind the waistband of my trousers. She stood and then laced me tight again after which I felt very relaxed and superbly corseted after Mrs. Norris had laced me in so expertly. I tucked in my shirt and vest and those suspenders that had got hung up on the waist band and she cast her eye over me as I stood and reassured me that she couldn't tell I had a corset on that should be all right and reassuringly said "That fits you nice and close. No one will see now and there's still a bit open at the back if you ever feel you'd like it a little tighter later on". She discreetly left me to lower my trousers and deal again with my suspenders and stockings before I rejoined her in the machine room. I HEED MY CORSETIERE'S ADVICE She then asked me what exactly I wanted in the new one. I felt I was now being accorded the full treatment as an experienced customer. I said I wanted another G78, the same as last year but with double boning, flat steels not spiral and with the smaller chest measurement, the rest as before. She asked if I was sure, pointing out that it would be heavy and the flat steels might be uncomfortable if I wasn't used to it. I said I felt sure I wouldn't mind the weight and indeed I would like to try it heavy and that I thought the double flat steels smooth out the wrinkles. She respected my view and didn't complain but said she'd bone it with spiral steels not flat but I took her advice and agreed to have the double spirals. There seemed no point in having a personal corsetiere if I didn't heed her advice. Finally I said I wanted the first two pairs of suspenders slightly longer than the July 1978 G78 corset. That is 6 inches long, instead of 4 inches, with the back two pairs 9 inches long as before, and all in the same places around the corset hem.
Then she asked about material. "Do you want black satin again or something else?" She continued, "the 'gold spot' is very nice and popular but I can't get any of it at the moment I'm afraid." She showed me a number of single rolls of corset facing material in the drawers where they were kept. Some with silver beading, others with designs of green and orange brown on a black base, figured broches and red and black leatherette. Satins came in red, purple, white, peach and black. I thought that most of them were too feminine for my needs, and I settled for heavy black satin. She had looked up my old order and said she would make the chest measurement a little smaller, the rest exactly as before. As we had got on so well, I then plucked up courage and said, I didn't want to embarrass her but could I ask her where she had bought the stockings she was wearing. At that she laughed and said that I was the second person to ask her the same question that day. She was not annoyed, in fact she seemed pleased I'd noticed, and said she had got them either at the Coop or Selby's. She said they were Aristoc adding "They're not stretch you know," a point she always made and that I realised was an important part of the whole image she offered the world. I said they looked very smart and she said "Yes they are. Go to the Coop or Selby's in the Holloway Road". I gathered my coat and bag and she saw me to the door. Again I privately admired her stocking seams and heels and if she knew I was she disarmingly said, "See you" and reminded me to try the Coop or Selby's for the stockings. I left and said I'd be back in about three weeks to collect the new corset and would phone ahead. As it happened, I didn't have time to go to Holloway road and find the Coop or Selby's stores as I had an interview. I got back in the car, feeling bolt upright on account of her lacing me in so tight. AN INTERVIEW WHILE CORSETED The office was near Oxford Circus and I got there only just in time, my transactions with my corsetiere had taken longer than I had planned. I parked in the garage by Cavendish Square. Before I went into the office, I found a toilet and checked the lacing knot was still holding and there was no risk of a suspender clip slipping, so that I felt confident. This was the first time I had been in a formal position wearing a corset. It was a good interview and throughout I felt reassured by feeling the busk constraining my movements and stomach. Just to wear the corset was rewarding in itself and I almost enjoyed and savoured for the first time the discipline of the busk. Indeed, I came to appreciate the existence of the busk very much. Even today, years later I never cease to be pleased if I see a photo or video of a corseted woman only to see the shining hooking plates glinting in the arc or flash of the photographer's lighting. I always count them and I inevitably put a hand to my chest and finger the studs through my shirt. It is as if the acceptance of such a hard item close to a person's body causes the difference of gender to simply melt away. By us I mean the men or women that all have all experienced what it is to have hooked up a busk and felt its presence and I like to think we are members of a special circle of experience undivided by gender. After the interview, I walked to both D H. Evans and John Lewis, which were nearby to see what hosiery they had. The two stores had neither black nylons nor 'sheer mischief', so I stopped in the S. Weiss store, the last survivor of the many lingerie stores there used to be on Shaftesbury Avenue that were referred to in the film "Sapphire" I had seen in my student days 20 years or so earlier. I had recalled this when I started to buy stockings and suspender belts for myself. I bought three pairs of Aristoc 222s. I went back and got in the car AN UNDERSHIRT BECOMES AN IMPERATIVE My friends were expecting me back for dinner and I drove down after 5 pm to West London. The traffic was heavy and the driving slow. As a result I felt my corset hem cut into my flesh just above my groin. I had experienced this problem before and realised that the corset snagged my body hair, which chafed my skin until it felt on fire. I had never worn the corset next to my skin for so long before and I was paying the price.
During the journey I was glad of the waits at traffic lights, which gave me a chance had to slacken off the lacing so as to move my corset hem higher and away from my groin. This was the worst experience I'd had of that kind and I wished I could have taken the corset off there and then. When I got back to my friends' house, my skin was burning. I retired to the guest room they had given me and was glad to take it off. Yet I was surprised to find my skin was not at all raw as I had expected and recovered overnight. However I was pleased to see that it had disciplined my figure just as I hoped. I'd had no less than nine hours of strict corseting. My most active day ever in a corset and I was well satisfied. However, I had leaned an important lesson. Henceforth I would wear the corset, over the T-shirt I liked to wear and never again next to the skin - just as is shown in the drawings in the Gardner Leaflet illustrating their Gentleman's styles. AIRPORT SECURITY IN CORSET, SUSPENDERS AND STOCKINGS The next day I had breakfast with the lady of the house and decided to have a bath. Since she was not around, I took my corset to the bathroom and after my bath, I put it on ready for the flight ahead. I felt well corseted and tautly suspendered but a little conscious of the corset when I went back to join her in the living room. I phoned to check my flight was on time. There was sprinkling of snow on the road, which had packed down as ice, and it was very slippery in their side street. I had a 12 hour check in so I was forced to leave sooner than intended. Later in the day, I remembered that I had forgotten to tell Mrs. Norris that I wanted a full inch under-busk so I took the chance of phoning 607-2007 from the airport. Another lady, presumably the mother of the baby and one of the Gardner family, answered and said Mrs. Norris wasn't there but I could leave a message. I gave my name and asked her to tell Mrs. Norris that I wanted an under-busk and no flap over the busk. The woman didn't exactly understand so I told her to give Mrs. Norris, the exact message and that she would understand. In the event, I need not have worried. As I was to find out over the years Mrs. Norris's memory for a client's preferences was phenomenal right to the end of her life. I went to have lunch and I wrestled with whether to keep the corset on or take it off before clearing departure formalities. The moment of truth had arrived and I decided to be confident. I almost flew through passport control and before I knew it I was face to face with the security personnel. I knew I would set off the metal detector so I explained to a jolly man that I had back trouble and had a spinal support on and he asked me to step aside. My fears almost instantly evaporated when, before he frisked me, he said he'd be careful not to hurt me. He started from my shoulder passed over the corset saying nothing. When he reached my thighs I was afraid that he'd feel the buttons on my suspender clips and check what he'd felt and would put two and two together. If he did, he said nothing and it was over in moments. When I look back on the fact, I passed through security like that for another eight years. It took the 1987 Lockerbie bombing and the heightened security to force me to give up the idea though I did still travel wearing stockings and corsets, but ever after I put them on after clearing security and no one ever questioned the presence of the items in my hand baggage! I wore the corset and stockings all the way but just before landing I took them off and carried them in my hand baggage. I wasn't confident enough to wear them in a foreign country yet. MORE ADVICE DURING CORSET FITTING I was overseas for several weeks and I arrived back in London mid-morning. I phoned Mrs. Norris who said she could see me right away and I got there at 3.30 pm and she let me in. She was as pleasant as ever and I followed her, noting to my slight disappointment that her shapely calves and ankles were not graced in the 'sheer mischief' but the more usual brown Aristoc 'harmony' but as ever her seams were straight and shiny. Some readers will question why I write about seeing Mrs. Norris's stockings each time I recount a visit. As justification I can only say that I wrote a diary after every visit and the words, now slightly edited for continuity,
are the basis of what is written here. I could have eliminated them but they represent only a few occasions over several years' span. By writing them I also hope to convey to readers, who do not share my motivation that, for someone like me who was obliged to keep my secret to myself, it was a great release to be in the presence of a perfectly normal woman like Mrs. Norris who clearly wore real corsets and seamed stockings out of choice. I was amazed at the coincidence and my good luck to find that Gardner's, whom I had contacted purely because I wore a corset and seamed stockings, should have an employee who wore the same items as me. I marvelled at the fact that this was unbeknown to me when I first contacted them and her. For me it was as if for once the moon and stars were in alignment. On this last point I was not to know it for some years, but I was far from alone with my secret and slowly she dropped hints to me that this was so as part of giving advice on what to wear and do. I was to find out there were other men like me who were her clients as well as the fact that there were many women clients and their husbands or partners. These people had, despite the change of fashion with the passage of time, remained loyal to their own fashion, the corset to create a cinched waist and the straight seam of classical nylon stockings. These details of the 'New Look' may have gone out of fashion but in the years of their youth they had liked them and were not prepared to abandon them rather they chose to wear them as proud symbols of their commitment. Later I was to find, as did David Kunzle in his book on tight-lacing, that small waists and straight seams went together. So, we got to the machining room, and the now familiar brown paper roll was there. She had got my telephone message about the busk and the flap, but said she had been a little confused about the under-busk because she usually called it a 'front steel'. Over the years I was to find that she had a vocabulary of such terms which she must have picked up in the machining room and not the text books or manuals from any courses she or Mr. Gardner might have attended. She immediately unrolled the corset from its package and went through the things she had done. I looked at it with its eight wide black suspenders hanging from it and felt shy to be confronted with the synthesis of such taboo times for a man. She said she done the double boning and reminded me it might feel heavy when worn all day. Inwardly I felt elated. She had made what I wanted. We also discussed the lacing up of a corset and she said of course it was best to do it in the early morning. I felt bold and asked her if she suspendered her stockings before or after fitting her corset and she said she always laced in first and then put on her stockings. I said I found that when I did it the other way that the tension of the suspenders dragged the corset too low on my waist and she said yes that's what happened. It was unreal I could hardly believe I was discussing the finer points of wearing a corset and stockings with someone who understood and was ready to talk about it. Despite her unprepossessing and honest nature, Mrs. Norris had my highest respect. Not only was she an expert corset maker, but she was a corset maker who believed in what she made. She wore corsets herself and she wore beautiful plain knit seamed stockings. She tight laces herself every day, all day and has clearly come to find it natural to have her body compressed in a way anyone other than a habitual tight-lacer would find uncomfortable if they tried it. Not only did Mrs. Norris know that I did, but when I suggested to her that she must think me odd, she was earnest and sincere in her dismissal of my thought. Moreover she was actually happy to talk about such things and over the years as we knew one another better she would share experiences, concerns and amusing incidents with me and to make allusion to the likes of others who did the same. Even then there were moments when, despite her empathy, natural attitude and friendliness, that I would have liked the floor to open and swallow me up. One of them came over me when she asked me if I wanted to try it on. I was coward, I had to decline and said I realised we had talked for more than usual and I was tired from my journey, a fact she then commented on. I cannot explain it but it all made me want to leave the one place where I could truly share my secret and talk about it. So I had regretfully declined saying how I had just got back and I was in a hurry. Since it was cut like the one I was wearing I said it would be fine and she showed me out. SHEER MISCHIEF - NO: ARISTOC AND BRETTLES - YES
My journey home took me along Holloway Road and as I still had 'sheer mischief' in mind I decided to try and find the Co-op or Selby's stores. I stopped the car near where Liverpool Road joins it and asked a man where Selby's was. Fortunately he wasn't the proverbial stranger and he smiled and pointed - it was right opposite! It was at moments like these that I had to steel my nerve and venture into a place where I almost always felt a lack of confidence. Motivation and desire were one thing - realising them was another. I crossed the street and went in and found the hosiery department. The point heel and calf seam of what I recognised as Aristoc 'harmony' was displayed on a model leg on the counter. They had other fully-fashioned hose but no 'sheer mischief'. I asked for 'harmony' in black size 10 or 11. The middle-aged lady assistant asked me to wait while she went downstairs to get them. Somehow I was not surprised to notice she had seams and point heels on her stockings too and wondered if she knew Mrs. Norris. In the end I bought the entire contents of the brown cardboard box of Aristoc 'harmony' she had brought up - all six pairs. Of the others styles she showed me I passed on Charnos stretch but, even though I noticed they were knitted in what in my experience was the unforgiving 15 denier, I bought two pairs of Brettles, fully fashioned, purely because I liked the fact that they had long cuban heels. Later, when I looked at the Harmony box, it turned out I had bought "Undergrads" or "seconds", which was also proclaimed on a magenta sticker on the cellophane of each packet. However they seemed fine to me and only years later, thanks to the information on the Internet, did I learn of the problems of knitting fully-fashioned stockings exactly to size, and the ones I bought were probably correct in foot size but were either longer or shorter in the length of leg. Now nearly 30 years later I know what I'd bought but would have liked to have known at that time what most women probably knew about "second" in nylons in the 1950s and 1960s! LEARNING - THOUGHTS ON A SPARE TIRE AND BACK ACHE I recall reading of one woman who had worn both corsets and girdles commenting that in a girdle there is no escape, meaning that at all times all the elasticated material was under strain and was trying to return to its unstretched length and that this was tiring. In contrast while wearing a corset that is not excessively tightly laced if one sucks in the stomach or breathes out one can create voids or spaces in the corset and that this gives relief. Likewise if one moves from sitting to standing or walks, the sense of containment, whilst still there, changes a corset because it is rigid. I learned that when sitting down, upright chairs, as Victorian ladies found, were more comfortable to sit in even to watch television. I also found that in moving to sit down that there was a definite way to do it that would allow one's form to use the corset to help itself alter in position inside the corset and find a point of most comfort and also appreciate the revised sense of control. As likely as not I felt perfectly comfortable sitting in what might be called "bolt upright" position with no need for the support of a chair back if necessary for several hours at a time. I even adopted this position to sit in a car or when taking a flight by aircraft. I can only put it down to the fact that corseting helped maintain the various bones in the spine in the optimum alignment, which reduced back strain. I also felt that I walked differently in what might be called better deportment in the days when corsets where commonly worn. One reads of horror stories of corsets and girls' boarding schools in the undercurrent of literature. Yet as Michael has alluded to, they had a basis in fact in that, if a well-fitted corset is worn, the wearer' deportment improves. This is of course evident in many of the un-posed photos of fully dressed corsetieres in Ivy Leaf's pages. Indeed, perhaps young women should have realised that the trade off for being corseted was that they avoided the admonition of the last century - "stop slouching!" Indeed perhaps lower back pain is the consequence of not being corseted and comes from the slouching that a proper corset would preclude. This was the case whether I was in a G78 or a G72 high top with shoulder straps. However, I found that leaning back too far produced uncomfortable consequences from the corsets. LEARNING - THE LITTLE DETAILS
Over the years I was to have many G78's made. True to the modern concern for recycling the same steels and busks found their way into most of them in five or six incarnations. I came to like the four point (stud) wedge busks especially when they had developed what an engineer would call 'permanent set' in what was really spring steel. I was to observe that even with a good and trusty under-busk, which Mrs. Norris explained stopped the gap between the two edges of the busk from pinching the skin to be excellent and very flexible but, being over an inch wide and heavy gauge spring steel did their part in preventing the wearer from over bending and snapping the busk itself. I was amazed to see that without difficulty the busk and underbusk would almost bend back upon themselves without any effort other than bending on the part of the wearer. Yet try to apply the same force with the hands and one realises the stresses and strains that a confined body places on the corset being worn. Even on the details of busks Mrs. Norris would lament the deterioration in quality which meant that the tolerance used on modern busks resulted in too big a gap in between the two edges, which added to the tendency to pinch the skin making an under-busk more necessary than ever. Even then some years before she retired, she said it discouraged her enough to make her think of giving up and I sensed she felt it had affected her employer too Sometimes Mrs. Norris would put a hook and eye above or below the busk to be hooked up or released as one's need for control or time of day dictated. By the 1980s the G78 had become my summer corset of choice when it was too hot to wear a high top. I settled into a regime of periodic renewal and followed the procedure of having three casual corsets and three high tops, "One worn, one in the drawer and one in the wash". For years I patronised a launderette and to avoid comment I created what I called a washing sack out of a pillowcase and would tie it closed and run it though the cycle with the other items. Like this, none of the metal would clank around on the drum and draw attention. I never put it in the drier but would wrap it in a towel and put it on the towel rail in the bathroom to dry which took several days. Since my discussions with Mrs. Norris I was lacing much tighter than before and really enjoying it very much. As a corset wearer, I had started to mature. It was to be a serious exercise and task. I was learning what the corset could give me and what I couldn't take from it, except that whereas I could control what the corset gave me when lacing in, I then had to live with what I had done until I could adjust it. The degree of lacing in was a judgment of what one wants or what one wants to try to enjoy because when one first laces really tight it feels good but, as time passes, it becomes difficult to enjoy it and one has to slacken off! I was pleased to find that even when fairly tightly laced I could bend enough to change my stockings and fit them over my toes. Gradually I was learning a new routine however of first putting on pants, then my stockings and rolling them just to the knees and only then fitting the corset and doing up my suspenders outside my pants and then lacing in as I wanted. On the matter of inside or outside a man has fewer problems to contend with than a woman. With the corset set and laced up I would only then clip on my suspenders with all the straps unadjusted. I was getting used to eight suspenders and the ideal place to set each clip for maximum effect and only then adjusting the length to give perfect tension and tug on the stockings. The Spirella 305 may have been that company's all time best seller, but for me, Gardner's 'G78 - Casual' was to prove to be my most worn corset style. Thanks to Mrs. Norris' skill with repairs and alterations while waiting I used the G78 to refine my preferences and learn more about boning, busks, numbers and lengths of suspenders and the cut of the corset. The more I wore the G78 corsets, the further I pushed this boundary between what I found to be acceptable or tolerate and what was unacceptable and to be avoided. What was clear in those early years was that I was far from the limit of what I could accept; my powers of toleration of tightness or as my outfitter had called 'constriction'. I found that if I ever returned to my corset drawer and elected to try on what I might call abandoned corsets that I had worn years earlier and at the time found tight, now, even when laced closed I felt the tightness they could offer me was inadequate. I then knew that I was able to adapt to tightness, and that what a level of tightness that had caused discomfort now afforded me a level of satisfaction, and a degree of reassurance that I needed. I also realised that if I were to corset regularly I would alter my natural shape. With just weekend and evening wearing I thought
that my reduced eating had meant that I no longer had so much fat on my belly and my jug handles were reduced. Thanks to corseting some of my flab had, in the words of the 50's girdle advertisements, 'melted away'. SHEER MISCHIEF AT LAST - BUT THE SEAMED STOCKING REVIVAL IS SHORT LIVED Every visit to Mrs. Norris encouraged me to seek out and buy more seamed stockings. She had alluded to shortages and quotas and that she bought extra when available. This time I called Aristoc and got details of the hose from a very friendly girl who told me all about them, special seams and heels and they were called 'sheer mischief' and I could get them at The Civil Service stores in the Strand. I drove straight to the West End - no congestion zone in those days - and searched for a place to park. I found a spot near Trafalgar Square and walked across to the Strand into the Civil Service store and up to a hosiery counter and asked the assistant for 'sheer mischief'. She was quite young, dark haired with a Welsh accent. She said they were proving popular and I sensed a little knowing of my intent. Yet now I was living more openly with my secret and had mixed feeling of relief and embarrassment in that she clearly knew I was buying for myself. There were not made in black and I settled on three pairs of "Rain" in size10." (27 cm). The reverse side of the packet showed a very prominent seam and a very long heel reinforcement both in contrasting shade of charcoal gray. When I examined the 'sheer mischief' packet it included information such as "Fully fashioned stockings with exciting coloured point heels" and a magenta label with the words "Another new idea from Aristoc". There was a colour photo which featured a stylish young woman of the time who was clearly an aficionado of the disco dancing craze of the time, dancing in her 'sheer mischief' displaying long magenta point heels, matching seams and a skirt with a length just on the knee. To complete the information it said "Matching shoes by K" As for the stockings, they were in fact almost identical to Harmony Points and by feel were also knitted in 20D yarn with the same after-welt details. The heels were certainly longer, to reach further up the calf, and had been knitted with a contrasting colour of yarn. Sadly, they soon went out of production, the demand cannot have been sustainable. I tried but failed to get more and I never saw Mrs. Norris wear them again. Perhaps disco fashion was a revival of the 'Mod' mentality of the early 60's and I saw more than one girl wearing a pencil skirt with black nylons with seams and heels, which had to be Aristoc 'harmony', teetering along the street on the arm of a 'Mod' young man. Even a periodical like 'Farmer's Weekly' espoused the cause. I chanced to pick up a back issue in a friend's house and it included an article on fashion, which mentioned the charm of Aristoc Harmony seamed hose. This must have
an effect on its readership because, quite by chance later that year, I went to an agricultural show and mine was not the only head to turn when two attractively dressed women walked passed. Each wore an attractive blue floral print dress, with navy blue straw hats, white gloves and blue medium high heels, not quite the attire for such a show but ..... They were clearly friends - one in her 30's and the other in her 40's - and as they walked away I noticed straight dark seams on their shapely calves above the long point heels of what had to have been Aristoc 'Harmony' in the dark brown that Iris wore. They were perfectly fitted, no wrinkling at the instep and hence they must have been quite tautly suspendered. Judging by their deportment, I am fairly confident that each of them was wearing a full corselette. They were obviously old enough to appreciate that the potential of such foundations can only be fully realised when anchored by suspenders clipped to stockings knitted with no-stretch yarn. And this was 20 years before the idea of a 'Goodwood Revival'. In the meantime, my source of 30D stockings in the USA, Alberts, must have changed its supplier of its 30D 'Walking Sheers'. Instead of the 13 rows of very fine holes in the after-welt the new style had eight rows of holes and was knitted in such a way that it was extensible. I had seen the style being worn my models posing in them and realised these were the same. Twenty-five years later again, thanks to the Internet, I find they had also been marketed as 'Park Lane'. Later on, the style that Alberts sold reverted to the old style but with a modified style of heel knitting, so all in all I have three styles of that brand in my stocking drawers. ADAPTING TO LIFE IN A CORSET I learned new things about myself, not only did I like the taut suspenders and tightly pulled stockings, I found that I was never quite satisfied with how tight I could lace myself. I can't explain it but it was like a challenge to see how tight I could tolerate the corset. With several to wear, at home I would experiment and grew to like the challenge of the high top. I found that at times the need to slacken off the lacings became overwhelming. In the event I always gave in to the need to relieve the discomfort. I had found various tests in which the question of how tight and how to stop lace loosening occurred. Unlike a woman I didn't have the imperative to stay laced tight so that a waistband would fit. I had the reverse problem, of not being able to keep laced as tight as sometimes I wanted because if I were to do so then my trousers would be too slack on my waist. There was no way I could wear fitted waist trousers without eliciting comments that I would find embarrassing to have posed. The upshot was that if I wanted to go to work in a corset I would have to compromise. In the event it was not so difficult. I found as I had done when I first started wearing stockings regularly that if I didn't wear the corset to work then I missed it and would resolve to wear it. I was always faced with the dilemma posed by the fact that I could not overcome my sense of unease that the top edge of my corset would reveal itself even in a striped shirt. I solved that problem by keeping my jacket on at work. At home I had tried wearing a pullover but that seemed to accentuate any hint of a ring, especially with plain colours as it tended to shrink to fit the form and compress the shirt. The real answer would have been to wear a loose waistcoat but it would have aroused its own comment. I resolved to keep my jacket on at work and to adjust the heating of my office. However in summer this was not possible so again had to compromise and I would have to keep the corset off in summer and just wear stockings and a suspender belt. THE EVER-PRESENT LURE OF A HIGH TOP Although I was pleased with the G78 Casual, thoughts of a high top would not go away. In retrospect I realise that the images I had seen in my teens of the women in the line drawings in their corselettes, that had caused me to wonder what it could feel like to be them, would not go away. These were very strong and deeply embedded and had propelled me towards ordering my early corsets, which to use Mrs. Norris' term, were known to her and Gardner's, and then to me as 'High Tops'. Paradoxically, through it all, my concern was not to look feminine, but rather to experience fuller encasement in a flat-chested version that I could wear as a man.
The sight of the wonderful photos of the models who appeared so relaxed and natural and the all encasing 'Isabella' and 'Margarita' styles in Fanny Copere's catalogue (link) added great impetus to my ideas or fantasies of what was possible - but added not a jot to actual experience. I should have understood that I had usually been disappointed with anything I had bought on the basis of its description in a catalogue. In the case of corsets I came to realise there would be no substitute for the real thing, made to measure and for which I had the benefit of a skilled corsetiere, and a corset and seamed stocking wearer, like I had found in Mrs. Norris. I also realise that my motivation was driven by my imagination and not, as it should have been, based on experience of wearing corsets regularly. I have also thought back to why I was not attracted to a girdle. The primary reason I realise, is that they were sold by waist size and my effort with the black 'Contessa' in 1972 showed my male hip spring was far from the female norm. Moreover I lacked Simon's courage and knew I could never venture into the lingerie section of Marks and Spencer, let alone into a small store to buy a corselette and modify the bra section to flatten it! All I had to go on was a result of experimenting with the Contessa which fitted better if fitted upside down using the suspenders clipped to one another as shoulder straps. Below I wore the plastic boned elasticated Kesman waspie to pull in my waist and with its detachable suspenders to precariously hold up my stockings. It all looked ridiculous but on the basis of wearing the arrangement for just half an hour I made the decision to that high top corsets were for me. As I have alluded, the result of my purchases was such that I could wear them for no more than an hour or so and each was too long to sit down in for more than minutes. I realised that by having a higher corset, if it extended beyond the point where the chest starts to shrink, the spare tire of fat pushed up would end under the corset. The trick was to continue to the point where this happened so long as it didn't mean the top edge stuck out clear of the wearer's body. I was now wearing stockings, almost always the Albert's 'Walking Sheer', 30D, and suspenders every day I could. I became acutely aware of the back suspenders leaving an indentation on the vinyl or plastic seat of a bus, or train seat and even on such seats at work and on the bus or train in the last few minutes I would contrive to move without giving the impression of being a fidget, so that the indentations which form with prolonged immobility did not occur. Yet that was a price I felt worth paying to have the satisfaction of feeling the back suspender on my bottom and upper thighs all the time I sat. Trade-offs had to be made. THE G72 HIGH TOP - MEASURING I had been able to save out of my allowance for the overseas trip and that put me in mind of getting a better design of high top corset- rather like a higher cut version of the casuals I had bought. Basically it would be Gardner's style 'G72 high top' that took in my chest ( see image) and I arranged an appointment with Mrs. Norris. On the day, I laced in extra tightly. I telephoned Mrs. Norris to make the appointment. I introduced myself and told her that I wanted her to make me a high top double boned corset and could she double up on the boning of my second G78 casual corset, which was single boned. As I spoke, I found my corset was so tight it was affecting my very breathing and speech. I was conscious of this as I spoke to Mrs. Norris and wondered if she had noticed that my speech was affected by my tight-lacing. Finally I asked if she could make me a suspender belt with eight suspenders and she could do it all. It was great and I was delighted. On the appointed day I had reached Barnsbury Square at 1.30 pm to see Mrs. Norris. I rang the bell and she greeted me like an old friend. She led me downstairs and I admired her controlled walk, which showed she was tight-laced into her corsets. As usual she wore a full dress and backless high wedge mules. As usual she wore superb seamed stockings with the very long point heels that were her trade marks. They were a pleasant dark brown shade but they were not the 'Sheer
Mischief' she had worn on my previous visit. As ever my heart leapt to see her superbly proportioned legs with the seams straight and perfectly positioned on her calves and heels absolutely wrinkle free with the sheen that only plain knit hose can make which showed she was tautly suspendered. I felt relaxed and confident to be visiting my corsetiere to discuss a subject which is close to my heart. The second casual corset she had made me felt good and I enjoyed the hug of my stocking tops and the pull of my suspenders as I walked behind her. She showed me into the fitting room and I stood and looked at the pictures of corsetry on the wall and she asked me how I was. As I recollect my many meetings with Mrs. Norris over the previous two years, I had now reached a point in our relationship in which I could discuss the factors about corset wearing that concerned me as well as tell her about the things I liked. Mrs. Norris knew that I liked strong corsets above all else, that I wore stockings, and that double steels, under-busk, reinforced eyelets were essential to me as well as eight suspenders. With her it was possible to discuss absolutely anything associated with a corset. She had laced herself up for 40 years and probably never a day passed without her wearing corsets. Her work is the making of corsets and fitting them. She showed me into the fitting room and I told her how pleased I had been with the double boned corset she had made me in January and that now I wanted a high top version of the same corset since I was still conscious that it showed under my clothes. She looked at me and said she would worry as she couldn't see it, but of course she could make me one. She looked up the old order copied over some of the dimensions and then measured me around the chest. I said I wanted a corset up to my armpits and fully boned right up to the top. She said it might be harder to breathe and recommended that she put in a gore of elastic at the sides to enable me to expand my chest if necessary. We agreed on the double boning and she said she had a 13-inch busk and under-busk. I said I did not want a back flap. By now she knew my suspender requirements and I had a set of eight as before. Next I took my original Casual corset out of my brief case and said I'd be glad if she'd change my original casual over to double boning, flexible type which I'd found very much more satisfactory. She had doubts about being able to put them in the corset but said she'd try and strap the bones in pairs on the inside, and would that be all right as she had done it before for other customers. I also asked her if she could remove the flap that covered the busk as I found I couldn't see what I was doing either directly or in the mirror. She reminded me that the 'bobbles' sometimes caught in material but that most people preferred not to have a flap, but she usually put did it in for a new customer. I then said that before she did the alterations, could she get it dry-cleaned for me, as I knew it needed laundering.
She said that it was difficult to clean them and she said she washed hers, then rolled them in an old dry towel to remove most of the moisture and then dried them over a radiator. It took several days she said. As ever she was giving me her knowledge that only a serious experienced corset wearer could know. I had come to value Mrs. Norris very much because she was so knowledgeable about corsets and so ready to talk about them and to give advice. I paid her 28.45, 26.45 for the new corset and 2.00 for the alterations to the original G78 casual. I said I would call in about two weeks to collect it. FITTING THE G72 HIGH TOP THE ARM PIT V GUSSET A THOUGHTFUL UNSOLICITED ADDITION When I did so, I rang the bell and Mrs. Norris greeted me. I went in and she showed me to the fitting room and brought in the brown paper bundle almost as long as the one I'd seen at my very first appointment addressed to Aberdeen. She showed me the G78 first. She had removed the single bones and strapped new ones on the inside and had got rid of the busk flap quite easily she said. Mrs. Norris unrolled the new high top, pointing out where she'd met my request, double spiral bones, long back steels, 14-inch busk and above it three pairs of hooks and eyes, a matching length of under-busk and, at that time still sewn on, eight suspenders with wide elastic. She said she'd had trouble getting the 'ends' I wanted (I insisted on chrome plated suspender clips which were 'ends' to Mrs. Norris.) She then pointed out a detail that to my eye was invisible in the sea of black lining fabric and that were small vees of black girdle grade elastic sewn in between panels two and three on each side close to my arm pits. She said that her other clients with high tops liked the gussets. "It helps you breathe a bit more deeply after you climb the stairs even if you're laced very tight", she said and she chuckled. It was typical of her attention to the practical. I also felt honoured that she was really trying to make it possible for me to wear a high top to work. I asked Mrs. Norris if I could try it on and she said yes go ahead. I closed the door and took off my shirt and vest and unlaced my casual and unclipped the suspenders and took off the G78 I was wearing. Then began one of the hardest jobs I'd ever had. She had not offered to help. In fact I am sure she had sensed that I still felt shy about our transactions and discreetly left me in the fitting room alone. I wrapped the new corset around me and started to slot up the busk but was overcome with the difficulty of doing so. I could not hook up the busk, however I tried. To me, it was a big stiff corset. Finally, I decided to clip the suspenders on my sagging stockings and tried again. By now, Mrs. Norris called to ask if I was all right and I not wishing to betray my situation as such a novitiate, I said yes and that I'd be just a minute or too. Telling that white lie somehow inspired me to get some of the bobbles or studs hooked in place and in no time it was all hooked up and I did up the three upper hooks and eyes. The corset felt so high, much higher than the leatherette one and I looked in the mirror and began lacing it in I adjusted the lengths of the suspenders and then I was ready. I put on my vest and shirt and walked in to the machining room where Mrs. Norris was working. I felt upright and controlled and she looked up and smiled. I said I don't think it shows and she said no it seems fine. I said I thought it was a bit loose at the waist and she said let me see. Back in the fitting room I lifted my shirt and she said "You haven't laced yourself in." I saw in the mirror she was looking for the knot and laughed to see I'd knotted it in the front. She took hold of the laces and with a careful pulling with first fingers on the crosses and then using her arms she pulled the corset in until it felt a new dimension in tightness. "There", she said "You'll have to learn to pull much harder on your laces and it'll fit fine". She ran her fingers over the bones and panels so professionally to check and tied off the laces. She returned to her work while I just stood there and took in the experience of being properly corseted in a high top. I then went back in to see Mrs. Norris and she was sewing up a pile of corset panels enough to make a dozen corsets. She looked up and with a cant of her head smiled and asked if things were all right. So I said I'd had a lot of trouble fitting the busk and did she have any special way of putting on a corset that she could recommend. It was such a basic question that she couldn't answer and had to go through the motion of putting one on and said she
did. At that she took hold of my corset and then just pull the bottom till I get the studs to catch. She went through the motions of what was a conditioned reflex to her as natural as putting on one's shoes and lacing them. I realised then that this was what it meant to have personal service. I could discuss such things with her. She was an expert who wore corsets, was wearing them as we talked and could make them. It made me feel inwardly warm that I too was a corset wearer, and we were talking about the problem of slotting up the busk! Every now and again my eyes subconsciously strayed and I found myself looking at the seams and heels of her stockings. On this occasion the way the light caught the sheen on her stockings had, accentuated the ridge of the seam showing clearly that they were worn 'wrong side out' from the way they came in the packet when new. I felt emboldened and asked if I was right about what I thought. She chuckled and said I was right and she preferred the look they gave worn like that. Again she answered in such a friendly way and again I realised how fortunate I was to be able to discuss such things without embarrassment. All the time I knew her, I remained acutely conscious of the privilege she had granted me by accepting me as customer, though hardly her equal in experience of corset wearing! When she spoke of others, who had been presumptuous, it reinforced in my mind the importance of reciprocating the privilege by always behaving with the utmost decorum and discretion. Over the years when I had been introduced to other customers, I did drop a remark which made its way back to her and she was always careful to point out what she perceived as a lack of tact however unintentional on my part. As I was to record in my diary she was "of that generation raised on suspenders and stockings who has remained loyal to them in a new world of tights and easy attire, and who corsets herself every day and takes time to check her seams and set her suspenders correctly, so that she feels and looks good." I went back to the fitting room, and had quite a struggle taking off the corset because of the long busk. Finally I did it and unclipped the eight suspenders and wrapped my G78 Casual around me again, re-hooked its busk, resuspendered my stockings and rolled and wrapped the G72 high top and altered G78 corsets in the same paper. As I went through the business of taking off one corset and its eight suspenders and putting the other back, the thought crossed my mind that the process was all a bit repetitive and I had to quickly remind myself that this was what I sought and what the commitment to corsets was all about. Now close to 30 years later I read in Ivy' leaf's delightful piece on The Corset Shop, complete with the Jan Sander's cartoon of a corset shop and Ivy Leaf's accompanying observation that: "A lady could spend an afternoon struggling in and out of a dozen pairs of corsets, encouraged, chided and "brought back down to earth" by her close friends, the corsetiere herself and her daughter, the latter secure in the knowledge that it was her turn was next." Years later with the friends Mrs. Norris had introduced me to, I was to experience the pleasure of mutual fitting and lacing of corsets of different styles and lengths with a group of like minded and dressed friends, both men and women on a platonic basis for the shared enjoyment of our commitment to the tight-laced life. MAKING MY OWN SUSPENDERS Meanwhile, I found out that wearing corsets and suspenders more regularly had its consequences. As I mentioned in part one, I had learned the rudiments of sewing to replace suspenders. One thing I had found out was that the tension in suspenders is no respecter of the sewing stitch or of natural rubber fibres, and that if a needle penetrated the filament of rubber that too, could lead to shorter life and added strain on the remaining filaments. I found that since the lengths of elastic provided were inadequate, I would make up my own by removing fittings from those I bought and buying elastic separately. It took time but I did find sources of elastic that I found were equal to the level of elasticity I expected a suspender to have. I did find that it wasn't necessarily the same at any suspender location. In time I landed on using the strongest elastic for the very front suspenders near my busk plates and in the pair on the seams - fourth from the front when you use five. I used my skill to make up suspenders. However my commitment was taking more and more of my spare time and I continued to experiment especially with suspenders. I had started with the three pairs and before deciding to ask Mrs. Norris to fit a fourth pair I had bought for myself
in D.H. Evans haberdashery department, two pairs of suspenders 'Pikaby' brand with wide white elastic and what the packet referred to as 'corset clips'. When I made the move from four pairs to five pairs of suspenders I was to make the same experiments first. I had accumulated some during my numerous suspender purchases at the haberdashery counters that I visited periodically. For those who don't recall, there were three types of suspenders available - sew on, loop ended and clip-ons. The latter should not be confused with the bra hook fitting that is hooked onto a loop on the corset hem, this type bites directly on to the corset hem above the edge binding. It comprises a chrome-plated, hinged clasp, which is opened to allow about half an inch of the corset hem to be inserted into the clip assembly at which time the flap is closed and a flat edge, pressed into the corset cloth to create friction to hold it. At least I took that to be the theory. I was always intrigued by the clasp provided by 'Sphere' brand which featured a complicated pattern of a star circumscribed by a circle not un-akin to a Mandala, and included the word "Lift" on it as an instruction to an uninitiated launderer wishing to remove a suspender, though I wondered how a wearer who had not inspected the details could ever bend over to read the tiny letters of the word. In practice, to my dismay, I found that things were different. The steel used was not springy and could be bent by accident too easily. Given the thickness of the corset layers, as the flap was closed to grip, it had the effect of unintentionally bending the back side of the clasp very slightly. As a result over the course of a day despite efforts to bend the offending piece back it lost its grip and a suspender would unceremoniously slip off usually with a sound a wearer was sure everyone else could hear! Years later when I discussed them at a mutual tight lacing session with a person who habitually used them it was explained to me that the clasp design was really developed for use on corsets which had thick piping deliberately sewn around the hem cloth or, in the case of rubber corsets was part of the moulded rubber design. Each type had the purpose of providing a ridge over which was passed the open jaws between the flap and the back plate after which the flap was closed. Like this, the clasp could not be pulled down over the piping while the teeth of the flap lightly gripped the cloth or rubber above the edge to stop the clamps being pulled off line sideways. It had to have been developed when rubber panelled corsets came in vogue in the 1930's and it had probably been found that the fact of sewing a cloth suspender onto rubber actually made perforations in the panels which a taut suspender could quickly exploit and so rip itself off like tearing a postage stamp. Anyway, for the purposes of my 'number tests', the corset clips worked well on the hem of all my corsets and stayed in place for the period of several hours during which I sat down, walked and stood, and found that having 'very back' suspenders posed no problems for my anatomy and were in such a position that I have rarely sat on their clips that was the bane of girl friends from my schooldays. In addition, I found that with more suspenders, the stocking tops were pulled much more evenly, with fewer overtaut areas, that strain the welt and which are reflected in distortions in the after-welts and show that there will be extra strain close to the sheer part of the stocking which could contribute to laddering if there was a nearby snag in the knitting. On the basis of my test, I resolved to convert over time, all my corsets and deep suspender belts to have ten suspenders. In the early years I had felt embarrassed to even raise the subject of suspenders with Mrs. Norris, but, as the professional corsetiere that she was, it was clear that I was the client and she would do as I wanted. On matters of boning and fit, if she felt my ideas were wrong she would say so. Hence in the matter of number of suspenders she never ventured such an opinion and I could only conclude that she had other customers who did the same Sometimes when lacing in was done and she was assisting me with my suspendering she would occasional say something like "I don't you how manage on your own with so many suspenders". I told her that the number felt right to me and that if I had four pairs I felt I wanted a fifth pair and had even tried clipping on a sixth pair but had found I didn't need them, to which she said simply that one had to feel comfortable. I LEARN OF "LONDON LIFE"
Despite having found Gardner's and Mrs. Norris, I continued to feel alone with my secret. I continued to trawl magazine shops for magazines that included items of interest to me. Among the materials I found were reprints of a magazine called 'London Life' dating to the 1920's and including letters on a variety of items of attire and including discussions on corsets, suspenders and silk stockings in that era. Some were believable but much material on waist sizes and the supporting photographs, which had been doctored, were the stuff of fantasy. I was on the trail of what is clearly an old interest and that 'out there' were other men like myself as well as women who were either their girl friends or who were married to them, and who tight-laced too. Another magazine was essentially a catalogue for corsets and included illustrations of women in busk-fronted, back-lacing corsets and a number of drawings of a slightly fantastic nature featuring men in corsets and stockings in the company of like-dressed women. I read the names 'Eneg', 'Bilbrew' and 'Stanton' but had no way of knowing who they were. Now with the benefit of the internet I know and I am amazed how the material has stood the test of time, inspired as it was by artists to whom laced corsets and seamed stockings with cuban heels - a la Bettie Page were the norm in glamour. Now much of it is now reproduced on the internet. At the time, the fact that someone had judged it worthwhile to risk money to publish magazines on such subjects meant that they knew that 'out there' were enough persons like myself interested in wearing corsets. How was I to find them? LEARNING TO WEAR THE NEW HIGH TOP The new high top was everything the leatherette one was not. My experience with the G78 was paying off. So long as the weather was not too hot I could wear the high top all day at weekends. However wearing it changed the way I did things. With the higher corsets I found it a little more difficult to drive a car. Even getting in and out was more difficult because I was essentially rigid from Shoulder to hip. Once seated one needed to be very upright to stop strain on the body. Once seated I had full mobility of my neck and upper shoulders, but reversing required a little more technique as I could not twist, rather I had to turn the whole body and the flexibility of my neck which had previously tended to rick, certainly improved. I realise that an orthopaedic specialist would say I was now keeping my spinal vertebrae in good alignment, but in my case it was my high top corset that was doing it. Again I realise some detractors of corseting will say that people like us have tendencies to like 'bondage'. However I will argue back that in years past they would never have levelled such a charge against the likes of Alison's manager who clearly wore very restrictive corsets and insisted that Alison herself wore them all the time she worked for Spencers. In her own words she said she came to appreciate wearing her Spenall as did her husband. I side with Alison and her manager. Corsets are much more than a short term 'high'. Finding the best way to hook up my busks proved to be quite a challenge. Watching Mrs. Norris demonstrate had helped with the 10-inch busk on a 'Casual', but a 14-inch busk with the high-top corsets that were 17-18 inches long -10 inches above the waist was different. I eventually realised that the key was deciding on the best length of lacing to do the job. Not enough lace and one would become quite breathless with the fruitless effort of trying to engage even one of the busk hooks onto its stud, or as Mrs. Norris called them, 'bobbles'. The problem was engaging the middle studs as one busk plate bent inwards while the other tended to bow out under the strain of pulling the corset edges together around my form. Try as I could, I was always left with one stud unhooked. Too much lace was best even though many coils ended up with enough to wrap several times around the waist. Yet, even now 25 or more years later I still find that the act of hooking a longer busk is never entirely without stress. Writing this nearly thirty years later, thanks to the wonders of the internet, I have seen videos of the likes of modern lady tight-lacers like Cathy Jung, Pandora Gorey or Karen Wright, all women with large hip springs, being laced in to their corsets. They have cultivated waists in the range 15-18 inches but at the start of their lacing one sees the back or lacing edges of their corsets are as much as 6 to 8 inches apart. The result of course is great lengths of lacing loops, which have to go somewhere, but the resulting bow, almost a bustle in itself, has its own
appeal. As I had done with my very first corset, the 'Contessa' of close to 10 years earlier, I experimented with different levels at which to set the loops on which to pull (the 'pullers' to use the unladylike term favoured by the Women's Institute book). Re-threading resulted in my frequently missing an eyelet or threading from the wrong side and it was quite a challenge to correctly lace the 25 or so pairs of eyelets that Mrs. Norris would put on high tops such as mine. I could only marvel whenever I watched her threading lacings how very accomplished a corsetiere she was. Another detail which began to matter was that sometimes I would end up with loops that were of such length that even after wrapping I ended up with no choice but to knot at the back. I then hit on an alternative, which was to thread the laces so that I would end up with unequal lengths, which allowed me to from a knot a bow at the side. Since no one ever saw and being man who was not seeking a visibly small waist, the coils of lace and the bow were hidden by the inevitable rumples of shirt material just above the waistband. In summary once a high top is correctly fitted, it certainly eliminates any spare tyre at the top and can be very comfortable to wear, as I was to find. AN EIGHTEEN MONTH SOJOURN However as a result of my corseted interview I changed my job and moved far away for over a year. The weather was hot and corset wearing wasn't easy and high top wearing was impossible except in the evenings. I was saving money and could easily afford now to get more corsets and decided that as soon as I was back in the London area I would get another. I investigated the height of my corset. It wouldn't lie flat so I needed shoulder straps to pull it flat. I contacted Gardners, spoke to Mrs. Norris and in a day or so was back in Gardner's fitting room discussing the idea of a second high top, this time with shoulder straps as I felt it would help it lie closer to my form at the top. It was a pleasure to meet Mrs. Norris again. She greeted me like an old friend and enquired of my goings on and I of hers. THE LURE OF THE HIGHER CUT CORSET Now here I was on my own quest, not just to be corseted all day, but to be corseted all day over a greater length than a 12-inch G78 casual would give me. I felt I had learned enough in the 18 months to feel I could go from wearing the high tops at weekends to wearing them all day every day weather permitting. I should try to explain my continuing quest for the ideal high top. Until I had met Mrs. Norris, my ideas were based on impressions I got when I had first seen pictures of women completely contained in corsets, I had marvelled that anyone would want to voluntarily subject himself or herself to wearing such a garment all day. But now as I looked at Mrs. Norris's figure again I felt she understood that, as a person matured they needed to be corseted. That the price of aging was lacing one on everyday. In the late 70's I had admired Gemma Jones as the Duchess of Duke street walking, almost marching, which was attributed to the fact that she was rigid from hip to shoulder in the straight fronted corset of
the Edwardian era. From the moment I met her, this was How Iris walked and I could only attribute it her being laced in well in a high cut corset. I was only to find out later that she wore the style that Copere called 'Jean' with the fluted panels for a large hip spring. From thinking of them I concluded that if one felt one had to corset, then one should accept all the consequences and if possible, enjoy wearing them and get them made-to-measure to ensure that each of them fitted exactly. That the feeling of being 'stayed up' added to one's sense of well being. I also realised that Edwardian Men did corset quite strictly but had no confirmation until I first saw the advert of Madame Dowding in Kunzle's book and later saw Klaus Brandauer playing the part of Colonel Redl, an Edwardian general, and unsnapping the busk of his high cut military corset.
MY LAST VISIT TO GARDNERS - ANOTHER HIGH TOP A few weeks later I phoned to arrange to collect it. Mrs. Norris could see me the next day. I rang the now familiar doorbell. Mrs. Norris greeted me but seemed more subdued than usual. I followed her downstairs walking her wellcorseted walk in high-heeled mules and paler seamed stockings than she usually wore. The corset was ready and wrapped in the now familiar brown paper. She unwrapped it and opened it out for me to see. It was black satin with black lined twill although Mrs. Norris said that she had been unable to get the satin she wanted though what was provided should be all right. I gathered supplies were getting harder to find as the supply firm Devine had moved to Southend-on-Sea. She felt that the satin would prove to be all right but it was not the type she preferred because it wasn't as strong. She'd fitted the suspenders with chromed ends, which she had got from an old corset and I could see she had put on the shoulder straps. TRYING IT ON
She was going to wrap it up when I asked to try it on and she said of course. I went to the fitting room and closed the door. I stood in front of the mirror and took off my shirt and vest took off my trousers and stood in just my corset and stockings A first I opened out the lacings on the new corset and then I unlaced my high top lacings and undid all eight suspenders and then un-slotted the busk. I felt completely relaxed and comfortable and I stood with black stockings hanging at my knees. I took the new corset and hung it from my shoulders by its straps and it had fantastic crossed straps. I tried to slot the busk but I could not. I took it off my shoulders and tried without the straps. I could get the top stud slotted but try as I could I could not manage to close it up. After about five minutes, I had to stop. I pulled on my trousers and shirt and went out to Mrs. Norris who agreed to add a piece of lacing. She did this by unlacing the lower section up to the waist and threading in a new section. It was amazing to watch how quickly accurately she worked, not like myself who got missed eyelets or sewed suspenders on backwards, until in a moment the whole lot was done up again. She opened it out and I went in the room to try again with about five inches open all the way down. This time it slotted very easily and I began to lace in what gradually became miles of lacing. I quickly secured the suspenders one by one and thrilled to be wearing a corset with five, yes five pairs of suspenders for the very first time. The elastic was the light ribbed type, not my choice, but by the time I had all the suspenders secured, the tension in each one was perfect. As I looked in the mirror I thrilled to see myself in such a wonderful corset with suspenders and stockings. I continued to lace in but with the new laces and eyelets it was very difficult so I relaxed in the knowledge that I was among friends and doing what I was expected to. I felt no embarrassment or shame at putting on the corset. It was what I wanted in every detail after so many years of a quest for perfection - shoulder straps, five pairs of suspenders with wide elastic and chrome clips - it was wonderful. I laced in steadily until I found the shoulder straps were interfering. By now I had literally five yards of lacing in each hand and I wrapped it around and pulled up my trousers and walked out without my shirt on to show it to Mrs. Norris, pointing out that the shoulder straps needed moving. We discussed the matter and agreed that it would be better if the back location were moved slightly to pull the high back tighter, so she secured it with a safety pin. I pointed out I couldn't lace right down. So she came in the fitting room and I stood in front the mirror and she laced it right in. It was so tight that, as the lacings ran though the eyelets the friction on my skin felt hot like it was burning me and I involuntarily called out as she pulled steadily in. It felt superb to be laced in by an expert so much better than doing it alone for oneself. She worked up and down until it was all closed down to less than an inch. By now the corset was smooth to my form with my waist well defined. It felt so different, so I tied the lacings around my waist and tried sitting. Mrs. Norris said she thought it looked very nice on me. THE BOMBSHELL IS DROPPED At this point she said she was going to retire at the end of December. I was never sure but I did think she was only person working for Gardner's. I asked who would take her place and she said "He's got nobody". She always called Mr. Frank Gardner "he" and, as I was to find out later, "my chap" was not a lodger, it was her husband. She told me later that she thought that Mr. Gardner had expected her to change her mind. But she'd found the journey very tiring four days a week and her husband was going to part time on different days and as it was they drove to the station it wouldn't work out. I didn't know where she lived, other than it was in Buckinghamshire. I had become used to disappointments in my Odyssey but this was the worst. So I left 28 Barnsbury Square where I had been just 10 times in all and had had five corsets made. MY FINAL GARDNERS ORDER I was so pleased with the new high top that I decided that since Mrs. Norris was retiring she should make me another one. But time was running out. It was now November and she was retiring at the end of the year. My problem was getting to London before she left.
After some efforts to write a letter, I finally decided to telephone Mrs. Norris direct from work. I dialled the number, hesitated, put the phone down then dialled again 01-607-2001. Very quickly the ringing tone came on and Mrs. Norris answered. I asked if it was her and introduced myself. I asked her if she still had my measurements from the summer and she confirmed she had and could make me up another corset. I prepared my order and as she was finishing I thought I'd get her to make me a suspender girdle of the type I'd bought at the outfitter, at the same time. Two weeks later I phoned again and she said yes and that both corset and belt were ready. I then said I would be unable to call in as planned and she immediately volunteered to post them to me so I said I would send the money. I asked her if she had changed her mind about retiring and she gave me an adamant "No". She'd made up her mind to stop as the journey was too tiring and supplies were affecting the quality of her work. So the year 1980 closed. I had made a good start on the corseted life but now it might be ending just when it had begun. I did not know where the future lay and knew not how much longer I could continue corseting.
Frangard 2
2 THE INDEPENDENT CORSETIRE

2.1 THE COUNSELLOR All persons with skill have great pride in their work. Iris Norris was no exception. She had been schooled in an age when even the humblest customer was quick to criticise if a corset did nor fit or last as long as was expected. Thus she brought to her trade concern for fit and, coming as she did from a humble background, concern for it being hardwearing and long lasting. Like Alison Perrys manager and most other successful corsetires, she practiced what she preached. She wore proper busk-fronted, back-lacing corsets. She was as committed to maintaining a small waist as the most dedicated customer, except those who wore a night corset, which she herself would never do. "You need a rest you know", she
would wryly remark if ever the subject came up.
Iris knew of the commitment of her "small waists" and the enthusiasms of their encouraging spouses or partners. Many wore corsets day and night - 24/7 in today's debased parlance - to achieve their dream. To do so, and then maintain such small waists for 30 or 40 years, was only possible if the corsets they laced on always fitted properly. They could not tolerate the hindrance to their regime if skin breakdowns due to a 'hot spot' were to arise because of a poor fit. Above all therefore, Iris's concern was to ensure that the degree of tightness necessary to effect gradual reduction was not compromised by avoidable discomfort of an ill-fitting creation She adopted the passive approach, essentially honouring the dictum that "the customer is always right." But she also knew that customers, especially newer customers with pretensions to tight-lace, are not always right, they are invariably over-ambitious. While she would always do what an insistent customer wanted, she would always stop a customer from straying into the impossible. She would always diplomatically invoke her own experience saying words to the effect. "Well I find that works very well" or "I've tried that in my own corsets and it its not comfortable," and rather than lose a quickly discouraged customer, she would retain them as they embarked on a successful regime. She would add or alter details depending on her assessment of the wearer's 'corset character'. She had definite likes and dislikes and would never advocate details such as:Front lacing all the way - "some like it but I think a long busk and lower lacing or hooks and eyes is best." She followed Gardners dictum and refuse to fit a zip fastener in a laced corset she made. "They rip out very quickly" she said. She did not like panels that were supposed to protect the skin from the chafing of the laces. Iris knew that such a detail was found on many modern corsets but, as she would point out, many of them were off-the-peg designs, and not suitable for serious tight lacing. She would say that in the case of a sewn in panel, it would interfere with the closing of the back edges of the corset and that it could not be compared to the under-busk panels she always fitted, that are located in an area where there is no movement as the corset is tightened. She would say that the panel itself would get caught up and ruckle during lacing in, that it was almost impossible to smooth it out in such a confined tightly laced area and that it would be likely to chafe the wearer more than if there was no panel. She'd then chuckle in her usual way. As for the idea of a separate panel which can be pushed down between the corset and the body after lacing in, she would say it would not work for several reasons. Firstly, if one tight laced seriously, it would be almost impossible to push it past the waist which was where the corset was tightest and that in trying to do so one could damage or rip the waist reinforcing tape, not to mention an under-vest, chemise or camisole which usually got ruckled in the lacing process anyway. Secondly, in the way that a loose corset can 'ride up', such a panel could itself inconveniently ride up, (or down) as a result of its wearers movements during the period that it was being worn. On the other hand, She would go to infinite pains to perfect the fit of any item she made. For example, in response
to a customers concern regarding the discomfort from the indentations of the heavy hooks and eyes, she would thoughtfully fit a narrow panel of material to protect the wearer's skin and thoughtfully would provide press studs at the top and bottom of the panel to prevent it from ruckling under and exposing the offending metal to the skin during the time the garment was being worn. Faced with the evidence, she was ready to change her mind and Frangard knows that her view on back steels changed over the first few years he knew her. Nevertheless she would not actively advocate the fitting of heavier back steels. She had resorted to this when working from home, but would be sympathetic if she sensed a customer might be receptive to the degree of support they gave. Although it is rarely recorded, most corsetires knew that certain of their customers had other reasons for corseting than mere figure control. In the face of this Iris's attitude to them was professional and correct. She would not pass judgment, even if she knew that such corsets were either central or peripherally essential to activities she would never countenance. While she was not a prude, all she would do was acknowledge the existence of such facts but she would never be persuaded to enter into discussion of such matters. Happily most of her customers understood her rules and respected her for this. Those who did not, or would not, soon realised they were not welcome in her salon, neither at Gardners, nor at her home. Thus she could equally be a friend and confidante to the most modest and the most outgoing of women and, to the most diffident as well as with the most self-confident of gentlemen. Her principal concern was that no one took advantage of either sense of propriety, or of her business, or tried to compromise any confidences. To do so was to challenge her tolerance and join the small group of individuals who were no longer welcome in her salon. In retirement, it was clear that the orders she got from individuals did not suffice, and as machinist at heart, she did what is known in the 'rag trade' as outwork. In her case, she produced dozens a week of ladies dresses for an outsize department store. With the modest revival of interest in corsetry by the mid-1980s, she started to produce bulk orders for standard size corsets for what is now one of the UK's largest corset mail and web order agencies. After the demise of Gardners she did a little work for the US market. Oct 31, 1982 "You can fetch the corsets with you when you come and I will alter them if possible. I've changed the bones on the one you left me and put the loops on (for detachable suspenders.) The new one is ready, all but the shoulder straps. Ill put them on when you call for the fitting. The suspenders are made. I think that was all. Did you want shoulder straps on the old one? The repair is 10 and Ive put you a new panel where the elastic was. The new one is 55. I think you paid me 40 but if I'm wrong let me know. You looked worn out when you came in last time and I thought you needed a good night's sleep. I've had another few orders from people and have got another 10 to make." 2.2 MEASURING Iris had an outstanding eye for the wearer's form and all would attest to the fit of what she produced. But she was not so proud of her effort that she did not offer a trial fitting before completing the work, which her deft hands could do within the space of the half hour usually allotted for a fitting appointment. Knowing the style you wished to wear, she would quickly take the measurements, pausing to write each one down as she did. She began with the waist and asked how much you wanted to reduce. Then she judged the distances, waist to top and waist-front and back and there youd rely on her to size accordingly. She even accounted for the slight increase from natural circumference to accommodate the displaced flesh. So skilled was she that on the mere provision of three measurements, the waist, the top and the hip she could sew up a garment ready for a trial fitting. This was a typical confirmation:"These are the measurements on the corset you had in August 1980, so hope this is the one 28-37-36, 17 back, 14 busk, 1 hook and eye top and bottom. 10 above front, 12 above back. 8 suspenders, 6" and 5".
Double bones spirals, wide steel back, shoulder straps adjustable like a suspender." 1st May 1981 There was no style of corset she had not made. From a cinching six inch deep waspie to the elegance of the high-waisted knee length mannequin trainer. Whilst at Gardners she had made corselettes, but was never satisfied with what she achieved that, once running her own business, she would try not to make them. She preferred to take dimensions off an existing one and replicate and even improve upon the fit it offered in the new pair she made. 2.3 ADVICE ON FABRICS Often enthusiastic customers would bring material for facing of corsets. Many of the materials were not suitable for the rigours to which service as part of a pair of corsets would impose on them. Iris would always thoughtfully point this out. Hence she did not like to work with leatherette or silk based satin. It was far better to bow to her superior knowledge and go with the items that she held in stock. She would show a number of single rolls in the drawers where they were kept. Some with silver or gold broche, the gold spot, 'regency' satin in white, cream, pink and black as well as red and black leatherette. She often worked in kid or
patent leather and even bought lengths from a market stall in her town.
2.4 HER ADVICE ON BUSKS, UNDER-BUSKS AND BONES In every detail of corset design, Iris would ultimately defer to an insistent customer's wishes. In the course of that conversation she would invariably tell the customer what she did in her own corsets. Busks and boning were no exceptions. Selection of the correct length of busk is part of the corsetires metier and Iris knew the difference between a wedge busk, straight plate busks and how the gauge of the metal (the weight) used in the busk plates affected the performance, and that while long busks were made in lighter weights they made it harder to hook up busks with six or seven points than if heavy plates were used. She recommended that an under-busk be fitted and lamented the fact that many modern busks were not made as carefully as in earlier times. The result was that without the protection of an under-busk, the wearers skin was prone to get pinched in the gap between the two busk plates. In talking of busks Iris had her own idiom and called the hooking posts, studs or points of the busk the 'bobbles!'. 2.5 SPOON BUSKS She herself was devoted to the spoon busk, which she regarded as the being basis of helping to achieve the
'tulip' shape below the waist of the larger hip spring which had been carefully cultivated with a well-shaped fluted hip corset.
She set her own 13 inch spoon busk, they never seemed to came in any other length, to reach three to four inches above the waist and nine to 10 inches below in her Godet L267 corset. Above and below the busk she would set hooks and eyes as required to help pull taut the upper edge and the lower skirt of the corsets. However, spoon busks are not like others busks in that the base plates are made not of spring steel but of mild or stainless steel. Such steels are less flexible and have properties that allows the stamping process to give them a permanent set with convex and concave curves, yet remain reasonably flexible to conform to the wearers
form as the corset is tightened to the desired degree. The gauge number of the metal sheet from which they The classic 'Spoon-busked' corset are cut is higher. This is done in an effort to make their ability to conform to the wearers shape to be equivalent to the flexibility of busks made up with the heavier spring steel plates. In service, a busk is subject to flexing stresses as the wearer bends forward or backward or even while he or she breathes. In time the repetition in mild steel leads slowly to failure rather like when a wire paper clip is repeatedly bent back and forth. Metallurgists call it 'work hardening'. Thus, the physically active women like Iris who opted for the
spoon busk also break the busks more frequently than users of spring busks. As she was to write:
"I made myself a corset with the spoon busk then one side of it broke in half , so I had to take it out" Mr. G sent me one for Xmas so very likely I'll make another one for the fine weather." Jan 22, 1984. One would think that for someone so seriously corseted that Iris eschewed physical work. On the contrary, she was quite the handyman about the house and did much of the digging in the garden and was even known to paint the outside of her window frames ,actually sitting outside the frame and lowering the upper and lower sashes in turn in order to paint them. All this was done while wearing a spoon-busked corset. It is small surprise that she broke them so regularly, perhaps as often as every six months. In the mid-1980's, she was relieved to track down a source of spoon busks in Germany but in the meantime her husband managed to get one pair repaired at his work and the admirer who took her to the LGM ball found her two others while she obtained some through the good offices of Michael Garrod of True Grace Foundations. From about 1986 she and Michael were able to help one another with difficult to find spiral and flat steels and busks of various lengths. Another customer gave her two spoon busks he had been given by a German contact. 2.6 SPRING STEEL BUSKS AND UNDER-BUSKS Spring steel busks were not without their breakage problems for some of Iriss customers. As anyone who has attempted it, a piece of spring steel can be bent a long way but the process of making it springy makes it brittle so that ultimately it breaks very suddenly and always without any warning. It is instructive to bend forward while corseted and observe the way the busk will bend. With very little effort the middle searches for and finds a zone of lower resistance in the wearers abdominal area so that, very quickly the busk, even with a spring steel under-busk to assist it, can almost be bent back upon itself so that its ends are only a few inches apart in a U-shape. In fact, at least two of Iris longest standing customers were able to break their spring steel busks in this way and even if not cut were quite annoyed. To redress the situation, their admiring husbands who encouraged them to maintain a small waist, solved the problem by making their own under-busks. One of them had produced a heavy curved plate for a spoon busk permanently set to conform to her corseted form, made of thick mild steel and understood to weigh close to a
pound. Another husband (of the midlands couple noted in section 6.2), was prompted to act when his wife was cut by the jagged edge of a broken under-busk. He made her one of mild steel an inch and a quarter wide and inch thick and 11 inches long, with all edges careful filed round. Again he carefully bent it to assume the required body shape she had when she was fully laced in. His wife observed that the half pound plate solved the problem since using it she had never broken a busk and laughed that she had become much more ladylike in her movements, even in her physically active work as a school nurse. For such customers, Iris would make up the appropriate under-busk casing as usual, but she added press-studs so that the under-busk could be taken in and out and moved from corset to corset and at the same time be prevented from sliding out. In more than 20 years of service, it remained as unyielding as the first day it was used, almost up to the moment of the customers untimely death. 2.7 ON THE AVAILABILITY OF BUSKS The availability of busks of any length became progressively difficult and when the makers shut down, a serious personal concern of Iris was the availability of her preferred spoon busks. She even wrote to customers on other continents or countries to inquire of they were available there. With spring steel busks she wrote:
"I got six 13- inch busks off Mr. Gardner for you as you cant get long ones anywhere else. I think you will have to have a lace (and eyelets) at the bottom of the corset, as I can't put in the hooks and eyes or it would mean me going up to London and using Mr. Gardner's machines. I don't think he is going to part with the machines. I know somebody else who does the eyelets for me", 25 August 1981
She lamented the reduced quality of busks made in the 1980's and her concern ran to lack of rigidity and the idea of equal spacing, rather than the two studs about an inch apart at the bottom, which as every one who had used them in their corsets will know greatly facilitates in achieving that all too difficult hooking them closed when first fitted. "The (16 inch ) busk M has sent is only a light-weight one, not so strong as the one you've got. I don't know if they make that length now in that weight, only the 14". I don't want any of those 16" busks as the bit where it tucks under isn't a very a good thing and I think as they are a light weight one, also they are a bit long for me. I still have couple of the old ones I bought off Voller a long while ago, but he hasn't any more heavy ones now." Sept. 27, 1992. "I'm writing to ask you if by any chance you can get me some of them 15" busks you got me, as M says he cannot get any more as he as not heard from that chap in Germany. I wonder if you will have any luck. I don't like to bother you but I may want a couple if possible." 11 June 1995. 2.8 ADVICE ON THE BONING OF CORSETS As to the weight of a corset, Iris claimed not to like a heavy corset and favoured single wide spiral boning. If only light-weight boning was available then she would double her bones. She did not like Nuli bones. Faced with requests for particular combinations of boning she would as likely respond "It'll be very heavy with that you know." She was always concerned to point out if a customers choice would mean a heavier corset than she herself judged best. When discussing the efficacy of flat or spiral steels, she would advise a customer that she can do whatever they favour, except she liked spiral steels in the sides and flat steels at the back. In the face of over ambitious customers wanting flat steel boning, she would say that she knew who had told them that and, while some people might swear that flats all round were best, she was loyal to the old corsetires dictum "flat steels front and back but spirals in the sides" . She thought that while some people would insist on flat steels they only wore the the corsets sometimes. She thought spirals were enough if a corset was worn from early morning to late at night as she did.
As such, she never made orthopaedic corsets, but would often say that regular corset wearing by ladies or gentlemen could alleviate or prevent the onset of chronic back pain without the discomfort and loss of mobility of the orthopaedic styles. She was also of the opinion that back trouble had become more common since women stopped wearing boned corsets and could be cured in many people if they wore them again. On the matter of back steels she would again say it was what a customer wanted, but readily related her own experience. She had always used only spirals until in the mid-1970s when she suffered from persistent back trouble and eventually fitted two heavy spring steels on each side of the eyelets. That quickly cured the problem and she had fitted them ever since. "It stops you slouching as you get older" she'd say. No truer words could have been spoken since to sit with Iris while one consumed the tea and sandwiches she had prepared was to see what correct corseting does for the wearer's posture. She would sit at the table on her preferred upright carving chair, the type with side arms much favoured by tight lacers. Her right arm folded below her fulsome bosom and the faint but clear sound of her busk creaking in response to her breathing. 2.9 HER ADVICE ON SUSPENDERS She was of the opinion that although boned, corsets, like their junior sister the girdle, fit more comfortably if worn with suspenders anchored to stockings to pull the hem and corsets skirt smoother than the boning alone could ever achieve. In this she would no doubt have agree with the comments on suspenders in 'A Harmony in Dress' [2], that on page 20 says: "They are really needed to hold the corset down in order to avoid the formation of a ridge at the lower edge." Given the dictum that the customer is always right, she would provide suspenders in the number, elastic strength and length requested. While her own preference was for three pairs of suspenders, the back pair of which were always clipped to the seams of her stocking tops. That pair were positioned on the corset 's hem so that, when tensioned, the pull would keep the seam on the correct lines on her legs, even though it meant sometimes sitting on a suspender clip. Her front pair was sewn as classically close to the inside of the leg as the width of a spoon busk will allow. Mid-way between the other pairs were the side suspenders. The strap lengths were graduated, with standard 4 inch straps at front and sides with the back suspenders comfortably longer so that the elastic did not become
too strained when sitting. A customer commented:-
"M other had always used 10, and sometimes as many 12, suspenders on her corsets" and who herself said "I still
prefer 10 suspenders, even if they are more trouble."
The following comment is typical of her concern if she could not meet the customer's wishes:"For the suspenders I think you may have to have plastic ones. I could get you some inch pink ones off Mr. Gardner as he plenty of those, but no black, as they don't make the sort that you like ." 25
August 1981
She used white elastic for her own suspenders, and would say that suspenders should really be in white or pink elastic if the customer wanted them to last, but admitted that they would look silly with a black corset. She believed the chemical effect of black dye resulted in more rapid breakdown of black suspender elastic. Likewise she knew the grades of elasticity of the suspender strap elastic and would use stronger grade for back suspenders. As is traditional with proper corsets, unless otherwise requested she used standard 1-inch width elastic for suspenders.
The more fashionable narrow -inch elastic was of course available. On the matter of elastic width, she would implicitly betray her preference for wide suspender elastic by saying of a customer:-
"Its funny, but Mrs. R. prefers the narrow elastics, you know." On number of pairs: "You know that Mrs M she got me to put seven pairs on her last corsets, I think she has to do that because her husband wants it. I know you like more but I find threes enough ."
She was always happy to discuss the trials and tribulations of suspenders. At one appointment, in response to the usual salutations, she remarked that she was much irritated by the fact that she was having difficulty "keeping my stockings on my suspenders." She thought it was the shininess of the nylon, and in typically practical fashion, she eventually solved her problem temporarily by screwing up tissue paper to bulk out the knobs. Later she was to crimp the metal clip to increase friction between the stocking shrouded button and the metal.
Proper suspenders and the ones that could let go in embarrassing moments!
On the suggestion that she should consider using more suspenders she was clearly set in her ways and relied on three pairs, and despite her fine hip spring did not personally subscribe to the observation on page 21 of 'Harmony in Dress', that states:"For women who are very stout or have full hip figures, eight supporters are sometimes used." Writing to a correspondent in May 1983 in regard to her problem of slipping clips she said:"I don't think Ill have extra suspenders as I sometimes sit on the ones I've got at the back." Her concern about slipped suspenders became noticeable during a fitting session, when she give an extra push to the button in the clip and remarked that one had to be sure to push the buttons properly. When suspenders ends again became in short supply in the 1990's, she wrote on 13th Oct 1993 "I've got some of those ends if you want but they are off old braces." and on July 30, 1994 "The chap in Kent sent you some ends for your suspenders I'll keep them till you come with the other." 2.10 HER ADVICE ON CORSELETTES She did not like making corselettes because of the problem of fitting the bra. Lady customers tried to prevail on her to make them a corselette, only to get the curt response. "I never do corselettes." Pressed for an explanation, she would explain that she found that there was too much guesswork because she could not estimate how much a wearers bust size would change when their corsets were tightened, and flesh or fat was relocated. That might need as many as three alterations to get it right which was too time consuming and was not satisfying work. At this point she would counsel that they do as she did and to lace on the corsets and to shop for a long line bra while laced in the desired amount. The request to make a bra was met with the same curt refusal by someone who would only counsel the customer to do as the corsetire did. She was on record as saying:"I don't really like making corselettes; I prefer to stick to the corsets I made at Gardners as these can be very
awkward with different cup sizes which I'm not very good at..... I get a few orders ( for ordinary corsets) here and
there and they keep my head above water, that's all I really want. I now have six to make. I dont mind) making them (padded corselettes) for men to dress up so long as I get the right size." Nov 27 1983.
This simply meant that with a male customer who wanted a corselette, she could simply form false cups on the outside of a high top corset, which for her was relatively easy work. On 8th Jan 1985 she wrote:"I don't mid doing corselettes like I used to do at Gardners, (for men) but I don't like the bras on their own as it's
hard to get nylon elastic for them unless you buy lots, so I'd sooner not do them."
Like many women who wear corsets, Iris agreed with a 17-inch waisted customer from Birmingham, see section 6.2, who said simply "I wear corsets because I abhor bulges." She found that the combination of the strong elastic and boning of her bra and the upper part of her Godet corset gave her the reassurance she wanted, and allowed her to wear the close cut bodice type blouses and dresses she favoured, even for every day wear. Of another smallwaisted customer she wrote:"That E -- is very slim. He has got her that way, she never was when I first saw her a few years ago. Its the high heels that make you look thinner." 2.11 LONG LINE OR MANNEQUIN CORSETS No account would be complete without a note on the long line, or mannequin corsets, which Iris learned to make at Gardners, though the style was never
featured in their catalogue.
Most of her customers had one or two of these in their wardrobe and usually took them to be fitted at corset soirees. One of her extrovert customers, Mrs B, told how her husband laced her into one at home and how hard it was to slide, almost horizontally in fact, into and out of the back seat of the car and to stay reclined on the trip! In the images of note, the rear view of the light coloured one shows the improvised arrangement of the back suspenders to deal with too short a gap between corset hem and the top edge of the stockings. On this point, both Iris and other corsetires recommended that Mannequin Corset wearers who wished to wear stockings as well, should wear a separate deep-boned suspender belt under the corset. Iris made such belts bespoke to suit ladies or gentlemen. The front views clearly shows the eyelets of the front lacing section below the busk, before the lace is threaded. As you see in this case, the model has her stockings clipped to a separate suspender belt worn underneath. continued...
FRANGARD
Why there is "The Other Side" I: Frangard's Corset Odyssey II: Establishing the Client - Corsetiere Relationship III: Two Years of Despair IV: My Efforts are Rewarded - The Future is Assured V: A Meeting of "The Other Side" VI: Consolidation and New Contacts VII: Horizons Widen
Notes on Black Corsets
Why there is "The Other Side"

This is written in the hope that it will assist readers of Ivy Leaf's wonderful compilation in understanding the motivation of the men who wear corsets out of choice, the people who constitute "The Other Side". It is to be hoped that the more disapproving readers will accept what is written is not meant to be sensational or intrusive. It is intended to be a sincere effort to explain to your readers the motivations of another member of the "Other Side". Like Simon's story, I believe you will find that my story, Frangards Odyssey confirms that, even forty years ago, some corsetires recognised that men such as ourselves, not only posed no threat to them or society at large, but that they were actually were men who were worthy of their help and wise counsel. My contribution is also intended to be posthumous "thank you" to my own corsetire Iris, to Simon's Mary and to the others like them, who understood who we were and who were able to help us to obtain the apparel we find we must wear to feel "complete". In a different way Ivy Leaf is a worthy heiress to those wonderful women of yesteryear in that she has seen fit to add the "Other Side" to her amazing website. That her site is possible, is thanks to modern technology - the world wide web which allows others to see how far society has advanced in its acceptance of behaviour that less than a generation ago would be the subject of ridicule at best, and criminality at worst. The presentation adopts the "three W" approach - an opinion as to "Who" we are, "Why" we are like we are and "What" we are. WHO WE ARE Even today, amongst readers of Ivy Leaf's site there will be a broad range of attitudes towards men such as myself and Simon who have chosen to wear corsets and to anchor them down through their suspenders which are clipped to "ladies" nylon stockings.
There have been many attempts to explain the underlying psychological reasons for our behaviour. Amateur psychologists abound and very few psychiatrists really understand why we are motivated as we are. Certainly they understand less than the corsetires like "Mary" and Iris Norris of Gardners to whom Simon refers. I have spent much of his life wondering why, and have failed to find a real explanation. To that end I set about trying to remember my boyhood to find out if there were any "clues" The result is I have written my "life story" concerning corsets, suspenders and stockings, Ivy leaf had agreed to present it separately. I leave it to your readers to compare it to Simon's Story and assess what they think of such men. For most of our adult lives we have risked "being found out" with the attendant general public approbation or ridicule. The problem is that, for all the progress that has been made the public at large does not discriminate between manifestations of our choice. Old perceptions die hard, so that for every one who accepts them as they are there majority are rooted in old attitudes. The range of perception ranges from being labelled gay, when most of us are not all the way to being near criminal. The only certain place for acceptance is to meet in locations frequented by those who openly cater for "alternative lifestyles". The one group which one would have hoped were understanding were psychiatrists yet even today there is an over-riding tone of condemnation in their attitude to our interest even today. The popular tendency is to lump all shades of behaviour t be the same. It is not as bad as 40-50 years ago when we were both taking our initial steps to respond to our feelings, but there remains much professional misunderstanding of our motivations. What is remarkable is that during the "dark ages", there were rays of light. Both Simon and I were able to meet understanding women who became our personal corsetires. Women who understood that our motivations were harmless and were willing and ready to meet our requirements. Fortunately they leave a positive legacy for their exemplary tolerance has helped to widen tolerance in general society.
WHY WE ARE Speaking from experience of having the mild condition, it operates on three levels, the Aesthetic, Physical and Psychological , which are "triggered" by our senses - Visual, Tactile and Acoustic. Almost every item of women's clothing might be fixated on, either exclusively or in combination including corsets, girdles, stockings, lingerie, boots, shoes, gloves, skirts, dresses, belts etc. Most expect and want these items to be made out traditional fabrics such as satins and broches, and yarns such as silk, cotton or nylon. Others must have them made from leather, rubber or PVC. Given that boys are largely nurtured by women, it is hardly surprising that they are exposed from a very early age to the presence of feminine under-apparel. They see it when it is put on, they see it being taken off, they see it in the washing and in the drying, and they feel it through women's outer attire when they embrace older relatives platonically. When they pass through adolescence this infant "imprinting" is thus reinforced when they see advertisements or when they embrace girl friends. Add to that the fact that, until the 1950s some parents still put infant boys in dresses- I have photos of my 15 month old brother in 1948 in such attire - and that, in 1946, I was required to wear the a liberty bodices until I rebelled upon finding that my friends sister wore them too!. Also recall that male cut corsets were de rigueur for the officer class in the armed forces of Europe up to 1918 and that retired military men continued to patronise corsetires until the 1970s. Likewise hosiery for the masses only assumed a gender typing after World War 1. Similarly sock suspenders were commonly worn by middle class male adults until the late 1950s. Given all that, it can hardly be surprising that some small percentage of boys, or young men are at some time curious as to what it can feel like "inside" apparel regarded as exclusively female. I believe such was the underlying motivation of Simon when he tried on his grandmother's corsets. Still others were required to wear corrective orthopaedic corsets and suffered form withdrawal when they tried to go without them when cured and sought out corsets from their old maker or elsewhere. We might take Simon's as a case in point. He grew up in an era when trying on women's clothes was at best regarded as abnormal,
at worst as perverted or deviant. What his mother did, was a common response to what she had discovered and which probably "cured" some boys. In Simon's case, all it did was introduce Simon to what it was like to wear items that fitted correctly! As it happened, he liked the experience and was able to do so for several weeks. The punishment actually reinforced Simon's desire though he had to repress it for another 4-5 years when he became free of parental control and could do as he wished. His mother's well intentioned attempt at aversion therapy had the reverse result to what she intended because the motivation that led to Simon being "found out" was beyond his control. Yet he was happy to live as a man with his a "secret" of which his mother believed him "cured" but which "Mary" his corsetire who obviously had a kind and profound understanding that his motivation was harmless which she was able to nurture.
WHAT WE ARE What motivated the young men and boys to set out on such a course of action? I suggest they have addressed an ill-understood compulsion and acted upon it, despite the proscriptions of mores of a society which were they to ever have been found out would have subject them to ridicule or worse. I believe this strikes at the heart of why there is an "Other Side". As I noted there are undoubtedly "triggers" of the senses which act on the subconscious and start boys such as Simon or myself on such a course of behaviour. In Simon's case it was the sense of touching the female corseted form, a strange combination of feeling maternal warmth, offset by the hardness or firmness of the corsets - rather than softness. He would get visual stimuli on washing and ironing days - the colour and sheen of fabric, the glint of the chrome plate on the busk clasp and the suspender fittings, the silhouette of the belted, cinched waist and bosom. Finally he would sense the careful deportment, modified by tight corseting and/or high heeled shoes. I would also suggest that, among that minority who would go so far as to try wearing such apparel the majority would immediately lose the interest. Others would have found that the tactile sensations associated with wearing the items pleased their psyche at some sub-or semi conscious level. It might be one or a number of sensations. It might be the feel of the tensioned stocking fabric on the leg, the stretch and unstretching of the elastic straps of suspenders during walking, the constant hug of stretched girdle fabric or the sense of "containment' or pressure provided by boned corset that is firmly or tightly laced. As to satisfying the new found pleasure, in all cases remember that wearing these items of apparel during the day is not too difficult, since they can are totally concealed by conventional man's apparel - trousers, socks, pants vest and shirt. Also it should be noted that, by and large, these men are neither transvestites nor voyeurs, nor are they gay. Indeed most are quiet, inoffensive heterosexual youths or men, many of whom marry with their "secret". Granted there are variations in behaviour. In the men who exhibit some or all of these tendencies. Yet for many years they were all branded with the label of either "pervert", "deviant" terms replaced by "kinky" in the 1960s. In truth, the psyche of each one has, in one of a myriad ways, been sub-consciously imprinted with a fascination for these items of apparel. In them the imprinting has made for an element of compulsion. It is my personal experience that the individual is unable to do anything but pursue the matter. Aversion therapy as tried was tried by Simon's mother may have while it appeared to succeed, it only did so while he remained at home. In the long run, when he was "free" unknown to his mother it proved had the reverse effect to what she intended! In taking such action some boys found that wearing the apparel gave them strong stimuli of a sexual nature. In the case of Simon, it was being forced to live in the corset bra and stockings for some weeks that allowed him to reach an appreciation of them. This longer term satisfaction is what men and women who wear corsets out of choice derive from being able to wear the items all day, every day. In contrast, in the case of girls of the 1950s, there was an expectation that they wear such attire day in day out. Convention gave them no choice. Some liked it enough to continue to were girdles or corsets. Those who tolerated it for fashion and convention's sake were fortunate that the era of women's liberation which gathered at the end of the 1960s, allowed them to become truly free to choose what they wore.
Yet for all the condemnation of the corsets, suspenders and stockings because of the restriction and discomfort, some women such as Alison, and Ivy herself admit to finding that they came to appreciate the feelings that wearing the apparel gave them. Well it is the same for the likes of Simon or myself. We tolerate it because the positive aspects gained by of wearing them outweigh the disadvantages and discomfort the result is positive. In my case I like to feel the restraint on my movements caused by the busk, boning and back steels of my corsets. I like to feel the pull of my suspenders as transmitted into my stockings as I walk. Seated at my desk, during the working day, I like to be able to touch the metal fittings of my suspenders through my trousers or to locate and trace the outline of the finishing loops in my stocking tops or the hard ridge of the stocking seams, etc. I like to hear my suspender clips click as they dangle and knock on one another and to hear the busk studs click into place. I would miss it all if I could not wear the apparel that gives me this satisfaction.
SATISFYING THE COMPULSION For much of the 20th Century there was strong prejudice against men who like to wear certain items of what are commonly regarded as apparel for women. Yet it was only in that century that many of those items of apparel were ascribed as being for the exclusive wear by one sex or the other. Remember the widespread prejudice against women in trousers until the 1960s? Once a man recognised that his desires must be met, he had to wrestle with the fact that he want to wear some, but not all items of women's apparel. After that, such men, myself included, were faced with the challenge of how to acquire them. The difficulties posed by convention did in some instances lead to some unfortunates stealing the items of interest and rightly falling foul of the law, but wrongly to public ridicule, as a result of sensational press reporting. Such incidents contributed to give even the most law abiding man a real sense of "guilt" about his compulsion. Add to that the fact that it is not any years since a man could not venture out wearing the items, even when concealed, without risking arrest if detected. I read of it happening to someone who was sitting on a bus only for the gap between his sock and trouser leg to expose t other peoples notice the fact that he was wearing women's stockings, and to be arrested for "causing a breach of the peace". Following a course of acquisition was not easy, as Simon was to find out when using those of his mother. Later in life, those who had Simon's courage to enter a corset shop, found they were summarily rebutted by women who were only being true to the conventional wisdom of the time. Ultimately, acquisition was dependent on what was to prove his relatively rare good luck in finding a woman like his Mary, possessed as she was of the attitude and understanding of one who had accepted that some men had a need to wear corsets and related apparel and that fact did not make them into monsters. Happily since the 1970s there has been much more tolerance. For sure there has been a change of what the general public regards as acceptable, nevertheless some women contributors in the early days of "Girdles and more" , gave more than a hint of supporting the condemnatory attitude of some corsetires. Since the 1970s too, a person can have anonymous access to the things that might fulfil their needs be it mail order to acquire such clothes, web sites providing the chat rooms, sources of information, supply or whatever, and a climate that tolerates what they do or wear. And last but not least there is E-Bay and Pay Pal. While we have moved on, old attitudes die hard and over the years of reading web sites, I was always distressed to read postings by former corsetires rebutting the very idea that a man may wish to purchase a corset and wear it himself.
I: Frangard's Corset Odyssey

INTRODUCTION
"Simon's Story", a sincere and frank account of his life long interest in corsets, has inspired me to share with your readers the longer and more tortuous path I followed to reach a similar ending. Like Simon, my path eventually led me to the wonderful person who became, not just my personal corsetire, but a true friend and confidante, for close to 25 years, which only ended with her death. While the paths we followed were very different, the motivation or compulsion that Simon and I felt was so strong that, in the end our faith that we would find "someone who understood" was rewarded by finding women who were not only wonderful corsetires, but fine human beings. In my case, it is more than 40 years since the compelling force caused me to first wear my own stockings and suspenders. It is nearly 35 years since I started wearing corsets. If anyone had said to me, when I was 14 years old, that by the time I was 35, I would want to wear back lacing corsets out of choice for the rest of my life, I would have said they were crazy. The very idea that one day I would admire and wear something I had initially found almost repulsive was an idea far beyond my imagination or desire. In my story I have sought to include reflections on how I felt at key points in my odyssey. I hope that these albeit biased insights might help others to understand the motivation of men like myself. Initially Simon and I were very differently motivated. Simon found the fascination of corsets directly. Mine grew out of a first fascination for fully-fashioned stockings, the "nylons" which were almost universally worn by most women from the late 1940s and for most of the 1950s, when I was growing up. Yes, stockings were the catalysts which eventually led me to discover my "corset self". I trust readers who expect to read only about corsetry will be patient with the first few pages, but what I say is very relevant to the path my odyssey followed.
EARLY IMPRINTING AND AVERSION Psychologists talk of imprinting on the psyche of young people. It is my experience that imprinting can be either positive or negative. On the positive side of my imprinting were certain objects that fascinated me in that. Each time I saw them reinforced the mental question I had as to how it must feel to wear them. Among the items were the knee length shiny black or brown leather gaiters that farmers wore to the animal market in my town, and sheer ladies stockings; the nylons that appeared after the end of the second world war. At that age, I certainly had no need to wear any of these items but they did interest me very much. If they were referred to in advertisements or in newspaper articles or photos, my attention would be instantly drawn to them and I would avidly read anything about them especially about stockings. I was instantly aware of them if I saw them worn. The only item I had access to were the gaiters. My great uncles wore them and there was an old pair of my grandfather, which I tried on, but they were made for grown men and my preteen legs were far too small. My interest in them died there and then. But the inaccessibility of stockings heightened my fascination. On the negative side of my imprinting were liberty bodices, corsets and the shade of pink generally used in the fabrics from which they were made and which features so often in Ivy Leaf's website. I am also aware that psychologists also try negative imprinting under the term aversion therapy. As he tells us, Simon's mother tried it in an attempt to break his interest in corsets but of course she failed. In my case I had no need of such therapy in that, from my earliest years I had been all but repulsed by the shade of pink of the corsets which both my grandmothers wore, and which I occasionally saw drying on a clothes horse. As for the lady who had the black glass "Spirella Corsetire" sign outside her house in our village, I assumed that she made pink corsets too! The liberty bodice reinforced the negative when, one winter at the age of six, after some resistance on my part, my mother persuaded me to wear a white one. Within a few weeks I perceived this to be "girls-attire". I rebelled and refused to wear it again.
STOCKINGS While Simon opted for corsets, I first became fascinated by stockings in 1947, I was seven years old. I was standing with my mother who was chatting to a group of women who, like herself, had recently had boomer babies. At one point, all were admiring the stockings one of the mothers was wearing. I of course looked to see what they were talking about. I can still recall what I saw. She was standing in black suede high heeled shoes, of the type fashionable for the time, and above them were the square cut heels and seams of pale sheer nylons. When asked where she got them, their wearer said "I don't know, you'd better ask my husband".
This was when such stockings were as hard to find as old dust and on the "black market". In retrospect I realise that it was the start of the "golden age" of fully-fashioned stockings. What I saw were all so different from the lisle and art.silk stockings which every female member of my family, my mother included, generally wore. At first "nylons" graced the legs of the more fashion conscious women in our village but within a few years they were being worn at school, first by the senior girls and gradually, as the prices came down, and availability improved, by the girls in my form. After that I noticed the seams, and if they were straight, as well as the various heel designs. I also developed a liking for darker shades. My preference for black nylons began at the age of eleven when I was thrilled to see the women of the Royal Family wear them at the funeral of King George VI. Nylons were a key talking point in conversations, in magazines, and even in songs in the 1950s. A close second were vital statistics and, of course, waist measurements. I was also in my adolescence, and as a result my interest was continually reinforced. I saw photo pin-ups of models posing with raised skirts or in her lingerie showing their stocking tops and suspenders. Amongst the most memorable were those of Gina Lollobrigida as a Can-Can dancer and Sophia Loren, holding her skirt by her side and walking "with swaying suspenders" in "Picturegoer" in 1955. It was also an era of the small waist. A starlet Sabrina had the smallest waist at 19 inches and how she did it was the cause of speculation, but that is for later in my story. Full-length satin slips and negligees edged in lace were also popular items of attire for pin ups too. They looked fetching but I had no desire to wear such items. Unusual styles of stockings and corsets such as the "Merry Widow" appeared in weekly magazines like "Reveille". There were cartoons featuring skirts blown up to show "frillies", corsets and stocking tops and seams, which appeared in "Blighty" that my father read and on comic post cards. There was a plethora of advertisements for nylons in magazines and I often sneaked a peep at the women's magazines in the house just to look at the stocking and girdle adverts. I learned about gauge and denier and about "tummy control", but was perplexed by the fact that, though all the girdles had suspenders they were always shown being worn without stockings. Nylons even featured in pop songs of the days such as "Sisters" by the Beverly Sisters and "Long Black nylons" was even sung on the "Goon Show" by Ray Ellington. All this was in the realm of fantasy, but in real life I also found the dark shades of smoke and navy most appealing and especially black as worn by nurses when walking too or from duty at the local hospital, and when I moved from home I saw them worn by police women and WRNS. What was strange was that while black was acceptable for the services ,it became considered "fast" for fashionable women to wear. In about 1955 my interest was spiked again when the "best dressed girl" from our village returned for Easter holidays with her calves graced as usual by a neutral shade of nylons, except that this time hers were complemented by seams and heels knitted in contrasting black. I thought they looked wonderful. Shortly after one girl who walked with me to catch the school train wore a style that had partially black seams, ending with black arrows at mid-calf. CORSET GLAMOUR As for the corset connection, in my teens I had a sudden change of heart about certain foundation garments - but not pink corsets. For the first time I saw that corsets could be glamorous, when in 1955 I was entranced to see Dawn Addams posing in a busk-fronted, closely boned corset faced in red satin, as the centre fold of "Picture Post". I was entranced by her corset, but was disappointed that she wore fishnet tights under it instead of suspenders and stockings. I now knew how the small waist was achieved. This image must have reacted on my subconscious because I suddenly became aware of the drawings of elegant women - wearing wonderful corselettes, in the advertisements that "Marshall and Snelgrove" placed usually in one of the bottom corners of the front page of the Sunday newspaper
"Observer". I imagined those corselettes would be worn by the likes of Barbara Goalen, one of the top high fashion models of the time, and I thought they were the height of women's under-glamour appeal, and a far cry from what was worn by my grandmothers. On my first trip to London in 1955 my interest was tweaked when I saw girdles and corselettes in the escalator adverts. Those adverts were the first germ of an urge to experience how it felt like to be "inside" a girdle, as well as in stockings. I never imagined that, one day I would wear my own male cut military high top corset, not unlike those corselettes but without the bra cups, and real corsets, busk fronted and much more heavily boned than those dreamy feminine creations of lycra, lace, ribbon and satin. All this happened to the backdrop of another development in my life. At the age of 14, I was first called upon from time to time, by my aged Grandmother to help her wrap her corsets around her form as she sat in the chair in her bedroom, in which she spent her day and which she never left for five years. Overweight for most of her life, she had first worn them as a girl in the 1890s, and was a proud woman. Clearly, she had a dependency for corsets because, although had been humbled by a mild stroke, she still insisted that she wore them all day every day. Usually the daily visiting nurse or my mother helped her with them, but on Saturdays and Sundays, when I was not at school, the lot sometimes fell to me. . I would take her the morning paper and she would call upon me, her teenage grandson, for help. Usually I simply had to take the stiff pink corsets, open them out and slide them down between her body and the back and sides of the chair. I would then pass, what I know to be the busk ends, around to her front. Doing so wasn't easy for either of us as she had to struggle just to lean either forward or to the left or to the right for me to slide them down as close to the seat of the chair, as I could, so that they could be as effective as she desired. On her "bad days", she also called on me to help her to hook its busk front, something I had never seen before. I noticed that she could deal with the hooks and eyes above and below. She wore what I now know to be a busk-fronted, front lacer and I would leave her to huff and puff as she manipulated the laces to get to the desired level of support. It was then I learned to be tactful, for the fitting it often made her grumpy but once laced she was clearly felt happier. This ritual went on for the following three years until I left home and continued for two more years when she was transferred to a long term care residence for the last year of her life. If my ministrations with her corsets did anything, it was to reinforce my distaste for the very idea of the colour pink and for the kind of corsets and the wide pink elastic suspenders associated with them.
But on reflection I do recall wondering what it must feel like to be "inside" those corsets after she had laced them on. Subconsciously those thoughts must have added to my growing fascination with corsets.
THE MAGIC MOMENT The "magical moment", that was the pivotal event, which was to ultimately to change my life forever, came in the winter of 1956. It was a "forfeit" dance in our local Church Hall. At one point I had to remove my tie and tie it around the ankle of my partner who was also my girl friend. She was wearing pale mesh stockings and the very act of touching one of them as I tied on my tie something that was at once so delicate yet so tautly stretched - caused me to wonder what it could feel like to be wearing them. Understand I was not interested in how the stockings might look on me but only in how I would feel when wearing them. It reinforced my early imprinting, and to this day I cannot explain, what kept causing me to want to put myself in the place of the people wearing the things that fascinated me in order experience what it felt like to wear them. Some might say it was because stockings were "forbidden" to a young man but that would not be the truth. I did not need any one of them. I did not need a hearing aid - I was not deaf - but for years I had wanted to try wearing both items.
EXPERIMENTATION More than ever, like Simon did, I now felt compelled to act out my new desire to try on stockings. I found where my mother kept her stockings and identified a pair she appeared to have forgotten about. One day when the opportunity arose I secreted them away until I had the chance to try them on. To call the experience an anticlimax would be an understatement. My rough skin and nails were constantly snagging them on a hangnail or my nails themselves, even before I had one ready to put over my foot. I should have had a manicure before I tried to put them on. I then had trouble passing one over my toes and foot - only to discover my foot was too big for the size my mother wore. I persevered and pulled one up over my knee to my lower thigh - which it just reached. I then realised they needed holding up and of course I had no thigh garters and certainly no suspenders on a suspender belt or corset. I gave up but vowed to find some large elastic bands to hold them up next time I tried them on which, when I did use them proved to be no real answer. Stockings need suspenders to fit properly. I had learned how flimsy sheer nylon was and being far from the anonymity of a city store where I might buy a pair, my interest died - or more accurately - it went dormant -or did it? The idea that I might like to try wearing stockings myself, was reinforced when I saw a photo of Lawrence Olivier in drag, suspendering a stocking on an inside cover of "Photoplay" magazine of 1955-6. It caused me to think if he could get a size to fit him, maybe I could too. From then on I priced stockings in adverts but where I lived it was impossible to do buy them anonymously. Instead I sought solace in the pin up photos of models showing stocking tops and suspenders in the mens magazines of the 1950s. I liked the models in girdles which pulled on their stockings so well, best of all. As for my girl friend, she talked frankly about her girdles, stockings and suspenders and clearly she liked to wear them, but only after school when she changed from her gymslip and ankle socks - nylons were too expensive to be ruined at school. She never complained except to say on occasion "Ouch, I'm sitting on a suspender!". I was also pleased when she asked me to look at her seams and tell her if were straight or not. She even told me that the way to keep one's seams straight was to secure the back suspender clip right on the seam, something I would remember when I started wearing stockings myself. She also told me that one of the girdles that her mother wore for best had six suspenders on it and that was a really serious thing to wear and that it helped to keep her seams straight. I marvelled at the idea which added to the mystique of what it must "feel like inside one." In those days, a relationship never developed much beyond "mild petting". In my case I was fascinated just to embrace her and feel her girdled derriere and her taut suspenders through her dress or skirt. The height of excitement was to caress her leg as far up as I was allowed to go. Yes her suspender clips were the agreed limit and I lovingly explored their contours with my finger tips and marvelled at the tension in the back suspender elastics which indented her flesh. On every occasion I was left wondering what could it felt like to wear such things, but I was powerless to do anything about it.
IN ABEYANCE Then all changed, I left home and went to university in London and forgot about it for several years. I had enough exposure to the girdles and stockings that my girl friend wore and regularly seeing the adverts when riding on the tube escalators. At Xmas 1958 I went into a department store and bought her stockings for a present, probably the last seamed stockings she ever wore as she was glad not to have the chore of seam monitoring. I pleaded for her to stay with seams them but had to accept the evidence all around. By about mid-1959 younger women had all but given up wearing seamed stockings which disappointed me, though my girl friend happily still wore girdles and not a suspender belt. I remained envious of her being "free" to wear stockings when I could not, though strangely in those days, I never had a feeling of wondering how it must feel in the girdle. The memory of "Granny Pink" remained too strong, I suppose. I regretted the much reduced sighting of seams and came to admire older women whose legs they still graced and who were very obviously well corseted as well. By way of substitute, I also started to pay attention to adverts featuring mature women in corsets, including styles which I had previously disliked. My bus stop, in S.W. London, was directly outside W. Adams and Co., corset makers. They had miniature corsets on stands in the window which I thought was very clever but at that time. Only a white corselette offered any appeal to me. But the image that finally pushed me over the top was when I saw the poster for the film "The Millionairess", in which Sophia Loren had stripped to down to a black, busk-fronted corselette, long black suspenders and black nylons for her doctor Peter Sellers. The image will be burned on my memory till I die. To me she was perfection and again the image caused me to wonder how it would feel to be dressed like that. How many men were influenced by Sophie Loren in the film "The Millionairess". It is well documented that Peter Sellers had a direct influence on the costume, and was strongly influenced by the result! - Ivy From the moment I saw the image corsets looked different. The desire to possess my own corset grew more quickly and as I noticed more and more photos of glamorous women posing in basques and girdles. But how could I, lacking as I did, Simon's courage? It took all of five years before I resolved to do something about it. I knew I could how to buy stockings and as I had several years experience of buying for girl friends in big department stores. I was too shy to buy a suspender belt let alone a girdle or corset. However for several years my various girl friends agreed to wear the kind of suspender belts I liked - if I paid for them. So, I accompanied them into the less formidable boutique stores and we jointly chose. This experience helped me to "know the drill", so to speak.
I BUY A SUSPENDER BELT AND STOCKINGS Eventually I felt the overriding need to buy my own stockings and finally, I was ready to brave the issue. It had taken several years but now I had to do it. But what was I to get to hold them up, a suspender belt or a girdle? I quickly ruled out a girdle as my instinct told me that they were purchased by the wearer and I could not explain that away. Corsets I thought were sold in the inner pink and white depths of large stores that I judged to be "women only". Besides I didn't know "my size". In the end I bought the stockings in the Army and Navy Stores on Victoria Street. My story was that I was buying them in black for my mother who was a nurse. I had found out the biggest size was 11, which was also my sock size. I thought that, even if she doubted me, she would see that size 102 was unlikely to fit me. As for the suspender belt I went to a small boutique called "Neatawear" in the concourse of Victoria Station where I had once shopped for one with a girl friend. I thought that if I'd bought the stockings in a large size at the same time the sales lady would think I was buying for myself and I would blush. From the early 1960s "ribbon" suspender belts had become quite popular and as I didn't know what size "my girl friend took." The
salesgirl suggested I took a ribbon type as she said "one size fits all", and I settled on that. I slunk home with my prizes. But where was I to put them on? I still shared a room and couldn't do it there, so I settled on the toilet at work when a few of us had to work on a Saturday. I put on the suspender belt and then the first stocking. Apart from snagging it on my rough hands I was not disappointed. After I had suspendered one stocking, I flexed my leg and was overwhelmed by the "feeling". When I got both stockings on, it felt wonderful. I dressed again and walked out and all the time felt my colleagues were looking at me. I liked the feel of taut nylon on my leg, I liked the pull I felt in the elastic of suspenders alternating on my thigh as I walked. But after about an hour I retreated to take them off. But I was addicted.
DISCOVERY AND EDUCATION My new found delight was dulled by the discovery that I had a lot to learn, and I had many questions but my "secret" was such I could not ask for advice from anyone. The equivalent of Simon's Mary would not enter my life for another seven years. I had to learn by trial and error, whereas women and girls wearing the same things would exchange ideas. In retrospect the process helped because I came to understood how to integrate wearing stockings and suspenders with my daily life. I came to realise that a corset or girdle would make a better support for suspenders which all helped prepare me for when the time came to look for my first corsets. I was reminded that it was all too easy to snag and ladder stockings and quickly discovered that those knitted with 30 denier yarn were much more forgiving of my efforts. Not only did I like the feel of wearing stockings with suspenders, I liked to feel them being pulled hard by the suspenders and I quickly ruled out stretch stockings as an option. Moreover as I had large calves, I found that fully-fashioned type fitted better than seam-free. I also found that if I wore two suspender belts - one back to front which gave four suspenders per stocking with true back suspenders - I got something like the "pull" I wanted on my stockings. I learned it was easier to hook up a belt back-to-front, that is doing up the waist hook in front and then rotate the whole thing until it was in the right position to clip my back suspenders on my stockings. I discovered several means of fastening them and found out that doing up hooks and eyes when pulling on both sides of the belt at once is not so easy until one learns the knack. I soon realised that quite quickly what is at first is just tight can become uncomfortable if the creases dig into the skin especially if one kept one's suspenders taut as I had come to like which meant that they pulled hard on the waist of the belt. It was to teach me how important it was to monitor oneself in belt or corset to prevent skin breakdown. With the back suspenders I discovered what it felt like to sit on a suspender clip or length adjuster. I liked all these sensations and I got a strange pleasure out of having this "secret" no one knew of and of having to "put things right". Without realising it then I had made my decisions on the debate of "Inside or out" which appears on Ivy Leaf's site. For work I wore my suspender belt over my vest, but under my underpants. From being all fingers and thumbs I became very adept at clipping my stockings to my suspenders and in taking them off. Though after a while I always wore gloves with 15 denier - the silk inner gloves used by rear gunners ex army surplus. Even then I found it hard to actually clip the stocking top to a suspender when wearing gloves. On reflection, I see that all this served as an apprenticeship for my odyssey towards full time corseting.
STOCKING TYPES With time I tried all kinds of stockings - seamed plain knit, seamed mesh, seamed plain knit, seamed stretch, seam-free mesh, seam-free stretch, patterned, textured, fishnet, I tried them all. As I had decided on strong pulling suspenders I found in the nonstretch yarn styles better than the seam-free type tended to cramp my toes more than fully-fashioned and found I liked plain knit more than mesh, though I rarely wore the sheerer ones as strong pull made snags into ladders very easily. I preferred the darker shades though it meant keeping one socks up to hide them. I also preferred the non-stretch styles as one could actually move one's toes around inside the nylon. I liked feeling the stocking tops and suspender clips around my thighs all the time. I especially liked to be reminded of their presence and feel the alternating pull, when the action of walking sitting down or standing up stretched the front and back suspender elastics in turn. I did like to feel the elastic stretch and as I sat I like to feel the resistance of the taut stocking on the front
of my knees. Conversely, I liked to feel the bagged knees pulled taut again when I stood up. I tied wearing them right side out or inside out. I liked them inside out, though I'm told it makes them more snag-prone. Like this it accentuates the ridge of the seam especially on the most stretched areas like the calf and heel. Years later I was to find that was how my personal corsetire liked to wear them too - another bond between us. Of course I found that if the stockings were not pulled tight by the suspenders, they twisted out of position and then I could not feel my seams when I tried to locate them through my trousers. I also remembered what my then girl friend had said, 10 years earlier about securing one clip on the seam to keep the seam straight. Since most women had switched to seamless stockings, by 1970 not only was the number of fully fashioned styles reducing but I found the choice of colours was reducing too and I lamented the loss of navy, which I had always admired.
STOCKING MAKES When I began regular stocking wearing the major makers of stockings were Charnos, Aristoc, Bear Brand, Ballito and Wolsey. The first stockings I ever bought were Charnos "Moonbeams". I had no idea what I had bought until I took the first stocking out of the packet and slid my hand in the first stocking top. I will never forget how delighted I was to find that its diamond after (shadow) welt pattern below the tops was the very same as I had most admired when worn by pin-up models. In addition in the 1950s makers used to print a signature label on the welts (tops) and in pin-up photos I noted several makes, like Charnos, Aristoc and Morley in UK photos and Albert's "Classic" or "Walking Sheers" and Triumph "Ease Top" in those from the USA. In 1967, when I started, the Charnos range still used them, but not many other makes I bought did.
DENIER I quickly confirmed my experience of eight years earlier and found that I was too clumsy to handle 15 denier stockings and by chance came upon Charnos "Commonsense" in 30 Denier. A phone call to the Aristoc office in London elicited the fact that Aristoc still made a 30 Denier seamed stocking too, called "Oxford". Yet by 1971 both makers had "phased them out" before I knew it and was able to build up a "reserve stock". About that time out came Aristoc "222", later to be known as "Harmony" which, at 20 denier was more forgiving than 15 denier and since they were widely available I wore them regularly. At the time I first bought them decimalization had just happened and they were 25p a pair. When they stopped production in 1993 I was paying , GBP 3.50 a pair, a 14 times rise in 22 years! With the loss of the other makes I made it a policy to wear stockings still in the shops and to keep the "rarer" brands for special occasions. In this way before "Harmony" were phased out in 1993 by which time I had built up a reserve of 100 pairs, and before Albert's "walking Sheers" were phased out I had another 50 pairs which I estimate will last the rest of my life.
STOCKING DETAILS I found the details were a fascinating part of the hosier's art. I liked the finishing holes in the stocking tops, the ladder stops in the afterwelts to which I have referred, but found the heel design to be the most appealing part of stockings and I found the longer narrower cuban heel of Charnos "Moonbeams" and Aristoc "Ascot" and Bear Brand "Arizona" to be my visual preference. The only problem was they were all 15 denier that snagged and laddered all to easily. Hence, I settled on wider shorter "chunky" heels of the 30 denier Charnos "Commonsense", Aristoc "Oxford" and from the USA Alberts "Walking Sheers". Having been imprinted with cuban heels I never found the point heels which supplanted them in the late 1960s on the Charnos "Orchids" or Aristoc "Harmony" styles, to be so appealing.
SUSPENDER BELTS AND SUSPENDERS The range of designs of suspender belts amazed me. I bought first a ribbon style, then a "gartee" before finding a store that sold the
classic style. Naturally all came with four suspenders, which had been the fashion. Later in my odyssey I was to reflect on whether espousal of the suspender belt by younger women had added to the problem of keeping their seams straight, speeded the research and ultimate dominance of first seam-free hose and then tights and to the near demise of the fully -fashioned hose. Whilst I found the glint of the chrome strap fitting very appealing in photos in the late 1960s they were harder to find as makers were responding to the chrome allergy scare and most came with enamel clips. My preference for very taut suspendering revealed that the certain combinations of elastic and that the length adjuster clip (regulator) which had sharp teeth which bit into the elastic, when it was closed in the "working" position, performed better than those which had a raised pattern which pressed on the elastic and slipped under the level of tension I liked. I came to appreciate the slogan on the packet of "Sphere" suspenders I bought in the haberdashery department which said "fit Sphere and be safe"! I found that woven elastic best, while the sharp teeth were much harder on certain types of suspender elastic than others. I found I had to change elastic quite often. I found plastic clips and adjusters to be quite unreliable. As for the detachable style that came with corset clips, I had no use of them because as yet I was not thinking of corsets, that style is for later in my story. So I began to experiment with making my own. I bought extra suspenders "Winfield" brand in Woolworths, all with white clips and elastic and with several designs of stocking clips and thicknesses and diameters of clip buttons ("nobs"). For the first time in my life I bought needles and thread and learned to sew. I could now unpick the elastic from the suspender belt itself, change the elastic and even to dye them. In my quest for strength I even cut up the webbing of an elasticised belt and made suspenders from it. It wasn't that good a solution as the elastic didn't fold flat around the clip link though the pull was amazing to feel. As for the length adjusters I found two types. One type which relied on folded metal to crimp the end of the elastic was very hard to deal whilst another design allowed the elastic end to be folded over the loop and sewn in place. It added a little to the bulk but on balance I liked that better. Suspenders were always the but of masculine jokes, yet I now know that almost every detail of corsets were patented by men to meet the needs of women. I was coming to appreciate this. I marvelled at the technological skill that created stockings. Likewise I quickly came to marvel at how dependent the whole thing was on the humble suspender and secretly I prided myself on my expertise in suspender design and performance. Even now in 2006, the agony columns of web sites are peppered with questions about suspenders, which I think are a very under appreciated thing. They are essential to hold up stockings and for all girdles and many corsets they, along with their stocking charges are the bedrock anchorage. Throughout my odyssey, I realised this and the more of Ivy leaf's comments that I read, it is clear that she and other corsetires share this view. Confirmation if needed was given in mid-2005 on the content page of her web site and that she chose to place it below the contents list of the original and still most important section on the site "Spirella corsetires" . The image is small and might easily be passed over as simply a section of vintage suspender elastic and its length adjuster clip, (regulator). However look more closely, and take time to appreciate the beauty woven into the ribbed suspender strap and the combination of functionality and attention to detail on the flap of the regulator. Notice firstly how trouble was taken to design that pattern and then to make the die to stamp it on the metal and secondly how the charmingly shaped metal tab to help its wearer lift the flap to alter the length of the elastic in its charge has been integrated into the stamping process. It is sad that for generations such things had to be covered up. Looking back on the history here can have been no more sumptuous display of corsets and suspenders than in the Edwardian era. Sadly stocking technology had not then advanced, but it is encouraging that corset revivalists have married them to fully-fashioned stockings and - thanks partly to none other than Madonna herself have made such attire acceptable as outer wear. What a change there has been in one generation. I learned by trial and error. What I would have given to have the advice given today in web sites, such as that of Ivy Leaf and "Girdles and More". Today, I know from personal experience, the answer to almost every question posed, but in the 1960s, secrets had to stay well concealed. The irony being that as society's mores have changed so as to accepted people like Simon and myself, the availability of the very things we want to wear had all but absent. Moreover it is in the hands of well meaning new generation, who lack the insights of women like Ivy Leaf, Alison, Isobel and Marianne on one side and Simon and myself on the other.
FEAR OF DETECTION At first I wore stockings and suspenders alone at home in the evening or at weekends. Slowly gained courage to wear them under my trousers to outdoors. At first, going outside while wearing them made me feel guarded. I was always afraid of someone noticing and learned to take care. Suddenly I realised that it had never occurred to me that to question whether any man I saw on a train or bus, or in the office, might have suspenders and stockings on under his male clothes. This realisation helped me to relax about my
concern that my secret might be accidentally found out. I learnt by trial and error what it was possible for a man to wear under his day clothes. I had settled on black, fully fashioned nylons with seams and four suspenders per stocking (I sewed on the second two pairs myself). I was now ready to wear them to work for the first time. However, I was afraid the waist band would be so uncomfortable that I would have to take them off in the office toilet. My fears proved unfounded if I found out at weekends that if I wore the belt over my vest there was never any discomfort and within days I wore stockings to work all day every day and have done ever since initially with suspender belts but as I will later recount, for the last 30 years with corsets. I also learned new pitfalls, but with care I learned to disguise evidence of the suspenders showing through the thighs of my trousers, not always easy especially if one wore the fashionable tighter fitting trousers worn by younger men in the 1960s. It became second nature to make sure my socks were always pulled up so that I never showed that my legs were covered by sheer black nylon. In meetings I learned to spot the chairs with plastic-covered seats as on one occasion I got up and as I pushed the chair under the table, saw the imprints of the clips, straps and length adjusters of both of my back suspenders in the plastic! Likewise I was careful not to leave such imprints on the seat of a bus. Having acted on what was compelling me, I read several popular psychology books in an effort to understand what had motivated me. I read widely and read a million contradictory opinions. I eventually concluded that I did not fit any pattern, but I was not alone - regrettably graffiti in public toilet walls had told me that. All I knew was that I felt more "complete" when I wore stockings with, at that time, a suspender belt. I had no desire to display myself nor wear any other items of female apparel except that I continued to enjoy seeing how good women looked when wearing them. THE DESIRE FOR A CORSET GROWS Over the next year or two I bought more stockings and suspender belts in shops until at one count I had bought 36 pairs of stockings and had most of them and 15 suspender belts all in a dedicated drawer. But I was becoming more demanding. By mail order I bought a "large" size, (28 inch waist), 6 inch deep waspie with plastic bones and long detachable suspenders from Kesman. From the B. Cligman (Estelle) mail order store in Walthamstow, London E 17, I bought a 30-inch waist, 8 inch deep suspender belt, also with plastic bones. What a revelation it was to wear each of them. I learned a lot -both positive and negative. It was my first experience of boning "light" meaning plastic that kinked in time. I found out that the hooks of detachable suspenders would move along the metal loops and suddenly pull off the elastic loops sewn on the hem of the waspie if the elastic got really taut especially if I sat down. The deep suspender belt gave me my first taste of mild hip control as well as allowing me to feel what the pull of real "back" suspenders might feet like on a girdle or corset. It is interesting to read in Ivy Leaf's site how much opinion differs on back suspenders. I liked the new dimension they gave to stocking wearing and was more determined than ever to get the "real thing". I experimented more and found that wearing the waspie and deep belt together approximated to a real corset, which was the germ of an idea to get one. But where was I to do so? The "Clothing and Dress" section of "Exchange and Mart" still concentrated on other items.
A BREAKTHROUGH Meanwhile, while I was thinking about "where?", two other events happened at the same time to reinforce my desire, they were:An advert for foundation garments featuring a photograph of a woman in a white corselette. She looked so relaxed it renewed my feeling of what it must be like to be "inside" such a garment with its shoulder straps, hip control and tautly suspendered stockings. An article in the "Guardian" newspaper weekly fashion page of Mar 9th, 1971, ran a piece on hosiery and whether stockings would make a "come back" after every woman had tried the new fangled tights. In it the writer Alison Adburgham, said "there's no doubt many women feel trimmer when girded by a girdle and are tightly suspendered." That phrase, combined with the image I'd seen in the advert, made a great impression on me. Now I had to get a corset, but "how? ". However even in 1971 it wasn't as easy for a man to buy a corset to fit him as it is today unless he was possessed of Simon's
undoubted courage. For me, mail order was the only way to avoid real embarrassment! There were still a myriad mail order adverts for ladies' corsets in pink like the ones my grandmothers had worn. I still thought that they were awful and I still saw them in the windows of what had become evident was the declining number of dedicated corset shops and control top pantyhose began their onslaught on women's figures.
MY FIRST CORSET Suddenly things brightened for me in August 1971 when I saw Estelle's advert for a "black satin corset" in the "Clothing and Dress" section of "Exchange and Mart". I had to get it and I did not hesitate. But first, "What size was I? I knew I could get by with 28 inch or "large" suspender belts but from what I'd read in the adverts, corsets were sized on waist and hips. The first pair I ordered had a 32-inch waist not realizing that the average woman has a much bigger hip spring than a man. I couldn't wait for it to arrive and when it did my heart leapt when I saw the brown paper parcel in the form a long narrow rectangular box. I nervously opened up the long narrow white cardboard box and saw the black satin corset neatly rolled in the box. I lifted it out, the suspender straps jiggled and the chrome fittings glinted as I unrolled it and then held it by the waist. I opened it out to look at it in more detail. I saw the label which said "Contessa", 32/40, which I took to be waist and hips. It had full length bones - actually, I later learned to be light spiral steels. I quickly wrapped it around myself. I was then faced with having to do up no fewer than 15 pairs of hooks and eyes at the side. Starting the process over the hips was easy, but the nearer I got to my waist the hooking up proved to be more and more difficult. By the time I was engaging the last hooks in their eyes I was pulling with all my might, not to mention that I'd been forced to make several repeats as I was over adept at getting a hook on an eye that was one too high!
An original Contessa modelled by "Girdle Girl" and reproduced with permission gratefully received
Pulling on the front lacing was a completely new experience. Though it was located in front I found it quite hard to pull the top edges close to one another. Later I came to find that paradoxically corsets with back lacing were much easier to manipulate. With the front lacing closed up and found it was OK on my waist but it didn't touch my hips - anywhere! I had found out that buying by mail order was hit and miss. I measured my hips - something I'd never done before - and found they were 37 inch while the corset hip was 40 inches. So I sent them back to exchange them for a 30-inch waist, This came a week later and, while it was still slightly too big on the hips and very tight on the waist, I could manage it. I also found it was so low cut that the suspenders couldn't be shortened enough for all but my shortest pair of stockings. You see, by the late 1960s because of short skirts, stockings were longer than in the 1950s. The length of my stockings meant the "gap" between them and the corset hem simply wasn't enough! In fact, I had to fold over the stockings tops to get any tension in the suspender elastic. I had learned enough about my tastes to know that when taut they gave me a very rewarding feeling and that there was nothing worse than slack suspenders between a girdle or corset and one's stockings.
MY LIFE IS CHANGED FOREVER I hope you will believe when I say that wearing it changed my life for ever. I thought I had found out what it felt like to be corseted, but later experience taught me this was nothing the real thing. I still have it in my corset drawer - though, not to wear any more - only for old times sake. I could never throw it away. It was the first time I had used wide suspenders which surprisingly were not really as strong as the elastic in the suspenders I had got used to on my suspender belts. The elastic was ribbed and I found it too stretchy. I liked the fact they were black elastic - I hated the sight of my Gran's pink ones! - As for the chrome stocking clips they had the unusual clip frame wire bent in angles rather than curves. However they did have the chrome plated
central rivets in the suspender button (nob). For me that type of suspender nob - with the central rivet - are far and away the best and my corsetire managed to find me about 50 unused ones for wide elastic, when they were discontinued in the late 1970s. The older idea is the answer to slipped clips, but of course its button or Anob@ is thicker and it betrays its presence more under a dress or, in my case, a trouser leg. Now I keep what I have left of that type especially for my back suspenders. (The worst thing about a suspender slipping off a stocking top is that it usually happens at to the back ones and is impossible to clip back on without undoing them all and starting again unless one can call on the help of an understanding partner or friend. The position of the front pair of suspenders was very close to the centre line more suitable for a woman than a man..... However, I could never understand they didn't put a third pair of suspenders at the sides. It wasn't long before the lightly rubbered elastics got overstretched under my ministrations of shortening, in an effort to get my stockings taut and pulled up as much as I'd come to like to wear them. I also found I liked the elastic front gussets which helped one to sit in something so deep and was intrigued by an elastic band across the back panel at hem level. The feel of corsets containing me and their tightness and the feeling of tension in my suspenders and their pull on my stockings all gave me a sense of "reassurance" and "tranquillity". What I read of what Ivy says and what Alison said of her "Spenall" the feeling of being "contained" becomes addictive if one can "pass over" the threshold of discomfort. In retrospect what it really taught me was that the secret of correct corset and girdle wearing is to wear the correct size and to have it anchored through very taut suspenders, with strong elastics, to ideally to FF stockings knitted from non-stretch nylon yarn. It also told me that I should find someone to make for me personally, but how?
A SEARCH FOR THE "REAL THING" I felt very alone with my secret. Many times I thought I might tell someone I thought I trusted about what I did, but always thought better of it. I tried to read up to find out why I had the compulsion. At the end I think I knew everything there was to know and to realise some of the experts didn't understand what motivated me. It bothered me that many would call me a transvestite. I didn't think I was one and I certainly had no desire to be a woman or to dress as one. I simply wanted to wear stockings pulled by taut suspenders attached to a suspender belt or corset, no more - no less! The late 1960s saw a revolution in how openly matters related to corsets, etc. were discussed. New magazines featuring readers' letters such as "Forum" and "Mentor" and "Search" appeared. I was pleased to find letters from other men wore simply liked to wear stockings and corsets which confirmed that I was not alone. One man wrote that both he and his wife wore corsets and how he liked to be very stiffly corseted with up to eight suspenders clipped to each of his stockings. At the same time, items like lingerie were being advertised by mail order companies in the personal columns and small display adverts of newspapers and magazines. None of them offered anything more than the basque and waspie I had tried, there were never any for corsets. My search was getting no where, then in 1971, I saw an advert for high-heeled shoes in large sizes in the Observer Personals and wondered if they sold corsets. Out of desperation I now became a detective and elicited the advertiser's phone number using Kelly's London directory. I was nervous when I phoned but was put at ease by a friendly woman who answered and confirmed that did sell corsets for men and women. They could even get me them made to measure and, as she said they could fit all the bones and steels one wanted, so it sounded like "the real thing" to me. She recommended I sent for their catalogue which I did. What they offered was a revelation - not just one but seven styles of corset in various lengths with mention of busks, steels, double boning and back lacing. It was then I realized what a busk was. Several times I was tempted to order one by mail order but held back. I thought and thought and the more I thought the more I knew I had to talk to someone. The lady had seemed very approachable, so I phoned again and to my pleasant surprise she said I should make an appointment and so I met her one June day in 1972. I wondered whether I should wear my black satin front lacer for the occasion but, in the event, I was afraid to do so and went wearing my suspender belt and stockings. I took along the black front lacer in my briefcase. She proved to be as open and natural about what I wore and I quickly felt at ease. I showed her the corset I had brought along and explained that I wasn't satisfied with suspender belts and that, more than anything, I wanted a corset that didn't move under the pull of suspenders but that had enough
of a "gap" between its hem and my stocking tops so that the suspender straps could be shortened enough to let them pull my stockings as taut as I liked them to be. In the end she understood my problem, she measured me and produced from a deep chest of drawers several styles of deep boned suspender belt and two corsets she had in stock. The belts were too big but the corset seemed right so she let me hook up the busk the first time I had ever done so - and I wrapped it over my shirt and trousers with its suspenders dangling and she proceeded to pull on the laces till it was tight. By now I had lost my shyness which was due to the way she accepted me, man as I was. She asked me to look in the mirror and said the big gap would go when I wore it properly. I questioned her about the back lacing and she said, it was easier than front lacer, I was sceptical but when I tried it later I found she was right So I bought my first busk fronted back lacing corset, complete with suspenders made with wide chrome clips and wide black elastic. The straps were short and I needed to wear the longest stockings I had to get them clipped on. It was the reverse problem to the black front lacer. I needed longer elastic so I went back and she got me three pairs of long suspenders. I sewed them on myself and finally was wearing what I wanted for the first time - a corset which fitted with three pairs of long suspenders that could be adjusted to pull every length of stocking taut. At first I found it tight with it two inches open but within a month I could lace it closed for several hours at a time. I learned a lot and occasionally wore it to work. Slowly more adverts for corsets appeared. I bought more items to experiment including a basque, with detachable suspenders from Kesmans. It hooked up the front and had back lacing and light boning. Having worn the "real thing" this was worse than useless in providing what I had come to appreciate and I got rid of it very quickly. In desperation I ordered a made to measure corset by mail order from the store where I bought the waspie. It was what I would now call a man's corselette which took on the hips and most of my chest and had shoulder straps and had three pairs of suspenders. It was 22 inches long with a 13-inch busk and hooks and eyes above and below the busk. I went to collect it. Given the way she had laced the waspie on me before I asked if I could try it on, only to get the kind of response I dreaded I might hear during my odyssey. Although I'd paid a princely sum for it, I was effectively shown the door. When I put it on it was a little too small and didn't have enough lacing for me to open it out enough. But where was I to buy suitable lacing? First I found the proper name was "Russia Braid", but none of the haberdashery stores or departments that I contacted sold it. In the end I bought a length of nylon cord. That taught me that nylon is unsuitable as corset lacing because it stretches more than cotton and that is too much for effective lacing in. I was learning all the time. Fine cotton curtain cord proved best. By now I had bought 85 pairs of stockings, 19 suspender belts, one waspie, one basque and three corsets. I had bought both made to measure and ready-made corsets, but knew I had more to learn. By now letters from men who wore corsets and wrote about wearing them appeared fairly regularly in magazine correspondence. One mentioned one Overett who made corsets for men and women before the war. Clearly, out there somewhere were other men who were already able to buy and wear the same kind of corset as I wanted to wear. All this, the letters and photos spurred me to continue my odyssey.
A BREAK THROUGH AT LAST In the mid 1970s interest in corsets seemed to revive. A lady in Stockport, Cheshire began advertising corsets in the Guardian Personals. We spoke on the phone, but it was 200 miles to her salon and I felt there had to be such a person nearer where I lived. Wilbro of Manchester began advertising in the "Sunday Times" personals, as did Fanny Copre of Richmond Surrey, and I saw an advert by a firm in London, A. Gardner. These last two Simon knew. Wilbro aimed at those interested in tight lacing with statements like "EXPERIENCED CORSET WEARERS enjoy the pull of the Stay-lace!" (Sunday Times, Feb 1977) and "YOUR CORSET-CONTROLLED FIGURE will be the envy of all!", (ST, May 1, 1977) I wrote to all three companies for catalogues. Wilbro and Copre sent theirs by return of post but I was disappointed that I never got an answer from Gardners. The catalogues were very different in their production and presentation but they were both fascinating to read and I have kept them both to this day.
THE WILBRO CATALOGUE The Wilbro catalogue, produced as it was at what proved to be the end of the traditional corset era offered probably the last comprehensive range offered by any firm. The pages were run off on by the stencil process and had simple but clear line drawings that had been made straight onto the stencil wax. The busk, bones and suspenders were clearly shown and conveyed what the style was. Separate order forms were provided to order mens' or women's corsets. It was an Aladdin's cave with 18 different styles and up twelve alternatives for any style, about 120 designs in all. There were corsets, corselettes, girdles and panty girdles in every imaginable material all off the peg and there was a separate section of made-to-measure styles - period corsets, ladies' corsets and gentlemen's no less than seven designs were offered, I was very tempted to buy one but with my lack of experience with my corselette I judged the cost of six times that of ready made to be too much for a novice to risk. I knew I needed to gain more of an understanding. Like Spirella, Wilbro used letters or numbers to distinguish each model. Terms like PCRW - Period corset ready to Wear and BLBU, Back Lacing, Busk-front Corset with Under-belt. There were maybe 20 or more acronyms followed by sequential numbers.
COPERE'S CATALOGUE
In contrast Copre produced a much smaller, 12 page catalogue on glossy paper and had just eight made to measure corset styles. A page was devoted to each corset style with four quarter page photos of live models wearing them taken from four positions - front, back, side and at 45E on each page. I found it slightly strange that while all had suspenders, they were not attached to stockings since all the models wore "cat suits" under all. I immediately classified them by eyelet count above and below the waist loops. I absorbed all I could of the very detailed descriptions such as "boned on the cross", "underbusk", "wedge busk", "lined and interlined", "double boned", etc. I was especially taken with the very high cut styles that flared in front and cut to contain the bosom and to be worn without a bra, but covering the nipples. To me the "Isabella" with "reinforced eyelets for tight-lacing" and in "the heavier version lined, interlined and double boned with flat steels" sounded a truly exciting corset to wear, and one I hoped to aspire to wear in the course of time. Both it and the "Margarita" styles were very long and
came up from the lower hip, over the bosom reaching right up under the arm pit, just like the one "The Millionairess" wore! I was later to learn that six of the designs were actually Gardner's designs and two of them were those of Vollers of Portsmouth, a competitor of Gardners.
Corset styles Isabella (above) and Jean (below)
Fanny Copere's corsets were usually copies, or resold versions of Gardners and Vollers corsets.
Styles 'La Taille', 'Godet', 'Hook-side, lace-side' (couldn't they think of a name?), and the 'Modern Waspie Mini'.
A MYSTERY WOMAN WITH A CINCHED WAIST With its catalogue Copre included a one page advert and one side of it reproduced what proved to be the cover of a book they published called "The Corset Question". The sheet included a front view photo of a smiling middle-aged woman, hands on her hips wearing a tightly belted black dress. Her waist was cinched in so much it could only have been achieved with a corset. Below was the caption "A wasp-waist of the Nineteen Seventies. Bust 38 inches, hips 40 inches, waist laced to 19 inches"
Iris Norris writes on the back of an A. Gardner business card >
I got the book and was very pleased to find a second photo of the wasp-waisted lady, this time photographed from the rear, in a centre section which featured several other photos of women in corsets. It added the information that she was a "grandmother aged 50", who had been making corsets all her life" and that her 19" waist which she had achieved by achieved by wearing a corset which Copre sold as their style "Jean". When I got eventually got Gardner's catalogue, I found out it was actually their style L267,
Note the waist and the satin skirt. Mrs. Norris knew just how to dress to please a man in the nicest possible way.
while Wilbro sold it as MMCL5.

The legendary corsetiere Iris Norris and examples of Copere's "Jean" or Godet corset style
Both firms had them made to measure by Gardner.
The "Godet" corset is specially designed to give the wearer the glamour of a small waist. It has a busk-front fastening, and is back laced with a strong lace to really pull in the waist. The incorporation of special fluted hip panels into the design of the corset will accentuate the hip line and allow free hip movement. Heavy boning ensures good figure control. The top of the corset coves 3" to 4" above the waist and gives a really superb line. For maximum effect of this corset on the wearer's figure there must be at least 10" between the wearer's waist and hip sizes - 4 suspenders. Minimum back length 14".
Here was real live woman who actually wore corsets out of choice. Not just any corset but a truly formidable corset made to cultivate a small waist, and had worn them all her life and what is more made them for a living. She was obviously almost old enough to be my mother but I did stop to marvel at what it might be like to be married to a woman such as her who wore such corsets as "Jean" all day every day! What I was to find out later was that she made up her own Godet style with the ultimate in busk design - the "spoon" busk, A vigorous woman who even painted the outside of the window frames of her house all by herself, and did so while tightly laced in a spoon-busked, Jean, L271 corset wearing real seamed nylons! Not surprisingly she regularly broke those priceless busks. As their availability became difficult in the early 1990s, somehow she managed to find a few recycled ones to keep in reserve.
"Jean' an Iris favourite
It all made me more determined than ever to continue with my corseting and to get more experience. Little did I know that within the year I would meet my mystery woman.
BUYING CORSETS BY MAIL ORDER In the meantime, how was I to continue? What corsets should I buy next? I spent weeks comparing the catalogues and thinking about and made tables of what was offered by the two makers. Both gave very detailed instructions on how to measure oneself and I read and reread that information till I thought I understood. I could either economise and learn with off the shelf corsets or spend much more on another mail order made to measure and risk being disappointed and seriously out of pocket as I'd been before, so that ruled out Copre. In the end I realised that I had more to learn more before I went back to mail order made to measure. However I really wanted a corset for a man - made to measure so I wrote to both for clarification and got a very helpful reply from "M Beck" on behalf of Wilbro and also one from Copre which confirmed my suspicion that they were actually an agency selling corsets made elsewhere. Economics won out, at least I rationalised it by thinking I needed to learn some more. I finally decided to buy from Wilbro in Manchester, but which ones to get and which size? . By now I had the experience of the three real corsets plus the basque deep suspender belts and waspie, the black "Contessa", the 8-inch deep waspie and the 22-inch male corselette. I now knew my hip spring was only about 4 inches without a corset or 6-7 inches if I cinched my waist, In contrast most of the Wilbro ready to wear range of designs had 8-10 inch hip spring, cut for the average woman, not for men. Selecting thus became a process of elimination. I had learned from the Contessa that didn't want hooks and eyes, nor did I want front lacing. I wanted a longer busk front and I wanted back lacing. The male corselette was too tight and too long to be practicable with stockings. Some styles came with two and others with three, pairs of suspenders, so I'd choose a style with three pairs and the least hip spring. Wilbro featured under-belts on some styles, so I decided to get one that included that feature. I did not want pink, if I could be avoided, but in my zeal to learn I would take it if it best met my needs.
With a hundred designs to choose from I made my choice not so much on the basis of getting two very different styles from which to learn even more about the different types of corsets one could wear, styles which I thought would educate me most. I decided on one that was a classical tight lacer and one with under-belts. The choice wasn't easy bearing in mind they all said they were cut for a 11-inch hip spring and mine was only 6". How could I accommodate that in my choice? Many styles were made with waists at 2 inch intervals. Fewer styles offered waists at one inch interval. I was 33 inch natural waist - maybe 30 inch if tightly corseted. If I got that size it would mean 40 inch hips and mine were 38 inches. I'd have the same trouble as the black Contessa gave me. So I settled on a 29-inch waist for each of them which I realised would have to gape at the top of the lacing when it fitted tight on my hips. If the waist was correct, the corset might not touch my hips at any point, while with the right hips it would gape and be very tight on the waist. As with the black Contessa, I decided that this was the lesser of two evils. This was the description of the ones I chose: BLBU 4 under-belted back lacing, medium boned corset made in strong cotton material with covered busk. Uplift under-belt with hookside fastening. 6 suspenders. Depth 15". hip Spring 11"to 12". Waist sizes 26" to 42 ", every inch. Tea Rose. Price 7.70. Yes, it was tea rose - pink, but I swallowed my old aversion and resolved to dye it and feeling curious, I decided to get one with under belts. PCRW 2 Traditional Victorian style figure-forming tight-lacing corset. Well boned, and flat steels at the back for support. Designed to fit seven inches above the waistline. Total front depth 15". Front fastening with 13' busk reinforced with an underbusk. Back lacing with strong lace, and waist tape reinforced for tight lacing. Superior striped pattern cloth. 4 suspenders. Waist sizes 24" to 36" (even sizes only). White. 9.50. This was a PCRW (period corset ready to wear) which fascinated me and a longer version of my waspie and would come well up above the waist I thought it might deal with my spare tyre which developed above the top of my short corset if I laced tight. There was no mention of hip spring. I was ready to take a chance. I accepted that it had just four suspenders - I could sew some more on. Moreover, it came in white, not pink. When it came, I found it was unlined with spiral steels, stiff back steels, a 13" five stud busk, and a formidable under-busk. Wilbro also sold "Elbeo" brand "Supphose" and so, as I had never tried them I order a pair for shoe size 9-10, broad leg, colour "Haze" for 2.00.
TRYING THEM ON - "CORSET TAKEOVER" The corsets came very quickly and I spend the weekend trying them on. I was glad to find they both came with chrome suspender fittings and wide elastic. I quickly examined the PCRW2 and found it had a full length under busk, single spiral steels in the side panels and I liked to feel the strong back spring steels. I'd never had a corset with them before. I decided it on first and what surprises it yielded from its inert self. I was unable to get the busk slotted because it distorted so much on account of the cut, even with the lacings provided fully open. There was not enough lace to let me do it so I took the black lace out of my basque and added it on. Like this I was able to get one stud on, and with great effort and much sucking in of my stomach and struggling for about 10 minutes I finally I got all the busk studs hooked. I was out of breath and had to stop. When I took stock, I was thrilled to feel how well the corset fitted around me. I reached back and finally located the ends of the lacing loops and gradually pulled in on them I felt the corset hugging me tighter and tighter. Then I started to lace in and the effect was electrifying. Very quickly I felt the busk and underbusk appear to be propelled right into my midriff curving as they did as if the whole corset would overwhelm and crush me. It took a few moments to realise that it was my pulling on the lacings that did this. This was one of the "corset moments" that I will never forget. I realised that once I knotted the lace, I would be subject to the effect of how I had laced myself in, until I unloosened it. What I experienced I now understand is described by the term "corset takeover". If the corset tightening stops before this point, one remains in control of one's movements but, beyond this point, one
really is only able to move as much as the corset will allow one to do. Years later I realised that when my corsetire was lacing me in the fitting room she would sense when she reached the takeover point, pull a little more and would then knot the lacings. I came to realise that she knew what she was doing and how it should be. I hesitate to use the word "discipline" because of the associations the word has, but in reality beyond this point the wearer's life is disciplined by the corset. Laced in properly, the PCRW2 corset fitted very well over the hips but there was too much at the top. Then came another surprise. I was so stiffly corseted I could hardly bend enough to put on my stockings let alone twist to do up the back pair of suspenders. Added to that was the fact that I now found the suspenders were too short and had to stop and had to change into my longest stockings in order to get them on the suspenders! Time was going on and I was anxious to try on my other selection, the BLBU4. When it came to taking off the white corset I almost regretted, but I was eager to find out what the under-belted style felt like. First I examined it and it was exactly as described and noted additional details not given in the catalogue description. For example, "medium boning" meant spiral steels, but no flat back steels like the white one had. It too was unlined. It had a rather short, 8 inch long front busk with four or five hook and eyes below it. The under-belt was six inches deep and boned with spiral steels. The six suspenders were made with reasonably strong 1 inch width pink elastic, all sewn to the outer skirt of the corset. Years later I saw that sometimes suspenders were attached at one end to the corset with trolley suspenders and with the other end of the elastic sewn to the under-belt. But before I began with the stocking and suspender problems of the PCRW fresh in my mind, I decided to put on the new Supphose on before fitting the pink corset.
LACING ON PINK CORSETS I put on my new pink under-belted pink corset. No two corsets could have been more different to put on. Since I wanted to learn more, I had selected well. The under-belts were a great help in holding it in place to hook the short busk. The back pair of suspenders were sewn on really far towards the back lacing and for the first time I had to reach between my legs to clip them on my stocking tops which, being Supphose, really needed pulling up to do it. What I learned from that was that I'd have to clip them on my suspenders before hooking up the busk. Lacing in was strange as it came very tight on my waist - like the black Contessa had but it was only just touching my form on my hips while the under-belts were tight. When I got the Supphose tautly suspendered they pulled the corset hem taut as well and I felt more contained in corsets and stockings than I ever had done before. Although it was pink, I didn't care, I enjoyed the feeling. Ironically I was wearing the antithesis of what I thought I wanted - a pink corset and brown seamless Supphose with pink six suspenders but the feeling was wonderful. I had reached a new milestone the experience confirmed that I cared more for the tactile feeling than the visual factor, though perversely, for me, the new pink corsets started to had their own beauty...... I no longer just wondered how the corseted and stockinged women, I had admired down the years, must have felt inside their tautly suspendered stockings and tight corsets or girdles. I believed that I was now experiencing it what they did. I was certainly not disappointed and something told me that while many women complained about having to dress like that, there must have been some who secretly enjoyed what I was enjoying. Above all I wanted confirmation for my belief that such things could be enjoyed equally by men as by women and that men should not be judged negatively for doing so. Little did I know as you will soon read, that within a few months my faith would be rewarded. In fact I felt strangely complete for the first time in my life. I resolved to find someone who would make me the kind of corset I could wear under my male clothes for the rest of my life. What amazes me, when I write in 2006 about how I felt in 1976, is how much I identify with what Alison Perry, writing in 2001, about her experiences as a Spencer corsetire in the 1950s. I believe that my experience parallels some of that of which Alison writes about her early days of wearing her "Spenall". There are the quotes which touched a chord in me: .....When it was on me and completely done up with my stockings attached (to six garters instead of the four I was used to, an extra
set at the back) she had me try walking around. Not only did it look different from girdles I normally wore, it felt different. It was heavier and stiffer and had a longer skirt than I was used to. This longer skirt made walking a little more restricted and she had also made the garters shorter so they pulled hard on my stockings at every step....... .....Then, strangely enough, after a few months, I began to need it. In fact I felt lost without it. I am not saying I particularly liked it, but after the first few months I started to look forward to the feel of its firm support and put it on as soon as I got up in the morning....... ........ So when I was hooked up into my first Spencer it felt so different. My initial feeling was definitely one of pleasure and well being at being so tightly caressed...... I felt many of the same things, yet I was a man. So putting my experience against that of Alison I think if anything the comparison confirms my belief that the tactile sensations that a wearer gets from a corset worn with tautly suspendered stockings transcends gender. It also confirms what the other Alison comments "there's no doubt many women feel trimmer when girded by a girdle and are tightly suspendered."
THE QUEST FOR A PERSONAL CORSETIERE It was time to take stock and think where I was going. I had now worn stockings with a suspender belt to work for about five years. Although I had now got five corsets, none of them was suitable to wear under my clothes to work. At the same time I was educating myself and had passed over a number of key events which were, firstly - the moment I touched the stocking at the dance, secondly - wearing my own stockings and suspenders for the first time, thirdly - lacing on my first laced corset, the black Contessa and fourthly - hooking up my first busk front. Each step was taking me to a new level of corset and stocking experience. I had experienced most types of corset. I knew the difference between flat and spiral steels, I could manipulate a busk, hooks and eyes, I knew where to clip suspenders on stocking tops, depending on how many there were on a belt or corset and what lengths of stockings went best with which corset. I was no longer a novitiate but I still had doubts. I also knew that I was ready to discuss what I wanted in person with someone who made them - a corsetire. But how was I to find one? How would my quest continue? Gardners seemed possible but how could I get in touch? I again resorted to Kelly's London Directory. Two months later I had my first appointment with Mrs. Norris who was to be my corsetire for the next twenty years.
I MEET MY LIFETIME CORSETIERE With a little concern, I dialled the number that I was to commit to memory for years to come. The phone seemed to ring for ages. I was about to give up when a lady with a flat but very friendly cockney accent answered, "603-2001". I asked if it was Gardners and she said yes. I asked if they made corsets for men and she again said yes. I nervously explained that I wanted a corset and realized I was talking to the corsetire who obviously was quite used to dealing with men. In a few seconds I was completely relaxed. I was amazed how easy it was to discuss everything. She said that the owner Mr Gardner was on holiday. She said she was Mrs Norris and could see me that day whenever I wished to call and discuss my requirements and she could measure that day. I felt 10 feet tall. I had arranged an appointment with a corsetire! Coincidentally that same day I bought a magazine that included photos submitted by a "Berkshire Reader", entitled "The Appeal of the well-corseted Figure" which included three photos - front, side and rear views - of what appeared to be a busk-fronted, backlacing, full hip controlling design of corset, worn over a corselette to which the stockings were suspendered. The corset had full length heavy boning and I was sure they were being worn by a man. Many years later I found out that both garments had been made by True Grace Foundations of Wokingham, Berks.
I arrived in Barnsbury Square at around three o'clock. I parked the car, and walked towards No 28. As I did, I wondered if any neighbours were watching and if they knew what my business was. Below the bell was a sign "A Gardner and sons Ltd. When I got to the door, The bell was really loud and I waited nervously. Eventually through the frosted glass I saw someone approach. The door was opened by a woman wearing heavy framed black glasses, who I guessed to be in her mid-fifties. I introduced myself as the man who had phoned earlier and she warmly asked me in, saying "Follow me this way". I followed her along the corridor and couldn't help but noticing she was wearing seamed stockings on her shapely calves. They were dark brown and had long point heels, like the Aristoc 222s I was wearing myself. She took me along to the back of the house opened the basement door and led me down the stairs after asking me to close the door because of the baby. We entered a large basement room with a wide long table covered in bolts of corset fabric and cut corset panels waiting to be sewn up by the machines at the end of the room. I started to explain what I wanted and to cut the questions I showed her the photos from the magazine I had just bought. I said I wanted a corset like that, but in black and with shoulder straps. She looked at the photo carefully. As she did so, I now noticed her waist was cinched by a tight belt and was so small that she had to be tightly corseted. She understood at once what I wanted and said "You'd better come to the fitting room and I'll measure you".
IN THE FITTING ROOM Every time she moved away my eyes were drawn to her seams and I was amazed to see how straight and central they were on her calves. Here was a woman who was not only wearing the seamed stockings I so admired, but she was tightly corseted to. As she measured me, I told her I wanted it to be 2 inches open when it was fully laced in and I opened my shirt to show her the white PCRW2 that I was wearing. She measured me taking a measurement at the chest, waist and hips and writing it down. She asked what I wanted in front a busk or what. She said some people liked a full length front lacing but she didnt recommend it. She would make me a long busk fronted, back lacing corset faced in black leatherette, lined in twill with rigid shoulder straps and buckle adjustment and would put on the three pairs of suspenders with the strong wide black elastic that I wanted. Suddenly the phone rang and she left the fitting room, to answer it. I took the opportunity to look around. There were several copies of the magazine "Corsetry and Underwear" on the table and which I looked at. On the wall were leaflets showing, on blue paper, the styles of men's corsets - complete with sketch drawings while the pink women's leaflet featured photos of corsets being modelled by a young woman. Years later I found out she was a client who had married one of Gardners male clients. On the wall were two diplomas that attested that a Mr Frank Gardner had received for courses in corset making and corset design at a college in Holborn, I think, in about 1950. Also on the wall was a large sheet of information on wages put out by I think a Wages council. Also on the wall was a 10 inch by 8 inch size photo - the same one that was reproduced on the cover of "Corset Question". I had a feeling that it was the woman who was attending to me, except she wasn't wearing glasses. When she came back I asked her if the photo was of her and she confirmed that it was and that it had been taken a few years before. Mrs Norris was the mystery woman.
I PHILOSOPHISE I put two and two together and noted that not only was she a corset wearer but that she also wore fully fashioned stockings. Given how straight her seams were I guessed that she was also tautly suspendered too. I then realized that together in that room were a man and a woman, each of whom was wearing busk fronted, back lacing corsets with tautly suspendered seamed stockings. I drew comfort from this fact and from realising that, though I was a man and she was a woman and that she knew my secret, she obviously accepted me as I wearing corsets and stockings. I also realized that she probably had a number of male clients like me and it all meant a lot to me, though each time I met her I was always surprised and cheered by the fact that I could actually talk to someone about problems with stockings and corsets and that she too had experienced, and what is more do so on an equal basis.
We finished our business and she could have it ready in a week. I said I would be back on a Friday to which she said that she only worked mid-week - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - because she had moved out of London and lived in Bucks. This meant a long train journey and so she came in very early and worked three very long days. She said she would leave the corset with a woman down the road, but in the end I changed the day of collection in order to see her again. Before I left she gave me copies of their catalogue and order form and price lists. On the mens leaflet was this slogan. "Remember. Clothes maketh a Man, Corsets maketh the Figure"
I SEE THE FUTURE AT LAST I returned as planned, having phoned ahead to confirm she was there and yes the corsets were ready. I called around and was thrilled to see the long brown paper roll containing the rolled high top corset. She opened it out and showed me her craftsmanship. Although she was quite friendly, I suddenly felt overcome with embarrassment as the suspenders dropped down and glinted. She even asked if I wanted to try it on but I felt filled with shame and guilt as to what I was doing. The corset I was wearing felt impossibly tight. So I said "No thank you", that I was sure it would be fine. She wrapped it and escorted me to the front door and feeling every neighbour was watching me out of their window and seeing the long package would know where I had been and what I did, as I carried it with me to the car. The back leatherette high top proved to be too tight to wear, except for short periods, but the four pairs of suspenders were wonderful. Within weeks I had phoned Mrs Norris again. I had perused the catalogue and wanted the style G78 "Casual", a 12inch long corset rather like a longer version of my waspie. My odyssey was over. I had found my dream. I was to have 23 years with Iris as my personal corsetire and confidante - but that's another story.
Frangard 2
Black corsets and why do they tear so often?

Observations by Frangard 2
BLACK DYEING AND COTTON YARN
In the January entry to her Diary, Ivy Leaf notes that at one period of time, corsets made or faced with black fabric tore more easily than those made up using fabrics of other colours. However, whilst the end result is tearing or ripping of the corset body, the cause of the weakness is more likely to be related to the fact that, until relatively recently, the dyes, and especially those used in the 1980s, had and may still have a continuous and progressively deleterious effect on the cotton yarn in the material they had dyed. In times ranging between just a few months to many years, the yarn is steadily rendered rotten. In due course, the material might then suddenly tear because it was being strained, as the corset as a whole was being laced tight, or it tried to resist expansion when the wearer moved - to bend or sit down - in such a way as to overstrain any of the weakened yarn in the material. It is suggested that the type of dyes used in the late 1970s to mid 1980s was the culprit in the matter. It has been suggested that because the dyeing process calls for boiling liquids to fix the dye in the yarn and that this intrinsically weakens cotton yarn. In this regard the evidence is to the contrary, in that for centuries, cotton yarns have been repeatedly boiled without loss of strength or
rotting of the yarn. In point of fact, the problem of tearing and failure of black cotton fabric is not limited to black fabric in corsets. If a matching shade of cotton-based elastic was used for its suspenders then they would fail more quickly than those made up from elastics of other colours. No less an expert than Iris Norris, when working at Gardners and later as an independent corsetiere, would counsel clients that failure of suspender elastic occurred more frequently with elastic that was dyed black. Other evidence of the way black dye can rot cotton was found in the early 1990s when American-made "vintage", fully fashioned nylon stockings were being sold as being '60 Denier nylon. In fact only the legs and feet were knitted with the 60D, shiny (nondelustered), nylon yarn. The after-welts and true welts (folded stocking tops), were knitted of another material, almost certainly cotton. It is thus probable that the original stockings dated back to a time when nylon was still in short supply and there was evidence that the black colour was the result of later dyeing, since the cards on which the stockings were wrapped prior to being placed in the packet were stained with black dye, which probably betrayed the fact that the stockings were initially of another colour and had been dyed black for resale many years later. When worn, even for the first time, it was found that the welt material was close to rotten whilst at 60D the nylon yarn used to knit the legs and feet was almost completely snag resistant. Upon closer study of the damaged welts it was found that, wherever and whenever a welt-covered suspender knob/button was slid into the frame of its suspender clip, the gripping pressure was sufficient to break the yarn almost immediately and as likely as not a hole would develop. Within a few wearings the holes that formed all around the welts would become so prevalent as to make it almost impossible to clip suspenders to them. Again it is suggested that the chemicals comprising the black dye had rotted the cotton in the welts. Since the dyeing which appears to have caused these problems was in the same era when Spirella suffered from a poor batch of black orchid material (mid-1980-s) that the cause was the same.
TEARING OR RIPPING - A PROBLEM OF CONSTRUCTION NOT MATERIAL

Moving now to the observations on the failures occurring at stitching. It is considered that most experienced corset wearers will have examined or worn many styles of corset over time. Essentially a corset comprises several individually shaped panels sewn to form the corset body that was then hemmed and the bones strapped in their casings directly onto the panels. Within this basic requirement there are various combinations of: the number of panels, flutes and "Godets." Each "half corset", typically lighter, mass market corsets, had three or four panels making eight in all, while in custom-made corsets by Spirella or for tight-lacing waists between 15 and 30 inches, a "half" would usually have five or six panels. To accommodate the figure with a large hip spring of 12-20 or more inches, tightlacing corsets would usually include a fluted panel insert below the hips. Full hip control, may well include an inverted V gussets of woven elastic sewn with the un-stretched base of two to three inches at the hem level and set about four to six inches from the busk edge or centre front. This is close to the zone where extreme stress is imposed on the fabric of a rigid corset and frequently is where rips or tears originate if the wearer tries to sit down. the number of fabric layers. Each panel can be either a single layer of fabric or it can be two ply, that is lined, like Spirella, or they can be three ply (lined and interlined). This was usual for corsets made for tight-lacing for clients of such firms as Gardners and on-sold by the firms they supplied, such as Wilbro and Fanny Copere in the UK and Finecraft and Caprice in the USA. It is reasonable to say that the more layers, the stronger the corset and the less likely they are to rip. Lighter designs first rip along the very seams between the panels and the very perforations created by the sewing needle act like perforations on stamps to cause and accentuate the tendency to tear or rip. the number of bones - either single or in pairs and the type of bones - flat or spiral steels are possible. As Ivy Leaf points out "The result is usually a rip, and particularly at the stitching where the material joins the bone casings." However their problem is usually obviated if the boning practice for tight lacing corsets used by Gardners and Iris Norris which was as follows. The busk would be inserted and sewn in place in the edge panels. The panels comprising the facing, the lining and the interlining would be sewn up to form each "half corset". Before putting on the edge/hem piping the bones - flat or spiral steels - using a special tool to slot into the bone tip end would be pushed down between the facing and interlining. The bones would then be sewn into the position in which they were placed. If there was room - not always easy on a fluted hip, small waist, six panel design, the single bone or pair of bones would be positioned so as to be mid-way between the panel seams
all the way down a panel. The need for the bone casing, to which Ivy leaf refers, and the need for yet more stitching near the panel seams, is obviated. However as regular corset wearers know, depending on the location, any bone tip might slowly abrade and finally punch through either the facing or lining. The problem can then be repaired using bone casing sewn on the lining or on the facing as needed. The eyeletting machine would be used to punch the eyelet holes between the back pair of flat "eyelet steels" which were already sewn in place and the machine would set and crimp the grommets and reinforcing washers in place, all in one operation. All readers would do well to note Ivy Leaf's advice about the importance of breaking in to allow the material to conform to one's form. After that, one can lace oneself in very tightly if desired. The writer is convinced from personal experience, almost always with corsets made of black dyed material, that this three-layer construction and procedure helped reduce ripping. He personally knew three of Mrs Norris's tight-lacing lady clients and, while the exigencies of their taste in tight-lacing meant that periodically their corsets would rip while being laced tight, only one of them had any serious trouble with ripping when the corsets had been excessively repaired anyway. Colour of material does not appear to have been a factor. Even then closer investigation would reveal that this was the result of continuing to use an old, much-repaired corset, much favoured because of its wonderful fit.
Headquarters and the Models

The Annual Visit to HQ
The relationship of the corsetiere to Headquarters was very strong, particularly after the Second World War, and during this period all corsetieres were given a chance to visit Letchworth each year. This gave the company a chance to say "thank you" to its sales force, and also gave the corsetieres the chance to see the latest models that they would soon be selling.
The latest styles of brassiere and corselette are handed round in 1957 and 1960. Both are far stronger quality than the less successful garments of the 1980's.
Two corsetieres in their 60's in the late 50's meet and discuss the latest styles at Letchworth. Quite obviously, one of these 'elderly' women has adopted one of Spirella's more modern brassiere styles (1958). In the same year, another group of corsetieres discuss the merits of the latest girdle.
In 1957, Spirella puts on an amazing display of their wares at HQ. In 1965, two ladies regard the newest lightweight material that can be incorporated into the 515 lacing girdle. Note how the light colour of the stand shows through the material of the garments to reveal their structure. This is often used to good effect by several vendors on the Ebay auctions.
The Models from HQ

Spirella had a number of favourite models, and these ladies would demonstrate the latest lines to hundreds of keen corsetieres from
all over the country. Sometimes, Spirella's favourite 'mature' models would demonstrate the corsets, but equally, in the catalogues, some remarkably young models are laced into their 305's. What appears quite extraordinary today is that these women would wander around the displays discussing their underpinnings with the corsetieres.
Professional Shows: Spirella certainly had their favourite models and the very shapely woman on the left (by no means in her first flush of youth) was often to be see strutting the cat-walks and corridors of Spirella HQ in her 305's and corselettes.
From 1948 (above), 1950 (below) and 1957 (below right), the display of corsetry by professional models both on and off the cat-walk was a regular event.
Amateur Shows:
What is quite obvious from the house magazines of the time is that many of the ladies at the Spirella shows were not professional models, but simply corsetieres themselves. This would be good practice for them, since all forms
of advertising were used by the company from adverts in the local newspapers to modelling shows where (amazingly for the 1960's) corsetieres and their friends would parade in front of prospective customers in their underwear. These shows took place away from Head Office in local halls and even corsetiere's houses. Daughters and friends were encouraged to join in. It is noticeable that the women at these shows often wore black underwear, whereas white and tea rose were the most popular colours actually sold. Perhaps wearing black was more like a show, or 'something special' rather than candidly walking around in one's everyday underwear. Notice that Spirella had stockings made with coloured tops to match the foundations being modelled. It certainly photographs better than a standard stocking. It seems that Spirella had these stockings made for the publicity photographs since they appear on the professionally modelled pictures. The long-suffering corsetieres had to pay, which explains the various styles of stocking top in the amateur photographs.
Fitters from 1960 model girdles, corsets and a corselette from the Spirella range. The models are all corsetieres, friends and somebody's daughter. The levels of confidence vary considerably, but this was 1960.
Even the Scottish in 1966 would parade in their intimates, including a Grandmother with 15 children standing second from the right, next to the corsetiere. The ladies are all satisfied customers and really very stylish. In fact, they make a very good advertisement for Spirella, and put many modern women to shame.
There was no end to the ingenuity of the corsetieres as they transported their samples across the country to various events. From 1961, a Spirella corsetiere poses as she inserts a model for a local fashion show into her car. In 1957, a fitter uses her van as a mobile display unit.
What lies Beneath Spirella attempted some charming photographs in the 1950's of what a lady might be expected to wear under her stylish dress of the period. This is similar to several US girdle advertisements from this era.
From the Spirella house magazines of the mid-1950's, come a good idea of the correct underwear to match the outfit.
Spirella Catalogues 1970's
The following images are taken from the last two catalogues ever to be produced by Spirella. For the the following years, until Spirella was sold to Spencer in 1988, the corsetieres had to rely on these catalogues and examples from older catalogues. Poorly photocopied notices, mainly announcing discontinued designs were all the poor corsetieres received to help them sell their wares. The catalogues from which these scans were made are undated, however, the style is very much late 1970's. They may have been issued as late as 1981, however, the photographs and models are definitely from a few years before. One of the catalogues that belonged to an ex-corsetiere is covered in annotations such as "not available", "discontinued" or "not available in black". The world of corsets as a fashionable garment had ended. Indeed, the very mention of the word 'corset' is abandoned in favour of 'laced foundation'. I hope this electronic catalogue will help researchers who have been confused by Spirella's numbering system. Over the years, there were many more garments of which a good selection are to be found on the pages devoted to specific foundations.
Made-to-Measure
The made-to-measure foundations (left) comprised brassieres (called bandeaus by Spirella until 19**), corsets, girdles and corselettes. Each of these generic garments has a page with descriptions in far more detail.
Title page and back cover
Coppelia
In the late 1960's, Spirella could see that made-to-measure placed an unacceptable financial burden on many women. A cheaper alternative (adopted by many foundation houses) was to stock a large variation and combination of sizes, thus assuring optimal fit for Mrs. 'Not-too-far-from-average', and hopefully her daughter.
Corsets
Corsets
Girdles
Spirelettes
The daughters, however, were not impressed and the
Brassieres
Spirelettes were developed to appeal (on a best fit basis) to a younger clientele. This was successful as long as Mummy or Daddy paid the bills, but the High Street stores marketed merchandise almost as good as Spirella and far cheaper.
The 205 Girdle

In the same way that the 305 corset was the mainstay of the laced lower foundation, the 205 girdle was a success story that spanned three decades and was a favourite of housewife, diplomat's wife and lady politicians alike. Born out of the Second World War, the design had to change in the late 1950's in response to the better fed and pampered women of a new generation. Rather than change the nomenclature that was associated with a successful product, Spirella moved the elastic gores at the front of the garment and kept the rest, including the name, unchanged.
On the left is the original style (pre-1956) and on the right (post-1956). The difference is the placement of the elastic gores in the front panel. Everything else is the same, even the option of soft back lacing. Only differences in elastic, as lycra replaced the older rubber-based varieties, suspender design and plastic rather than metal zippers indicate the passage of time. One of the reasons for the incredible success of this girdle was its firm, yet compliant construction. The two elastic panels at the back allowed for more freedom of movement that a convention corset yet the 205 could be ordered with 'soft' back-lacing that Spirella was at pains to emphasise was for 'figure fluctuations' rather than serious control. The 205 turned up in all the countries that produced Spirella and in an amazing variety of materials and shapes.
The older 205 girdles with hooks and eyes (left) and the later style (right). These girdle on the left is over half a century old and is still wearable today!
It might look like a suspender belt, and that was almost certainly its purpose, but this is none other than a 205 girdle with the soft back lacing! It was a popular choice amongst those whose weight tends to fluctuate.
The last two examples comes from the Spirella factory in Malm, Sweden. The charming details of an embroidered rose above the suspenders is a touch rarely seen on British garments (other than those made specifically for weddings), but was common on Swedish models. The left girdle is made from a filmy nylon fabric; that on the right from a sturdy satin brocade. One for summer, one for winter one presumes!
This page took many years to put together simply because it took us a while to identify the mystery girdle as we called it. We have documented our confusion below!
The Unidentified Girdle

Here are two Spirella girdles from an estate, and, I'm ashamed to admit, we couldn't identify the model number of one of them ( right). I checked through old brochures to find it, but I cant. I have several of this style and have seen photographs of them at auction, but never with a model number. It's very much a British Spirella 1960's girdle but it simply doesn't feature in my records. The other girdle from the same estate is clearly a 234 and both appear to be of the same age and condition. At first I thought that it might be an older style that was copied by Spirella at a customers request, however, with so many examples around I doubt it. It may be that the girdle is a derivative of the 206 where two elastic centrally placed gores was an option over the normal one piece (Spirella had many options). My brochures certainly cover the period of the girdle but it is not displayed. A standard 234 girdle is shown above with the 'mystery' girdle below. They came from the same owner; note how the shorter 234 has longer suspenders so that the wearer could use the same length of stocking. The materials are the same, a satin finish
brocade and the ages are the same (metal zip and identical suspenders). The construction is very similar, that is unyielding fabric with two vertical elastic sections at the back. We've been searching our archives to identify this Spirella girdle and we simply can find no photographic reference, however, the 1961 Spirella brochure shows a drawing of women in various girdle styles and the mystery girdle is featured in a cartoon ( right), but not in the following pages. How frustrating! Spirella often re-used its artists' work (to save money), so the girdle may be a late 1950's style.
An American Spirella girdle of the 1950's from our collection had washing instructions attached referring to models 205, 206, 210, 215, 216 and 220, the latter four designations being unknown to us. American and British designations did differ latterly, so is the mystery girdle one of those four. To confuse matters further, we unearthed one of these girdles from our collection (we have two), and it has a nylon zip that Spirella introduced in May 1958 (and then only on corselettes). Now for a real conundrum, we have a few girdles with the corsetiere's tags and date of manufacture and we found an immaculate 206 dated from 1977. The fabric, the elastic on both gussets and suspenders, the zip and the suspenders' metal-work are identical to our mystery garment. The mystery girdle looks like it was made in the 1970's! Spirella often did copy client's favourite garments, so is this girdle style a late 1950's model copied much later?
Finally, another confusing piece of evidence. We found the mystery girdle at auction and inside is the American Spencer label "Spirella by Spencer." These companies were partners long before the British firms merged in the late 1980's.
On the left, a 1977 vintage 206 girdle constructed from identical materials to the mystery garment on the far right. In the centre is a Spirella by Spencer!
The mystery girdle
Spirella's Girdle Descriptions
Spirelette Girdle Descriptions
Spirella Magazine 1953
From the Spirella Magazines of 1952 and 1954
Despite the glowing references to the Spirelette pantie-girdle 122 in 1953 (above), the model was withdrawn two years later. I was surprised that the pantie-girdle was even around in Britain in 1953. I think it was too early for the period. In Britain, girdle wearers were reluctant to change until the irrevocable dominance of the tights in the late 1960's. This is when Spirella introduced the name once again, but they were fighting a loosing battle against the High Street brands.
Spirella and Bloomsbury Technical School for Women

In 1939, at the outbreak of World War II, the only technical college in London known to have taught courses in the design and making of corsets was evacuated 30 miles north of its London site to Letchworth in Hertfordshire where the main Spirella factory was located. The move of Bloomsbury Technical School for Women raises many questions. How was this location decided? Was this pure coincidence or part of a plan? Could some of the women (Frank Gardner was the only man who ever took the course) teaching and following the courses in Corset Design and Corset Making have been sent there as apprentices by Spirella, or were they recruited by Spirella when they got their diplomas? Could this have influenced the choice of location for the School's evacuation? It would be interesting to know whether Spirellas staff assisted in he planning of the corsetry courses, first in Bloomsbury bearing in mind that the main London Shop of Spirella was at Oxford Circus not far away from Bloomsbury, and of course in Letchworth. Perhaps there are readers of Ivy Leafs Tribute who may know. If so please contact Ivy Leaf. Founded in 1913 by the London County Councils education department as the Bloomsbury Trade School for Women It was one of many such schools founded at the time in response to the perceived need to improve the technical education of young women in the city. The courses taught included most skills required for the making of clothing including the design and making of corsets. The School was located in Queen Square in Bloomsbury. There was and still is pedestrian access to the square from Russell Square (and the Imperial and Russell hotels) . The selection of the location clearly took account of the proximity of a nearby centre of the London Rag Trade located in the area bounded by Upper Regent Street, Oxford Street and Great Portland Street. The 1960s TV series with Miriam Carlin The Rag Trade was set there. This would have made it convenient for day release students or those following half day release form their place of work. The school continued at the location until 1960 when it was closed by the LCC. By now the school leaving age was 15, soon to be 16 and the role of Technical Schools was being taken over by new, purpose built schools. In the case of Bloomsbury, as was the case with other trade schools, departments that were judged to be worth retaining, were relocated to form part of the Risinghill Comprehensive School, near Kings Cross that opened in 1960. It is not known but doubtful if its corsetry courses survived. Risinghill was one of the first comprehensive schools in London and was located in a new building. The school and its departments only survived for five years.. It was a victim of the Grammar v Comprehensive debate that raged with the LCC/GLC at that time and became a cause celebre with left leaning activists. Here there is another connection to corset making since it was located on Rising Hill street in the area east of Kings Cross. The block in which it was located is bounded on its west by Caledonian Road, on the south by Pentonville Road and on the east by Upper Street. This is the exact same area in which one found Gardners shop a little to the north, while the renowned corsetiere established in the Belle Epoque (the era of the Straight front, kangaroo corset and the Gibson Girl), Madame Lorette, had one of her two salons on Upper Street itself. Her other salon was in Croydon, south of London.
[1]
Any one intending to do research should know that, as is common with institutions with long names and names which change, Bloomsbury School was no exception. By the mid-1930s the word Trade was replaced by Technical and it was often referred to as a college.
[1]
The Corsetiere's Certificate
Quite amazingly, this corsetiere still practices today. When Spirella was taken over by Spencer in the late 1980's she moved to Spencer as well. Most of my regular corsets have come from this lady and she still maintains a clientele of 30 or 40.
Semper Ubi Sub Ubi
The Other Side of Corsetry
The little piece of dog Latin above refers to the old schoolboy's motto "Semper ubi sub ubi" literally "Always where under where". This poor joke is but the puerile tip of an enormous iceberg of prurient interest in underwear; specifically, the interest of men for ladies underwear.
Restriction Long Corsets Sleeping in Corsets Men in Corsets Stewardesses and Girdles Satin Uniforms Voyeurism Fetish and Fantasy
Frangard's Story Mother's Corsets Godet's Recollections Letters
Restriction
I've received a number of enquiries about 'severe' corsets with the recurring theme of a young woman (normally about late teenage) apparently under the strict control of her Mother having to wear unreasonably tight, long or heavily boned corsets (see below). I know of no such instances since the last war where any girl was persuaded to, or even could be persuaded to wear corsets against her wishes. Certainly, young women in those days habitually wore far stronger foundations than their peers of today and I've mentioned many times throughout these pages that corsets were worn (infrequently) by teenagers for special events even in the 1970's. However, what defines confinement is highly subjective as the following example demonstrates. A family (in the 1970's) was taking a cruise of several weeks duration. Father observed Mother unpacking and arranging their daughter's underwear, in particular a long-legged pantie-girdle of quite severe construction (something like a Spirella Coppelia 51 or perhaps the Charis panty-girdle). The Father was horrified that his daughter was confined in such things. This hardly constitutes a severe corset, although by today's standards, they possess a strength completely unknown to the average woman. Perhaps, Doreen Caldwell who wrote the utterly charming book, 'And All was Revealed' (1981), sums it up. "It was curious that girls who appeared to us all as fearless Dianas, even Amazons, should have crushed themselves into such constricting garments." I believe that the key word here is "constricting" and that this has much to do with the fetish aspect of corsetry in general.
Perhaps the opposite is true? I've heard a couple of times, instances where the mother, grandmother, or mother-in-law was confined by a woman driven to distraction by unreasonable goading or complaining.
Sleeping in one's corsets is another not uncommon fantasy that is entertained by some correspondents. But in this case, it does happen in reality.
I have known several women who have slept in their corsets. Invariably they have serious back problems, and however hard the bed, a firm corset for the night-time can give tremendous relief. The lady pictured on the right is featured in Spencer's "Advice to Doctors: 1953". The poor lady in question had a bad back following pregnancy and was quite incapacitated until fitted with these corsets. She wore them night and day for five months and were described as "quite comfortable to sleep in". Sleeping in a brassiere is far more common and provides a great comfort for women with naturally large breasts or breasts enlarged during pregnancy. A well-known BBC presenter famously spoke of sleeping in her brassiere. It was the only way that her D-cup breasts felt comfortable. Eventually, and against her husband's protestations, she had her breasts surgically reduced and slept without a brassiere thereafter. This last example reveals the eternal difference between women and men, where the woman wishes, in the final analysis, to be comfortable. The men entertain an image that they wish their wives to achieve, even at the expense of comfort. A compromise is usually reached, however, some men pursue the image beyond reality, and thus is a fantasy world created (see below).
The closest occasion to confinement occurred during my involvement in a perfectly normal wedding. I was asked to be a bridesmaid and at a time when I normally wore a girdle, I elected to achieve a desirable shape by wearing my classic (but rarely worn) Spirella 305. My friend, at her Mother's insistence, wore a 315, the back-lacer, that came up high in the back and reached well over her hips. She looked utterly fabulous (much nicer than me). It took me ages to help my friend dress, the process being complicated by the corset and the back fastening of the dress which was covered by at least 30 buttons. There was no way that my friend could release herself from the dress and corset without help. In fact, I remember having great difficulty in removing my own dress that evening since my arms filled the sleeves so tightly that reaching behind my head to undo the zip was nigh on impossible. That simple and innocent request, so common in the 1960's, "Zip me up Darling" shows how we accepted confinement on a daily basis back then. A correspondent relates how at a cousin's wedding, the bridesmaids had to wear culotte dresses. In the fashion of the times, the dresses, including the bride's covered from neck to ankle to cuff. No escape was possible. The design forced the wearer to adopt the new pantiegirdle making any 'comfort break' quite impossible. She remembers hating the whole experience and that (she actually mentions the word) the confinement was in some way humiliating. Nevertheless, the heavy satin outfit brought her many appreciative looks including some blatant staring from some of the men present. We deal with satin below. Following this train of thought, consider any formal function, a wedding in the 1960's would be a good example. The bride needs bridesmaids to control the flowing train. She needs help to alight from car, even to sit down, and undressing by herself is impossible. Her mother, heroically girdled to fit a dress two sizes too small barely dares to breathe. Her feet ache in unaccustomed shoes and any attempt to sit causes her thighs to spring open alarmingly. Granny totters around, the rubber, elastic and steel contraption that is her foundation confining her locomotion to that of a marionette. Even the gorgeous young thing in the modern twin set is reduced by her panty-girdle, pencil skirt and heels to a ludicrous mincing gait. Not one of the ladies can sit in comfort, going to the loo is a nightmare, and nobody walks in the way that nature intended. An extreme example perhaps? I don't think so, and that's why everybody stands at weddings! The St. Johns Ambulance helpers at any royal garden party, spends hours attending to blistered feet and not so long ago had to free a number of ladies from their over-tightened corsets!
Long Corsets
I have alluded to such devices above, and we have several in our collection, however, the devices described in this section, one suspects, have strayed into the realms of fantasy. A more analytical description is provided in the Technical Corsetry section of the web site. To read about these devices, please click on the long corset.
Satin
The wedding theme recurs in many of the questions that have come to our site. The link between weddings and corsets is, I believe quite simple. It is that the women present at the wedding will be dressed in their best, and in the 1930's to the 1980's (and to some extent today) that means the outerwear and innerwear will be made of that fascinating material satin. Satin is a glorious material, very feminine and flattering. Its use in underwear is common for the very good reason that satin slides easily
and allows layers of underclothes and dress linings to pass across each other unimpeded. To a woman, satin feels good, but more importantly, hangs well and compliments the wearer. To the male, the feeling and shininess can be a powerful stimulant. This power is well known to the corsetry marketing departments, and if a satin panel will result in compliments from the buyer's husband, then it will be included. The use of satin in foundation garments is attractive, and as I mentioned practical, and the token satin panel at the front of a pantie-girdle is a vestigial reminder of the full satin panelling of the traditional corset. Many manufacturers, particularly before the era of the salaried women, appealed strongly to whatever would influence the loosening of the husband's wallet. Berlei ( left ) went straight for the jugular with this image, ostensibly advertising the Maidenform Brassiere, but blatantly using the satin skirt and top as a male attractant. My husband instantly remarked on this when he first saw the picture, and later was unable to describe the brassiere in any detail at all. And as for the Pan-American advertisement ( right), somebody somewhere in the marketing department (and you can bet that it would be a man) had a seriously strong understanding of what would rip a man's eyeballs from their sockets! Satin, a woman in uniform and a white blouse are assembled here to devastating effect.
I can relate two tales from my (and my husband's) own experiences. A teacher of my acquaintance wore a satin blouse to school on a few occasions but had to stop since the frank stares of the adolescent males in her class became unnerving. The blouse was cut conservatively and was no different from her normal working attire other then the material. My husband tells of a Sunday lunch in the 1950's at which his Aunt and Uncle were invited. A young boy, well before puberty, he became fascinated by the shiny material of his Aunt's dress. During lunch he surreptitiously touched his Aunt's skirt which, to his mortification, she noticed and made comment. The adults passed off the incident with the usual "Oh, you shouldn't have given the child a glass of wine", and, "Well, he's growing up fast, you'd better watch out". My husband remembers the episode vividly.
Lyn Locke made a very telling statement quite recently when describing that rarest of items, a back-zippered girdle. "You guys probably wouldn't like it, it was all spandex finger panels, no satin." Regard the German girdles on the right. Both went on auction and, apart from the front panel, are identical. The satin-panelled went for five times the value of the other. It was, of course, purchased by a man. Personally, I prefer the one on the right.
The effect of the above stimulants on the adolescent male can be overwhelming but I will not pursue this line of thought. Suffice it to say, that many males appear to experience this stimulant but normally the effects remains within control. The clever woman knows well how to harness this powerful force to the benefit of a strong and happy relationship.
Fetish and Fantasy

As I stated at the beginning of this page, the fantasy world of the male imagination plays no part in a web site dedicated to a serious study of the art of the corsetiere, however, one cannot ignore such fantasies. For those that wish to pursue this 'other side', I can refer them to a web site that is dedicated to extending corsetry to its illogical conclusion. www.retroxotique.com is the portal to this fantastic world where women are dominant (my husband added "what's so unreal about that"). Like many web sites, Retroxotique is very professionally assembled, and I'm sure will appeal to those men whose imaginations run along the lines of dominant, mature, and somewhat overdeveloped women. A word of warning, the site is quite explicit.
The Forbidden Fruit

There are numerous accounts of the desire of the male to look at, touch or even wear female undergarments. As with many serious but potentially embarrassing subjects, it is common to avoid direct confrontation and to treat the subject in a humorous manner. There are many films, notably the British "Carry On" films that have the males for some (usually contrived reason) wearing female underwear. Peter Butterworth wears a Victorian corset in "Carry On Screaming", Kenneth Connor, a black corselette in "Carry On Taxi" and Bernard Bresslaw runs through a hotel in a white corselette (unbelievably) disguised as a beauty contestant in "Carry On Girls"! Apocryphal stories abound of new underwear company executives being initiated by wearing the latest girdle. I doubt if this has ever been true, certainly not for the male employees, however, it seems to make for a good joke in the gentlemen's' locker room of the golf club. The classic joke on this subject is the male golfer who is found to be wearing a girdle. "How long have you had to wear that?", his friends ask. "Ever
since my wife found it in the car", he replies! At what age this fascination begins and what triggers it is a mystery to women, and often a mystery to the men who find an irresistible attraction for female underwear. How many corsetieres receive orders whose measurements are obviously designed for a man? How many corsetieres have been approached by clients worried or disturbed by their sons' behaviour? I knew one women who discovered that her teenage son had been trying on her girdles. In all other respects the young lad was a normal, healthy youth who played football and had many friends. He had the normal adolescent curiosities, however, in this one respect, his curiosity had been extended into reality. When challenged by his mother, the youth had become very embarrassed and defensive, and the topic became a forbidden area of conversation. The lady didn't know what action to take. Revealing her son's secret passion to her husband would have resulted in a violent scene, which could as easily exacerbate as cure the problem. Perhaps he would grow out of it? Hoping that the latter would be true, she offered one of her less favourite girdles as an olive leaf of truce. She was surprised when the garment was rejected because it didn't have any satin panels. Unfortunately, her most expensive girdle was her son's favourite. Once again, the confinement of the girdle, and the feel of heavy satin must be extremely powerful stimulants to the male. My colleagues have suggested that an only child may be more susceptible to the emotions described above, however, there are numerous documented cases of young, adolescent males interfering with their elder sister's underwear. The classic cartoon depicted at the top of the page is based on fact. There is a very fine dividing line between the naughty mocking of one's sister's elaborate underpinnings, and a desire to investigate those same underpinnings further. In fact, the more overt and 'macho' the mocking, the more dangerously close does the youngster stray towards that line. Another instance that I shall recount here, for it contains all the elements that I have so far mentioned, was the extraordinary behaviour of a teenage boy who was caught by his mother wearing an incredible assortment of her own, her mother's and his sister's cast-off attire. The hugely embarrassed boy was wearing no less than three satin bridesmaid's dresses, each layer secured by one of her old girdles. Underneath it all was the crushing embrace of his granny's old surgical corsets. Apparently, he had collected a veritable wardrobe of cast off clothes and underwear from the female family members, and loved nothing better than to cocoon himself in the embrace of these quintessentially female garments. An appalling scene followed, however, the mother, recovering from her shock, returned to her son and tried to fathom his strange desires. In fact, he had as much clue as to the root cause of his compulsion as did his mother, however, he promised not to repeat his actions and ended up a happily married man with three children. The only evidence of his underlying desires, and this came from the man's wife, was that he liked her to wear satin and was disappointed when she stopped wearing a girdle in the mid-1970's. The confinement, the satin and the cocooning appear classic stimulants. Psychologists suggest that the secrecy, and a latent desire to be caught all play a part in this fantastical world. A gentleman wrote to us and claimed that in his adolescence he had frequently worn his mother's girdles, those of a neighbour, two aunts and latterly the corsets of his landlady. He never removed any articles, for in his personal moral code, theft was wrong. That he had abrogated the trust of these woman he was well aware but was was prepared to accept this as a lesser crime. In fact, the secret knowledge that he had worn something intimate from a lady who he knew well added to his excitement. In such a case, where does obsession end and perversion begin. Within the family circle, this adolescent curiosity can remain within the family, however, and using the above as an example, moving outside the family circle by wearing the neighbour's and landlady's foundations could well be seriously misunderstood. Should the discovery of such clandestine activities reach a court of law, then I feel that the verdict would be less than accommodating. In America in the 1950's, any such behaviour brought to the attention of the authorities could result in some unpleasant experiences in a psychiatric institution. There is a well documented case of a teenage boy who was shown a series of slides. Accompanying any slide that showed a girdle (for that was his addiction) was a powerful electric shock. Whether this successfully subdued his passion is not recorded. Another account, this time from the man, tries to pin-point the cause of these desires. As a child, the family used to tow their small caravan down to the sea-side in the summer. Modesty dictated that father and son got dressed first and then left the caravan whilst mother got dressed. On rainy days mother would writhe and contort under the sheets as she donned her bra and stockings but she had to stand up to get into her girdle. "I'm going to get dressed now - and NO peeking!" Inevitably the man got his first glimpses of a woman struggling into her girdle. The first time this happened, the man was unimpressed, but as time went on, he became unaccountably obsessed with a desire to touch this article of clothing for himself, but why? To this day he has no idea, but the obsession is as powerful as it was all those decades ago. There are many tales of boys and men, who once attired in whatever stimulates them, find it impossible to escape. It is the back zip that causes problems since most men (and many women "Would you zip me up Darling?") are not double-jointed enough to pull the zip to the top, or once zipped up to release it. The famous British comedian, Ted Ray, appeared in a situation comedy where he tried on his wife's dress and used a nail in the wall to pull the zip all the way up. Of course, the nail snagged the dress and he was left trapped on the wall until his angry wife could release her humiliated husband. A friend's son was caught in tears of shame having tried on his sister's satin party dress (satin appears once again) using a string through the zip tag. Once zipped up, the string unfortunately became undone and the wretched youth was trapped. Either he burst the zip of a rather expensive dress or got caught, and either way spelt trouble! Another recurring theme, that possibly starts pre-puberty and continues into adulthood, is the fascination for women wearing some sort of uniform. However, not just any uniform as I'm sure statistics on this subject would reveal. The uniform must contain that essential ingredient, the crisp white shirt or blouse. Where does this start? Is it the adolescent views of girls, possibly sisters in their riding attire? Whatever the cause, the end result is that groups as diverse as the local gymkhana club, policewomen, WRNS officers and airline stewardesses attract an unusual amount of attention. Women confronted by their sons or husbands wearing female attire react in many different ways as I've described above. Emotions from shock and horror, through mockery and humiliation to acceptance and encouragement all happen (right). I received an excellent, well-written letter from a gentleman who we shall call Simon. His Mother, having discovered his clandestine wearing of Granny's corsets, forced the youth to continue wearing them. The idea that this punishment would cure him had exactly the opposite effect, and a life-long addition was born. The idea of a man wearing a corset for reasons of vanity, rather than health, lies in that poorly understood area somewhere between disgust and amusement. Authors as diverse as Spike Milligan in Puckoon ("The Major was a fine figure of a man, and why wouldn't he be, laced as he was from mid-thigh to shoulder, in corsets secretly made for him by Marie Lloyd's dresser"), and Tom Sharpe in Indecent Exposure deliver a volley of references. ("These step-ins of Daphne's are damned tight" he said. "...dashed into his study with all the speed that his wife's step-ins allowed." "Wouldn't have happened if she'd been here" he gasped, a tribute less to her power of personality than to the constriction of her pantie girdle that was playing havoc with his innards. ....o did the Colonel, whose sleep had not deflated him sufficiently to escape from the intractable embrace of his wife's corsets. ....the Colonel hauled the bush out of the ground, an feat which had it not been for his wife's corsets would certainly have ruptured him.) All these references poke fun at the man in corsets. There's an amusing cartoon that I saw in Punch magazine where a group of naval officers enter the Captain's cabin to find him dressed in a bra and girdle, "Begging your pardon Sir; but we hereby relieve you of command!" Stranger, probably because it is true, was the case of the drill Sergeant who appeared The Danny Thomas Show pokes fun at a husband who has tried on his wife's girdle. The more than once on parade fully attired in a tightly-fitted wedding gown with all 'accessories'. He was inevitably cashiered.
reaction is predictable!
I was absolutely stunned once by an old woman who I had engaged in conversation at a retirement home. She said, when she learned of our interest in corsetry, "My husband used to wear my corsets." I was stunned, and at a loss as to how to reply and I asked if he had a bad back. "No" she said quite openly "He just liked to try them on, it, you know, stimulated him." Apparently the couple had been happily married for over 50 years; her late husband was pleasant, well regarded and completely unexceptional other than for his secret desire. The woman had reacted sensibly, realising that this desire was controlled, harmless and probably good for their marriage. She simply accepted it in an era when most women would not have done. Rarely does my husband receive correspondence on corsetry, however, the following tales came to light recently. Basically, the author was asking if a passion for girdles could have been started by the following episode, vividly remembered. The lady next door is a frail, wispy 90-year-old, but 35 years ago, when I was starting university, she must have been 55. Thats amazing, thats nearly my own age these days. My mother didnt really like our neighbour, who she regarded as a bit racy, moreover, her daughter had recently been divorced. In those days, divorce was quite rare and confined to the stars of Hollywood, not London suburbia. Certainly, one habit of this lady of which my mother strongly disapproved, came to light one hot afternoon in 1969. Our ancient gardener was tending the roses when he suddenly stopped still, and remained immobile gazing through the roses across the fence. My mother thought that perhaps he was ill until she followed his light of sight. There in our neighbours garden was Mrs. G, watering her own plants attired in long-line bra and a waist-slip. What lay beneath the slip was evidenced by the row of pantie-girdles strung on the washingline. My mother tut-tutted vigorously and the gardener guiltily averted his gaze; but I didnt! I was fascinated, never having seen a woman in her underwear before. I looked forward to the hot days after that, and Mrs. G rarely disappointed! I suspect that the gentleman was already well along the road towards his latent desires, and that some earlier episode in his early teenage would have been the trigger for his passion. Another letter:I used to go out with a girl in the early 1970's whose family had fallen on hard times. I travelled over 70 miles to see her and take her to dinner. Her mother would erect a camp bed in the lounge for me to sleep in and I was allowed to use the mother's room to change into a suit in the evening. I couldn't resist seeing what my potential mother-in-law wore and was amazed at one drawer entirely stuffed full of M&S girdles. There must have been dozens! My girlfriend wore a panty-girdle and a long-line bra. I knew that because she told me. There was no way in those days that I could visit her bedroom. and another from 1967:My parents had friends in Woking who we visited a few times a year. Their daughter was much older than me and I had little to do with her, but one day when we arrived, her mother greeted us with an arm full of female things. I remember Mrs D. saying that she was just taking her daughter's smalls upstairs since she had just left for university. Curiosity lead me upstairs later to investigate these smalls and I remember feeling faint at the sight of some truly sturdy panty-girdles lying on the bed. Her wardrobe contained two bridesmaid dresses, one in pink and another in pale blue. The pale blue one was made of satin and I remember to this day the feel and the discrete odour of that high quality satin. Once again, satin features and, not for the first time, the subtle odour of the material is mentioned. Another much longer missive recalls life in Wales c. 1950:I was brought up in a working class family and can recall quite vividly that my mother and her sister both wore Excelsior corsetry in a pinky colour which I believe is known as `tea-rose'. My maternal grandmother, who lived in a remote village, appeared to be a faithful mail-order customer of Ambrose Wilson. My mother was also on the Ambrose Wilson mailing list but on the odd occasion she would bring home an Excelsior brochure which had been loaned to her by her sister. When it was convenient, the two ladies would discuss the pros and cons of the garments in both catalogues but Excelsior appeared to be the most favoured company. For some reason my grandmother's purchases would also crop up in the conversation. My mother and aunt were both of average height and build for ladies at that time but my grandmother had a much larger frame and was also a good inch or so taller. Perhaps each company favoured the two different sizes in their own particular way. All three women wore the back laced type with keyhole type fastenings at the front. We lived in a two-up, two-down terraced house and for reasons which I will not go into, on two occasions I had to share my room with my aunt. Being in my early teens and of school age I would retire to bed earlier than the rest of the household but I `refused to go to sleep for I cherished the thought of watching my aunt get undressed. She was always impeccably dressed and wore her directoire knickers over her corset. In undressing she would undo her suspenders and remove her stockings before unfastening the clips at the front of her corset. She would then remove her corset from inside her knickers and place it on stool in the room before donning her nightie. The morning ritual was slightly more complex but somehow she managed to roll her corset on to her torso without lowering her knickers. She would then put on her stockings, taking great care to ensure that the seams were straight, before adjusting the elasticated legs of her knickers. I can remember quite vividly my aunt arriving at our house one autumn evening in a real fluster. Apparently the cord had snapped in her corset and she was completely out of kilter. My mother agreed to fix it for her and without more ado my aunt lifted her skirt to the waist, and leant against the dining table whilst my mother adjusted the lace and tied off the broken ends. My eyes stood out like chapel hat pegs in sheer amazement! I can still visualise the sight of my mother fumbling inside those magnificent pale blue directoire knickers! In this strictly PC but enlightened age it is almost unbelievable that this actually happened but it did. Typical correspondence from men include the following revelations:When my mother went shopping, I used to peek in the third drawer down in her bedroom. There lay two girdles; a Sarongster, which was quite short, and a higher-waisted one. The latters label had faded through frequent use and it seemed to be older. To my dismay, these two girdles vanished in 1967 and my mother became a regular wearer of M&S pantiegirdles. This garment was quite unremarkable except for a small satin diamond that formed the front of the garment. Another quotes I used to visit my aunt several times each year in the late 1960s. She must have been about 65 then. When she went into the garden, I would excuse myself and
silently rush upstairs to gain access to her bedroom. She always kept her cupboards open, and lying there were her M&S girdles. Sadly, these fascinating garments were replaced by pantie-girdles in 1969. I remember the year since I went off to university then, and she gave me five pounds. The latter gentleman admitted that on two occasions he tried on his aunt's girdles and had at other times worn another aunt's corsets and his mother's girdles. He recounted that the experience was the most erotic of his life and left him weak and shaken. In many ways this is a sad admission, however, it does reveal the intense power of his emotions. He had no idea when or why this fascination began.
A sight from the 1960's
Rather than being offended by such letters, which really are little more than harmless adolescent 'voyeurism', the information they contain is important. I selected these letters as examples where dates and ages are quoted. Specifically, a 57 year-old women binned her girdles in 1967 and a 65-year-old in 1969. A change to the traditional foundation garment was afoot as is described elsewhere in this site. The gentleman with the girlfriend (apparently they never married) reveals social attitudes that many think passed away in the swinging 60's. Not a bit of it.
On the left we have the archetypal 1950's - 60's girdle. Was this combination of elastic, satin panels, boning and zips the garment that triggered a thousand male fantasies? Who can tell? My husband suggests that, indeed, on the east side of the Atlantic perhaps it was. On the west side, the American pantie-girdle ( right) may have played more of a part. Interestingly, the British pantie-girdle that supplanted the girdle in the late 1960's, was a feeble cousin to the American version. It seems that the important ingredients were strength and confinement, but with that critical catalyst, satin. We are always on the look-out for recollections of this bygone era. Obviously, the recollections of a corsetiere are as confidential as those of a doctor, however, from time to time, completely anonymous references can be made to episodes from the past. I received today one of the rare confidences from a Spirella corsetiere that I can relate without embarrassment towards the parties concerned. Jobs and locations have been changed, however, the descriptions are otherwise taken from the letter. The most amazing letter that I ever received, was originally included in Ivy Leaf's Diary, however, I feel it should reside here. As an introduction, I will mention a letter from a lady Mayoress who wrote to extol the virtues of her foundations in carrying out the rigours of her office, but a Mayor? Well, that is a different matter. This episode occurred in the late 1960's in a provincial British town where the Mayor was a well-known gentleman with a reputation as a 'ladies' man'. His wife was a client of the fitter who passed on this story to me.
The Ladies' Man
"The Mayor's wife, a lady in her 50's, had been a regular client of mine for over two decades and every six months ordered new 'lowers' (Spirella 315's - the back lacing corset) and four matching 'uppers'. The lady was pleasant, well-mannered but unexceptional. The regular order was typical of many middle-aged, middle-class clients of that period. I often felt some sympathy for the woman since she seemed to lack the sparkle that somebody in her social position would be expected to have. The sparkle and charisma belonged to her famous, even notorious husband. It was in 1967 that I visited the lady at her home to fit her for another order. Unusually, she asked for the most expensive material, and requested a duplicate set in black orchid. There was also a determination in the lady that had been absent for years. She seemed to pluck up courage and asked if I could order a corset for a friend. Referrals such as this were common and most welcome, however, she indicated that the friend was unavailable, and could I order the corset from measurements supplied. I had done this in the past making sure that the customer realised that there would be no 'come back' in the event of a poor fit. She supplied the measurements and, as any corsetiere with experience could tell instantly, they were obviously male measurements! How often have corsetieres received measurements from a man purporting to be for his Mother. Men and women are quite different shapes. Men have virtually no hip spring and there are many other detail 'giveaways'. What to do? The lady was a valued client and had recommended me to many of her friends. While I was pondering this dilemma, she asked for the corset to made in a material as close to pink satin as the Spirella brochure would allow. Nowadays, of course, only white and flesh tones exist, but back then, a fabulous pink satin was available (I have a Spen-all in a similar material and it is truly superb - IL). The lady's corsets and the 'one off' pink corset were duly furnished within the month and the episode might have passed out of my mind had I not met the Mayor and his wife some months later at a charity dinner. Amazingly, it seemed that the energy of the couple had been transferred from the Mayor to his wife. She was radiant and he seemed ill-at-ease and generally uncomfortable. I suddenly realised the truth! Whether the Mayor had a penchant for wearing lady's underwear, I doubt. Perhaps his long-suffering wife had found out a little too much about her husband's extra-marital 'Mayorial duties' and had decided to take her revenge. Not only can a good corsetiere tell male measurements from female measurements, but she can also tell when a man or a woman is wearing a corset. I've discussed this episode with my husband on several occasions, and he has proposed the alternative theory that the Mayor, despite his all too obvious virility, was one of those men who actually enjoyed wearing women's underwear. This facet of his nature had been better disguised than his extra-marital affairs, however, his wife had discovered the secret and had exacted a subtle two-fold revenge.
The Complexity of the Corset
The Charis corset once adjusted, stayed adjusted! This is in contrast with CAMP, for example, where each day the lacing is loosened and fastened to shape the wearer's figure.
Two Decades of Charis Foundation Garments 1939 & 1953

The period between 1939 and 1953 covered World War II. The demand for war materials, the shortages and the absence of menfolk, kept fashion on hold, and particularly underwear. The invention of nylon in 1938 benefited the war effort well before its influence would be felt in foundation garments. The difference between the Charis catalogues of 1939 and 1953 show essentially unchanged styles (below 53, 39, 39, 53). Many companies went broke in the war, and those that survived didn't want to lose a returning clientele by changing what had hitherto been successful.
Charis were selling some classics in 1953. Corselettes on the left and the ever-popular combination which was one piece at the back and two pieces (brassiere and corset) at the front. Note the girdle-hooks to attach the top to the bottom. Corselettes appealed to the older women.
Good, traditional girdles (above) were available for the housewife. Nevertheless, despite a resistance to change, Charis had to explore a younger market. The end of the war brought a freedom, and as soon as newer materials became available, the major fashion houses incorporated them in the hope that the daughters of the pre-war women would still enjoy the confines of a properly fitted foundation. And they did. Clever marketing, and Howard Hughes's reclassification of the bosom as a weapon of womanhood rather than a milk-delivering organ saw to that. Add in the pencil skirt, Dior and the defined waists of the era, and foundations became mandatory.
Of course, the daughter and young wife were not forgotten (below) as the maternity girdle (with adjustable lacers) and satin-elastic pantie-girdle demonstrate.
In 1953, the pantie-girdle still had the suspenders attached at the base of the legs. This called for far shorter stockings than are available today, but were common in the 1950's. As the pantie-girdle progressed, so the suspenders moved inside the leg, and ultimately became removable, or even absent as women realised one of the essential truths of the lower foundation garment. The lower garment is there to hold up the stockings, so if you wear tights, why do you need suspenders ? Charis's advertising for brassieres shows a slightly different style, which perhaps reflects a fact well-known to corsetieres , and that is, a fitted brassiere is a harder in which to find satisfaction than a fitted lower. (This is before full elastication of materials).
"Are those laces going to show?" "Is the brassiere going to stay attached to my girdle?"
Getting there, but the lady in the middle is all "My mother wants me to wear this."
Satisfaction is a well-fitted brassiere! It must be true, Bette Davis wears one. Not actually, however, in the same way that Playtex used a Katherine Hepburn look-alike (before Jane Russell appeared for real), so Charis took Bette Davis as their role model ( left ). Mind you, the brassiere on the right (and I've seem many women wear them like that), is not well-fitting. If the cups cover the breasts in all the other models, why, oh why, do they dig into the bosom on the strapless version?
This account has not fully been edited for text
VI: CONSOLIDATION AND NEW CONTACTS

1 INTRODUCTION Those readers who have persevered in reading my scribbling must by now realise that I devoted half of Part 4 and all of Part 5 of my Odyssey to a single day of my life in December 1982. I hope they will forgive me for going into such detail and understand that the day will forever stand out as the most memorable day of my corseted life. For that was the day I truly fulfilled my desire to be accepted for what I was, a normal heterosexual man who happened to like to wear a tightly laced corset complete with taut suspenders holding up black seamed stockings under his male clothes, for both work and recreation. Indeed, the initial period after Mrs Norris started to take customers at her home was also the most memorable time of my chosen lifestyle. Hence my record of the years 1982-84 is long and I assure readers that will not be representative of how long the rest of the account of my Odyssey will be. As ever, what I write is based part on letters I wrote, on my diary of the time and finally on memory jogged by my reviewing all the items in my files. For the most part I have tried to maintain a chronological record of how my experiences influenced my thoughts and needs but I trust readers understand that of necessity at times, my story has to look forward or backward to put matters into context. For those who are starting to read my story with this part, I should explain that, on that memorable December day in 1982, the woman who had been my corsetiere since June 1977 had not only laced me into the new corset she had made me, she had, without being asked to do so, then actually assisted me with the suspendering of my stockings. In doing so, I felt she had accorded me the ultimate acceptance that a male customer could expect of his corsetiere. For me her actions meant even more to me because I knew that, when she was lacing and suspendering me that she herself was tightly-laced into her formidable corsets while the straight seams I could see on the stockings she was wearing at the time were visible testimony to her own preference for taut suspendering. Her acceptance of me, dressed like that, was all the more wonderful because, apart from her being a corsetire and me a customer, both she and I had grown up in an era of much less tolerance of men with my predilections than has become the norm in the 25 years since 1982. I knew that, even then, many of her contemporaries in her profession would have dismissed me with no small puff of disdain and made their distaste for me evident. Yet she, a woman, had seen me, a man, not just in my corsets, but with my suspenders clipped to my seamed black nylons too. It was not just the fact of that day that pleased me; it was the fact that, with good fortune, she was going to be my corsetiere, and possibly my confidant, for close to 20 years more. Moreover she had always treated me with, not just understanding, but in an encouraging and helpful way at all times, as though the unusual items I chose to wear was quite normal, whereas the public at large would have judge me harshly for doing so. Those of you who are reading this, may think I am belabouring the point, but I felt I had already risked a lot but my compulsion meant that I was ready to risk more. I knew the respect of my co-workers would evaporate, were my secret to be exposed. As for my self-esteem, only with difficulty and very gradually had I come to terms with the compulsions that had led me time and again to her understanding door. All efforts at reflection, in an effort to find an explanation for my motivations, had come to naught. I was definitely beyond the fringe of what was considered to be normal behaviour amongst my family and peers. However thanks to my corsetieres understanding, over the five years Id been her customer, my corset self had grown in stature. My knowledge of what a corset was and how I could integrate the wearing of one into my daily life has also matured, just as had previously happened when I began to wear suspender belts and stockings back in 1967. To paraphrase the old adage - familiarity had bred self confidence. Old readers of mine will recall that later on that same momentous day, I had overcome my inhibitions and actually met another avowedly heterosexual man, albeit one with very similar predilections to me, namely the Berks Corsetier. Following up on our correspondence, I had met with him at his home, which ended with a meeting of minds and a
session of mutual platonic fitting and lacing one another into our respective corsets and with the suspendering of our stockings. In having such a session I had proved to myself that my idea was not just fantasy, it really was possible to conduct such activities on a platonic level with either gender. If ever a person had been on what in the modern age is termed sensory overload that memorable day, it had been myself. Indeed for weeks I had to metaphorically pinch myself to confirm that what I had experienced over a period of about two hours on that grey December day really did happen, just as I have described. But that was now in the past and I had a bright future to look forward to in my corseted life. 2 GETTING TO UNDERSTAND HIGH -TOP CORSETS In the words of the song, after ones final fitting begins the process of getting to know you, the you being the new corset actually begins and I suppose, I have for many years been guilty of anthropomorphising my corsets and regarding them as being akin to friends. In the time left before Christmas as the weather remained cool, I had many more opportunities outside work to fit and wear my new high top for increasing lengths of time. It is strange but I always found that each new corset I had, proved different from the others and in some way special. Each time it was an opportunity to get to know what Mrs Norris had made for me for, with the growing shortage of specialised materials and fittings each one was of necessity, slightly different. Writing now, late in life and with great corseting experience, I now know that no corset respects its wearer but unfailingly commands the wearers respect whether it is new or well worn. Even then, no two corsets, however similar, ever feel quite the same when being laced on, even when they are well worn. As for new ones they always call out for careful attention, if not respect. As for the new high top, despite the fact of my being corseted all day in a G78 casual for several years, I found it hard after a days work to fit the G72 high top and remain comfortable in it for as long as I would have liked. Contrarily, if I started the day by lacing on the high top, it was fine, but as of yet this pleasure was still limited to Saturdays and Sundays. This is what I wrote in my diary at the time: I found I was delighted with the "New Job". The shoulder straps weren't quite right, so I planned to call in again and get it corrected and hopefully for her to lace me in again in just my corsetry and stockings. That was the zenith of my corsetry life so far. The incredible thing is I didn't feel as shy or awkward and I do not think she did either. In fact she went ahead and attached my suspenders to my stockings automatically!. She clearly considered it to be part of her duty as a corsetire. I almost regretted having to interrupt my programme of familiarisation while I passed Christmas with my family. As I sat with them watching television, I felt rewarded only in the fact that, safely out of sight, was the only undetectable recourse that remained open to me to assuage my compulsion - my deep-cut, boned, suspender belt, still with four pairs of sewn on suspenders. While we sat and watched the Queens speech little were they to know that I was quietly savouring how those suspenders were pulling my stockings taut and invisibly whitening the skin of my knees. Of my new corset this is what wrote in early 1983 to the second, Yorkshire contact, who had answered my magazine advertisement: The corset she made that I fitted when I met (Berks Corsetier) was settling down very well. I've got the correct rings - key rings - on it now and I shortened the elastic on a few of the suspenders to get more tension in them and my stockings and get more pull on the corset skirt. However the shoulder arrangement defied improvement, so I had to take it back and get it modified in the hope that she'd again lace me in with me in just my corset, suspenders and black "Walking Sheers". I told you how nervous I felt before meeting her dressed like that yet the amazing thing is I didn't feel that way at all. I just felt very warm inside, not at all shy or embarrassed. A sort of silent bond of understanding that I may be a man, yes I did like to tight lace and suspender ladies black nylons to my corsets. It was wonderful to have her securing my suspenders to my stockings without having to ask her to do so and that she then also started adjusting the lengths - without asking me. She clearly regarded it as part of her duty as a corsetire. (Page 36 para 3 of Kunzle's book says it can transcend gender). I am getting to like its tightness more and more. I had discussed it with Mrs Norris several times. She said that
most people who wore corsets regularly had started with them somewhat loose, and that very gradually, come to appreciate a tighter fit. Of course she pulls in really early before eating to get her corset tight for the day, because she needs that amount of pull in to close her waistband of her skirt over it. However it is clear that, apart from liking to have a small waist to show off, she also likes the feeling associated with being tight laced. That of course is one point that does come out in the Kunzle book that many people men and women do enjoy the tight laced feeling. The corset is basically very good with a nice high back with " flat steels. I love the lower front, with three hooks and eyes below the busk. In time I think I can wear it regularly. I'll try to have it on when I call to see her for it to be altered. I am wearing stockings to work every day. I have to, I need to feel suspenders tugging at my stocking tops! In referring to Kunzles book, I meant its first edition of 1981 when it was still fairly new and, as my patient readers many recall, reading it had been the one of my main motivations for continuing with my Odyssey in the face of discouraging odds. 3 A NEW YEARS GIFT - MY CHRONIC BACK ACHE IS CURED By 1982 my slouching in any chair was a thing of the past since I wore the corset almost every day and for most waking hours. As a result, my posture when sitting or driving the car was controlled by the back steels and busk and, early in 1983, I now realise it was no accident that a miracle happened. The backache that had plagued me since youth, and which had been continual for about eight years, suddenly disappeared. Writing now some twenty-five years later, I have other aches but the chronic backache has never returned. A miracle some might say, but I like to think it was no miracle but was simply testimony to the power of a well cut strong corsets to heal and control the human spine. I will go so far as to say the current modern problems of back ache and scoliosis were less prevalent when young Edwardian and Victorian women were introduced to corseting while their bones were still growing. Such was the experience of a new friend, of whom I will write later. She was required to wear well-boned, back-laced corsets as part of the dress code the convent-school she attended from about 1949 to 1955. A generation of indulgence, of pseudo-comfort exacerbated by the cult of self-reference, despite the recent revival of interest in the corset, shape-wear and Spanx has done its damage. One feels that, only a sea-change in intergenerational respect, could see a return to the exemplary corseting, practised before the first world war, by women of all social classes, by gentlemen, and by men with the ambition to be gentlemen and served so well by Spirella and others. In my case, I surmise that my cure happened like this. I had worn a corset, in preference to a suspender belt to work nearly every day, for close to two years. I had noted that my back pain sometimes got worse when I used to wear only a suspender belt. As the day passed, my taut suspenders would pull it down until its upper edge settled and not only dug into my sides but pressed onto the large muscles located about 2-3 inches on either side of my spine. In time this pressure pinched the muscles onto the underlying nerves, which were sent the muscles into protective spasm, which, in turn, destabilised the spinal discs, which all fed on itself and compounded the problem. All efforts at physiotherapy and prescribed exercises had provided only temporary relief. I had read several paperback books, which discussed back problems. Largely on the basis of the advice given them I eschewed my doctors suggestion of the back brace he showed me that was fitted with unyielding flat steels. It had been hard enough to wear a corset I wanted with spiral steels and irrationally I thought that if only I wore my casual corset more regularly things might improve. Yet that seems to be what happened. The imperative of better posture, imposed by the presence of the busk and back steels of a tightly fitting corset to provide the circumstances in which real healing, and hence permanent relief, could occur once I had taken the very big personal decision to practise all day every day corseting. I cannot say if my backache would have returned if I stopped tight lacing. Fortunately unlike some older wearers with whom I became acquainted, I have not been recommended to stop corset wearing by a doctor, on account of heart or stomach trouble, a hiatus hernia or even a stroke, as has happened to some of my contacts over the past 25 years. This important event, coming after my December appointment, only reinforced my desire to go back to Mrs Norris to get more corsets made or altered.
4 RESERVATIONS ABOUT MY NEXT APPOINTMENT New Year came, and despite the rewards I got from fitting myself into the wonderful new corsets Mrs Norris had made me, despite the success of my experiments with the new corset, it did not take many days for the euphoria of the experience to fade. My emotions again seesawed between optimism and pessimism. At times I saw a bright future in which she would make me corsets for ever, and at times I saw it all suddenly end as I thought it had at the end of 1980 when Gardners closed. I in turn would commission more and more challenging corsets and live what had previously only been a dream. I was satisfied with my progress and with what could be my acceptance as customer of Mrs Norris, however, as I said at the end of Part 4, I continued to worry that suddenly what I had achieved would be snatched away. At all times therefore I had acted more cautiously than my wishes would otherwise have desired. I did so for fear of doing or saying something presumptuous that would instantly lead to losing Mrs Norris as my confidante. She had never given any hint that she might turn against me but I so valued what I and gained that, throughout our association I remained vigilant. The problem with having such concerns was that it led me to worry about it and perhaps unnecessarily. What if I had gone too far by having her come into the salon and finding me in just a corset and stockings? I would ponder on the fact that while on that day had she just been very nice and accepted me like that just that once or had she done so willingly? Would she reflect on what she had seen of me and refuse to see me again, knowing that just her word would be enough to discourage me from phoning or calling again? I tried to recall exactly how she acted during those amazing few minutes. I tried to assess whether she had been more reserved in her conversation during and afterwards than she had been before. I wondered whether her chuckling was a nervous response to her embarrassment at being in such a situation with a man. I then thought, well she did help with my suspenders so she cant have felt too dissuaded. I put off phoning to get a day and time when I could go back and collect the ones Id left for repair as I needed time to get the cash together. As my funds were still low I could not afford a third appointment simply to test the waters of my acceptability by her and could hardly call and see her just to talk. I felt I would have to give her some work to do for me. As for what would she think is she knew of my meeting with another man when we both wore just corsets and stockings, I dared not imagine. Some of my readers may find this discourse on my thoughts unreasonably exhaustive. But I should point out, especially to any ladies who have read my Odyssey to this point, that, even in the more liberated climate of 25 years ago, for me and other men like me, Simon not withstanding, the purchase of any pair of stockings, suspender belt or corset was always a major source of stress. This did not diminish with time and continued from the first time Id bought such items of apparel back in 1967 until 1983, the time of which I am writing. I did not want to lose what I had fought so hard to achieve, especially a source of bespoke corsets. I had found in Mrs Norris, someone who could make exactly what I wanted, alter or repair all I wanted. It had been a major effort of trial and error to settle on the details that suited my compulsion. I did not want to lose it through an avoidable act on my part. My musings over whether to write to or phone Mrs Norris are given in Part 5 of this Odyssey and I will not repeat them. In the end it became obvious that only the spontaneity of a phone conversation would resolve matters one way or the other. In forcing my decision to phone, reality was my saviour. Upon examination of one older corset at home over Christmas I found that an improperly crimped brass end of a spiral steel in an older short corset had cut into the black satin and was about to protrude. Closer examination showed that others were close to abrading the strapping on the inside. Apart from that, the rest of the corset was in good condition and I felt that it could be repaired quickly by the likes of Mrs Norris. Here was my excuse - a very good one in fact - to phone and ask for an appointment to have some running repairs done, ideally while I waited.
5 MARCH 1983 - MY ACCEPTANCE IS CONFIRMED Eventually I did phone her and she was as pleasant as ever, and said she could see me midweek for my third appointment at her house as her husband was at work. As the days counted down I also realised that I could upgrade my other corsets in three ways - boning provision, shoulder straps on long ones and type and number of suspenders. I
already had a real and valid reason to phone without committing to a new one when funds were low. However I would underline that I would readily pay for all repairs she did and extras she made me. I nearly postponed my visit because of the snow and late cold weather of early March 1983. As it was, the way I chose to get there got more complicated because I tried to avoid diversions on the A412 as the M25 was under construction. I faced traffic jam after jam so I took a route through the high street of one of the old Middlesex villages, long overrun by suburban sprawl . However, on this occasion the old adage every cloud has a silver lining proved true. As I sat stuck in the jam I looked out and saw in a shop window a 1950s style foot mannequin on which was displayed the seam and black point heel of stocking, which I knew had to be Aristoc Harmony. I noticed the shop was called Joan, a ladies dress shop and much easier for a nervous man to enter than a corset shop. So, I turned out of the jam just before a railway bridge and drove past some arches and, with difficulty, found a parking spot. I walked back and boldly went in and told a somewhat reserved woman in her late 40s that Id seen the display, did she have any in black, size 10 or 11. She did, and I bought four pairs. I continued to patronise her until May 1988 then on one trip to Mrs Norris later that year I found Joan was no more - replaced by yes, another estate agent. When I got outside Mrs Norris home, as I locked the car, I wondered what her neighbours thought when her individual male customers like myself visited her house on the days that her husband was at work. But that was not my real concern so I walked up to the back door, confident by now and looking forward to seeing Mrs Norris and admiring her figure and the straight-seams on her calves. But it was not to be. She opened the door and smiled and invited me in as usual and it was only when I got inside and looked down that my spirits dipped a little. For the first and only time ever, I saw her wearing brown trousers! However hers were no ordinary off the peg trousers. She had used her skill as a tailor to make them figure hugging to emphasise her waist but cleverly tailored to pass smoothly over her awesome hip spring, just as one might see in sketches in 1930s issues of London Life. She wore her usual, backless, high-heeled mules and I could just see the lowest part of the brown heels and seams of her stockings below her trouser legs. It was clear on account of her cinched black patent belt that underall she was still as tightly corseted as ever and I am sure her stockings would have been tautly suspendered as ever. If any proof were needed of my acceptance, on this occasion she made me a salmon sandwich as well as a cup of tea, which I enjoyed as we talked about her work, old customers whod returned, new ones, and the work she continued to do for Axfords. She quickly complained about the cold weather - hence her attire. All around the place were floral pattered summer dresses she was making for a ladies fashion company - outsourcing - before the term came into vogue. This all made me feel a little bolder and I asked if many of her old customers from Gardners had become her customers and at this she became quite positive and began to recount who they were. She was advertising in a woman's magazine and again making for Cover Girl. She said shed used my idea of key rings for detachable suspenders for one lady customers corsets who had liked them very much. There was a medium-length brown parcel on the table. I suddenly realised that it was for me and that I had completely forgotten that Id left the white Wilbro PCRW2 for her to alter on the memorable day in December 1982. My months of worry and thoughts of inventing a reason to phone had all been in vain! She undid the brown paper to show me what shed done. As requested she'd washed it, strapped on spiral bones to double the provision and shed taken in the top which, being ready to wear, was cut for a woman. Shed cut off all the suspenders and sewn end loops on their elastics and finally fitted new loops on the hem for the all-important key rings. She pointed out, by way of a criticism of it, that it wasnt lined, which, as I now knew, was her mark of a real corset. I produced the corset that needed repairs and she took note of what to do and put it to one side. I then said Id like her to examine my problem with the ridge at the upper hem of the high top I had been wearing since early morning. I will use what I wrote to my new Yorkshire friend in place of a narrative account of the assessment of my problem. In transcribing it 25 years later I found it a little rambling and, apart from necessary editing, I hope readers will agree with me that it catches the flavour of how I felt at the time: Anyway I got to Mrs N's and had a cup of tea and then stripped down - curtains drawn in her sitting cum fitting room. There is a lovely high mirror above the fireplace so one can glance at it as if to pinch oneself and realise "yes, it's me in corset and stockings with Mrs N looking at how my corset is fitting me.
Before she came into me by the way, I had changed my stockings and put on clean pants, tights and a cache sex and I called her in with my nylons rolled to my knees. Anyway she cut the shoulder straps off the front of the corset and safety pinned them into a new and better position but first of all she helped me to loosen off all my lacings and got her to re-lace me after I explained the circumstances of my initial lacing in, in the toilet! I pointed out that I felt shy to be seen like this and she said not to worry, she didn't mind. It is pure heaven to have someone lace one in. She really can pull. Again this time she pulled me off my balance backwards. I almost wonder if she does it on purpose - she talks as she laces in and responds to appreciative comments and to finally close down the waist she really works at those lacings and says "There, take the ends" and she passed the pullers to me for me to tie up as she watches. She was intrigued to see me clipping my back suspenders to my right stocking. She must have noticed me rotating the stocking top and said "Oh, I wondered how you managed to clip so many on!. Then without my asking her to do so, she stepped forward and bent over and started to suspender my left stocking. She was very quick at suspendering and pulled at the tops very hard and assuredly and as she did so I noticed that she had started putting my very back suspender on the seam. So I stopped her and asked if could she put my next to the back suspender on the seam and the back one towards the inside of my thigh. When I was fully laced in and suspendered I pointed out to her how the very back suspender would pull the seam to the inside of the calf and she agreed. I was honestly amazed by how, without hesitation she came forward to help me with my suspendering. The fact that I am a man wearing womens black nylons doesn't enter into it. It seems to her that I wear a corset, hence I wear stockings and suspenders and that's it! Going over my diary, I find it is more accurate than that letter and for the record I will add what I left out. After going into the fitting room I had to loosen off my corset and undo suspenders to fit the additional under apparel that I felt I should wear for a fitting. Readers may recall that the corset I was wearing was higher in the back than I had been used to, with heavy 18 inch long back steels, inch wide all way to top. Once Id got myself in a decorous state, rolled on my stockings to my knees and hooked up the busk. I opened the sliding door slightly and called to her. It was some moments before she looked my way. She was working intently on putting a new padded flap with press-studs to protect me from the abrasive or indenting efforts that the hooks and eyes of one of my deep suspender belts were making on my left hipbone. At the time I was unaware she wore a hearing aid concealed in her glasses but I now realise it was not surprising that she had not heard my somewhat diffident Excuse me above the whirring of her machine. However, she had clearly sensed the movement of the door and turned her head sideways to look at me and smiled and said in her characteristically sharp voice "Youre ready are you? It was hard to give a restrained reply but I did, saying, Could you lace me in please? She looked intently back at the work machine and completed a run of sewing and cut off the threads. As ever the lacing in was, to use an appropriate word rigorous and in response I said "You do a better job than I ever could" and she said, "Most people say that and added that Some people will never pull themselves in as much as someone else will. She always pulled so hard that invariably I was caught unawares and she would all but overbalance me. To my reaction of involuntary calling out when I felt what was to become the familiar burning sensation of fast moving lacings on the skin, she would always respond with a knowing chuckle. Whilst I was being laced in the phone rang and she went to the kitchen to take it. She came back and was clearly annoyed. I was to learn that some men took advantage of her by bringing girl friends they had persuaded to corset to be measured and fitted only for the woman to have second thoughts. This had been the case and she had made the corsets and the customer was reluctant to pick up the corset and likely would not pay. Although I should have known better when she stopped pulling me in saying that she thought it was tight enough, I was as surprised as ever by how tightly she had laced me. With the best will in the world the self-lacer can rarely do
justice to the capability of the corset. Again, without asking she began to suspender my stockings for me, except again she put the very back suspender on the seam, so I said Just a moment, I like this one on the seam, and she chuckled and watched me twist the top in my thigh and then attach the back one 3-4 inches beyond" the seam. As I did so she said words to the effect "I wondered how you got on alone with those back ones and Do you really need five?. She then clipped up my left stocking exactly as I wanted it. It was clear she regarded suspendering as part of a corset fitters duty - man or woman customer! Once properly fitted, I quickly sat on one of her upright chairs to show how it bulged and stood out at the top edge. As I did so I ran my hands up and down the lines of the double spiral bones in front. I felt how they curved in and out the tautly stretched corset body corset followed the contours of my form over my stomach and past the lower ribs of my barrel-chested form. I marvelled at how Mrs Norris, using just a few measurements, had as accurately cut the shape of the panels above the waist in front so that, when properly fitted - to the level of closure she always pulled the corset. But then mine was far from the first mans high top corset she had made. For me it was only with the lie of its front upper edge that any refinement was necessary. She asked me to stand again which felt strangely difficult on account of the tightly laced high top and we then set about checking how to remedy it and on just how she should adjust the attachment point of the shoulder straps. In the end she cut away the original piece sewn to the top of the corset with an ever-ready razor blade while I was wearing it, not to cut any fabric, just to cut the threads. I didnt admit to my friend that this had worried me to have such a sharp object so close to the skin, but she was very dextrous, and had clearly done it before. Then, using safely pins we experimented with the ideal location for fitting the straps at front and back. We must have looked very like a Spirella lady with her customer. She said I also needed the elastic gores at the side and I agreed and said Id take it off and leave it with her. I then understood her refusal to make a woman a corselette; this was hard enough to get right. She asked me to take it off and shed correct it right away and started back for the kitchen to await me to take it off Meanwhile I became bolder and said that I would put on the white Wilbro PCRW2 but she quickly reminded me that the loose suspenders had to be put onto it first. I was inwardly pleased that she knew that I always liked to wear stockings with my corsets. As it was still on the kitchen table I quickly followed her into the kitchen to save her the effort of doing so alone. However, I briefly forgot that I was only wearing the high top corset and stockings but she did not and quickly moved to pull the kitchen curtains and laughed as she did so saying we didnt want passers by to get the wrong idea! I apologised for coming in dressed like that, and as I now know she would, she brushed off my apology and disarmingly offered me another cup of tea, which I gratefully accepted. I said Id put my shirt and trousers back on and she said no, that I could sit down just as I was. I recovered from my briefcase the small screwdriver I used to prise the spring steel open. She rummaged in a cupboard by the sliding door and I thought she would be getting the blunt knife Id seen her use to do the same thing but and she returned handing me a gleaming spoon busk to examine saying This is what I told you about. This is the kind of busk I like to wear. She said it was out of an old corset shed been given to copy and said that the busk had got bent at the top and she continued I got my chap (her husband} to get it straightened in the workshop at his work. It was clearly made of stainless steel and bore the hammer marks that got it back to shape. I was struck by its double curvature and said so and she also said, theyre very hard to find now and I break them when Im bending sometimes, adding with a laugh, that theyre not suitable for a mans corset. It was at that moment that I realised that as we sat there it was no wonder she sat so upright at either her machine or at the table, the combination of such a busk and underbusk would do that. It confirmed why she had what I described earlier in this Odyssey as a Duchess of Duke Street deportment. Would that the womanhood of today returned to proper corseting and moved in the same way. This became the pattern of our discourses during this and future appointments - total acceptance of me not just as a customer or corset wearer but someone with whom she could talk a little about her own problems with the three items of apparel we had in common - our corsets, seamed stockings and suspenders. I realise later that since her retirement she probably only had customers with whom to share such concerns and I now wonder now much she missed her life and customers at Gardners and had discovered that by staying in business she had an interest in life, could discuss such things and that we became her personal circle of friends outside her family life. So in just my high top corset and black nylons I drank my second cup of tea as we proceeded to thread the key rings ones I had bought in the local ironmongers just before I called, in the hem and elastic loops. As I wrote in my diary at
the time: Before fitting the PCRW2 I drank my tea in her kitchen and we proceed to fit these white suspenders to the white corset with some key rings I had brought with me. It was while we were doing this together that she said she had fitted key rings and loops for a lady customer who had wanted detachable suspenders on her corsets. Mrs N thinks they are very practical idea, although she said she sews on all her suspenders and doesn't use corset clips. I find corset clips useful at home if one wants to experience extra suspenders for an hour or so, but they aren't reliable enough for all day wear by a man. Now if one comes off the hem I go off to the toilet as soon as I can in fear and trepidation that in the un-tensioned state the button might again accidentally slide up the clip and the whole suspender fall down my trouser leg to the floor as happened to me once when I was walking! Luckily I was able to catch it in time and slip it into the top of my sock, till I could get to the toilet to retrieve it! Once wed added the suspenders and returned to the dining room/fitting salon as I de-corseted and de-suspendered myself from my black high top to try on the white one, my PCRW2. She came in and after I wrapped it around my form and hooked up the busk, she started lacing me in. to my great satisfaction I again experienced what I had noticed the first time I lace it on back in 1977 and that was the relentless way in which busk and under-busk covered and took me over There was now no gape at the top and she tied the knot in the lacing and we did up my suspenders. She then said words to the effect I hope that will comfortable - an allusion to its being unlined I was sure. Leaving me to appreciate what she had done she returned quickly to her trusty industrial machine and passed the shoulder straps of the high top through it, opened the seam between the side panels and inserted the gores of elastic. When finished we went back to the fitting room and I changed corsets again and the high top now fitted fine. When I emerged having removed my tights and dressed again, the white corset was wrapped in its brown paper again ready for me to take and I went on my way. My anxieties had all been in vain. Mrs Norris accepted me for what I was which was to prove to be for the rest of her life. In reflecting back on the early years of my Odyssey I can recall even more examples of how while still at Gardners where she hardly knew me she did her best to meet my needs. I also realise now that in my small way I was adding weight to her own sadness at the demise of corset wearing as reflected in the difficulty she continued to have in obtaining parts and materials equal to the needs of her customers. This problem had so discouraged her a few years earlier and I am sure contributed to her decision to retire before she really wanted to - apart from the problems of her long journey to work each day of course. After reading Alison Perrys account of her relationship with her supervisor in Ivy Leafs web site in 2003, I came to understand the bond that had developed between Mrs Norris and myself over 20 years earlier. It was also the secret of the success of the Spirella and Spencer companies adoption of the home visit corsetiere. Today the selling of lingerie at parties is cause for a feature article in a newspaper but, to use the old adage, there is nothing new under the sun. Spirellas customers were dealt with in their own homes by a corsetiere. As Ivy Leafs Tribute will tell us, many of these corsetieres were women who accepted the limitations on movement imposed by their wearing of very strong and containing corsets, such as Alison did in her black satin Spenall. I now have no doubt in my mind, on the basis of what she said that Mrs Norris would have seen eye to eye with Alisons supervisor. I am sure that however much of a tyrant Alison thought her supervisor, she probably would, out of choice, have been even more strictly corseted than she expected Alison to be and that the supervisors own stockings would have been pulled as taut if not tauter than Alison herself experienced when she tried to bend her knees to attend to the skirt and suspenders of a customers corset during its fitting. What is also illuminating is that after a few months Alison had admitted that she came to like being in her Spenall - I certainly did like being well corseted. What is even more revealing is her admission that her husband appreciated her wearing it and that the Spenall was even integrated into their sex life. To me it also confirms that what is produced in the form of erotic photography has is its roots in the preferences of both men and women for the beauty of the corseted form. Certainly there is copious testimony on the Internet to the power that such images had in appealing to men, still persists. 6 WE DISCUSS STOCKINGS
As she was helping with my fitting she said she was still having trouble with her stockings slipping off her suspenders. She said she had even written to the makers Aristoc to ask them to go back to using less shiny thread She said "I had no trouble with them years ago! but she had thought about what I had said before about the problem which most of her customers were having too. She knew that the source of the trouble was the rubber buttons and laboriously packed tissue paper on each button as she pushed it into her stocking top as part of her suspendering. So I said "I know you think I like too many suspenders, but that I thought it did help. I asked her how many do you use and she said while shed tried four she almost always used three pairs, and said, it gets uncomfortable machining if she sat on the back ones. She said that as it was, hers were just above the chair seat when she sat down. I said I thought it was harder to get used to a new corset, than to sit on suspender clips and that Id got used to doing it. She further volunteered that shed also had trouble getting long enough stockings. She liked a 10 inch foot with a long leg but could rarely get them, but that her daughter had sent her some at Christmas 1982. I said I understood her problem because we were both forced to buy Aristoc, which was the only maker of fully-fashioned seamed stockings. We agreed that it was only a matter of time before they would stop making them. I said I had started to build up a stock just in case and in retrospect, as I edit my diary written at the time, it is surprising that another decade was to pass before the sword of Damocles came down on British and American fully fashioned stockings. Writing in 2008, from what I can tell, the knitting machines of Charnos and Aristoc appear to have been bought by two organisations set up by their respective former employees who recognised that a niche market for connoisseurs of the style was still there. The firms, respectively are of course Eleganti ( left ), which offers a ladder stop pattern not unlike the Charnos Moonbeam pattern ( right) that disappeared in 1969, only a few years after I had started to buy them. Gio produces stockings with the double row of holes to form the ladder stop pattern, identical to the old Aristoc Harmony. Because my own stock is so large it will last out my time I have never had to pay 15 or more for a pair that had cost 25p, just under forty years ago at the time of decimalisation I am glad to read that Gio wearers in particular expressly extol the product. It would also be nice to think that Mrs Norris was aware of the rescue of the machines before she died in 2000. I do have no doubt that she would have been outraged by the price of once more being able to get her size in the lengths she so liked. Happily I know that she too
had laid in a large stock before they were finally unavailable. She had written to no avail to Aristoc in an effort to get its accounting-minded managers to change their minds. My only criticism of the modern firms is that they knit only in 15-denier yarn. Charitably I say that while this meets the eternal feminine desire for the sheerest possible product, I know that many women who wore corsets and girdles much preferred the anchorage afforded by stockings knitted from 30 denier and my own experience the tactile pleasure I get from 30 denier yarn stockings cannot be matched by the sheerer knit. 7 A FIRST FITTING BY BERKS CORSETIER At the time I had been screwing up the courage to meet Mrs Norris again, Berks Corsetier wrote and told me that he had finished the ultra long corset. As readers may recall, he measured me for it the previous December, as he wanted to practise his skills on people other than himself. He was ready to give me a fitting at my convenience. My time was limited and I fitted in a visit en route to see my family on a damp winter weekend. Upon arrival we sat over a cup of tea as he showed me his collection of photographs including some of women with very large bosoms, which I had previously thought was largely a figment of his fantasy though, I saw sadly that such women existed and were clearly willing to pose for profit. He lamented he had never seen such a person pose in a long line bra and corset which was his dream. Clearly, in the absence of being able to meet his desire with real persons he dressed up so that contemplating his reflection was the closest he came to realising that dream. It was hard for me to enthuse about such images but it made me realise that the more particular is ones interest, the more exclusive one becomes. I wrote in my diary of the time: He produced the long corset and I was amazed to find he had met my request for a very close pitch of the eyelets. It was about half and inch and on a 25 inch long back gave a total of 48 pairs of eyelets which I greedily counted as I examined it. It was also the first corset I had ever seen with a 7 point busk. I had never seen or knew such long ones were made. (On this point Ivy Leaf in her article on Long Corsets" commented that she never seen one so long but of course she forgets that Nicole Kidman flashes all seven hooks in the film Moulin Rouge. I was thrilled that out there were still a sufficient number of women who actually wanted corsets long enough to need such long busks! He was very keen, but after six years of corset education with Mrs Norris, I could tell that there were gaps in his perception and knowledge and that the corset wasnt lined and had no underbusk. Overall it lacked the body, weight or fit of what Mrs Norris produced. I would not transfer my patronage but would not discourage him in his worthy efforts to practise. We then went up to his fitting room to lace it on. Before hand we had agreed that we would have a mutual photo session with me wearing what hed made. I insisted that I wore black nylons and suspenders if I was to be photographed and with limited time I didnt want us to get into the business of taking detachable suspenders off one corset and putting it on one that would probably need alteration. So I first put on my boned deep suspender girdle and black 30 denier Alberts Walking Sheers with the 8 rows of extensible holes in the afterwelts before I fitted it. We had agreed that it was to be cut so as to be open two inches at the back when tightly laced, but as soon as I tied to hook the busk I sensed it was too small. After extreme and futile efforts just to hook the first of the seven studs of the 16-inch busk we spent some time add some extra lacing and ended up with three separate pieces of stay lacing and three sets of pulling loops. Once the busk and the hooks and eyes above and below it were secured, my corsetier began to lace me. He did it very carefully and slowly and initially it was a most satisfying experience. He had missed to thread in one pair of eyelets and thought it didn't matter but as we closed down the corset, some of my flesh was bulging right out of the gap. He said it needed a flap but on serious tight lacer, who would use
such a thing I said. However it took the proverbial Herculean effort to get it closed down to the designed two inches gap when fully laced in. This folded my flesh into the area of the laces as can be seen in a photo he took of me. He worked painstakingly at reworking the laces till I was tightly contained from neck to thigh. He then took the agreed photos of me in it with stocking top and suspender details and I took some of him in a pink corset with its suspenders clipped to his incongruously short stretch stockings in his favourite colour, chocolate brown, over which he wore a pink corselette with the usual huge bra. Each of us relied on the honour of the other person to frame the photos to ensure they were of the headless type, which older readers may recall caused such mirth when they were brought into identity-challenging evidence at Lord Dennings Profumo Scandal inquiry back in 1963 We then sat around in our corsetry, suspenders and stockings and I leafed through back issues of the magazines which I had stopped buying. Today I felt much more self-confident and found there were elements of being in a corsetieres salon that I liked. I found it good to be completely uninhibited in my observations at to actually say "That fan lacing does look good on your corsets or I do like the way your suspenders are looped on your underbelts. However we both agreed that it would only be perfect if only we could be in the company of like-attired women, who understood our motivations. Knowing Berks Corsetier certainly helped me to overcome the inhibitions I had previously had about matronly corsetry. Indeed within a year or two I was able to contemplate images of women in such corsets with great understanding, even discrimination. Indirectly I had returned to the pleasure I got when I first saw them in the Marshall and Snelgrove adverts in the Observer in the early 1950s. Had I not done so, I wonder if I would have been interested or ready to enter the world of Spirella, so generously offered to the world by Ivy Leaf and which I
enjoy so much. Suffice to say the pride of his corset literature was a blue cloth covered copy of the Spirella handbook on corset fitting. Very different in content from Corset Fitting in a Retail Store which had been generously given to me by my new Yorkshire contact who actually had two copies! 8 KEEPING RECORDS I was thoroughly familiar with the more careful procedure needed to hook up the five points of a 14-inch long busk. Indeed I gained a lot of satisfaction from the fact that my taste in corsets had evolved to the point where I could handle such an item quickly and easily. I felt if I were ever to meet such people as Mrs Norris alluded to as her customers, I would gain their acceptance as a serious corset wearer. I now had three corsets made with them and noted that, though of the same length they differed in how easy it was to hook them up. On examination I found they were not all the same and that one could get variations in the thickness (or stiffness) and width of the two steel plates of a busk. I had still not encountered the spoon busk-of which more later in this account. I had taken to examining each and every corset I had in detail in order to gain an understanding of what I was wearing. Being a compulsive maker of lists and tables I applied the same attention to my growing wardrobe of corsets and recorded every feature I could. I gradually refined my system of recording my measurements of both self and corset. What had begun as simple measurements such as the level of the hem, the level of the compatible stocking tops when wearing my very first corset - the black satin Contessa, back in 1971, ended with my preparing a grid of my whole form which made a corsetieres self measurement form look very simple. I then began a similar system for recording each and every corset, and suspender belt, as well as the other items of apparel as I bought them. I then did the same for those I already possessed, which has made writing this Odyssey much more accurate in its recollection of events. First I would measure the item unworn, recording the number of panels it had and I prepared small charts and a system for recording the deposition and type of each bones, the seam lines of panels, the width of each panel at top, waist and hem. I recorded the width -usually one inch and my subjective estimate of the weight or relative elasticity of suspender elastic. While I was standardising on five as my preferred number of suspenders since the hem length varied slightly I noted and recorded the location of the centre of each suspender around the hem and until I made all suspenders detachable I recorded the length of unstretched elastic for the location of each pair. Some may say this is an excessive detail, but coming back to review my original notes to write this Odyssey it proved invaluable, especially as I lacked the encyclopaedic memory of a Mrs Norris who it seemed could remember the sizes and personal preferences of all her customers, though of course she always wrote it down as well. With deep skirted corsets I matched those of my growing number of stockings that could be worn with them and I even sorted the stockings out in this way so that I could store them accordingly in what by now were several drawers. By the time Aristoc Harmony were discontinued in 1993-4, there was when a whole chest full of them - new and worn - amounting to about 2500 pairs. Over the years it had slowly dwindled and I cannot believe the book value that the unopened packets now represents. Reflecting on the subject years later, and knowing what I do now from reading the various information websites on fully-fashioned stockings, I how realise that in the old days the stocking manufacturers put the variability to good use. For each foot size if one made enough stockings one could easily sell the range of lengths appropriate to that foot size and that it was likely not necessary to knit each length - the vagary of the process conveniently provided exactly the standard sizes as well as odd ones too, though often sold as "seconds" or, as with Aristoc,undergrads. Years later in comparing notes with other dedicated corsets wearers I of course found out that none of the ladies I knew engaged in such things but that a majority of the men did and I can only put it down to the fact that of necessity a man who wore corsets was self taught and could not normally rely on the wise counsel of the lady from Spirella or Spencer. 9 MY DIARY OF REFLECTIONS At the time I did not know it but resolution of the design of the shoulder straps on my high top corsets in 1983 was to prove to be the turning point in what until then had been essentially a solitary corseting experience. This is what I
wrote in my diary I like to feel tight and contained. I like to feel the limitations on my movements. The problem of twisting to fasten a suspender is real and a real problem if a suspender clip slips off a stocking top. The high top changes my gait as well as my deportment. I am getting used to hanging a corset from by shoulders by the straps and if I ever fit a shorter corset it feels odd when hooking up the busk, to have to hold tightly on to the corset at the same time. I told Mrs Norris about it and she talked about it quite matter-of-factly. It was amazing how she loves talking corsets. As I get to know her better and better through our conversations I became privy to her World and the preferences of some of her customers (some of whom were to become good friends). I suppose she's laced in all her life - what 15-16 hours a day - and worked at making them too, they are her main interest. In fact she seems to have quite a troupe of male corset customers who beat a path to her door. all ages it seems. She is in my opinion the doyenne of corsetieres in the UK for sure. During one appointment I showed her my copy of the Finecraft catalogue, which she had never seen and I will paraphrase how our conversation followed. She said "That's one of ours (meaning Gardners) and that one, and that, as she turned the pages. I had several copies of the catalogue at home so I ended up giving it to her as a souvenir and she was very pleased. I find talk of Herculean lacings, and not for namby pambys to be be insulting to real corset wearers . Mrs Norris agreed because she was not one for false sentiment and said some people were better at selling than others. (The next time I saw her I learned she had written to Finecraft and hoped to get some more business.) I fully recognise that there is a strong sexual side to corset wearing, but it is only part of the whole thing - 5% of the time it is important. The other 95% one is wearing them day in day out and the appreciation is on a high psychological level. The beauty of the rigid form, the feeling of tightness, taut fabric, lacings, the steels, the control of the busk - the essence of tight-lacing - the reason Mrs N still pulls herself in to a 23" waist every day of her life, dependent on her corset. I hope to emulate her and become dependent too for physical reasons, not a slave but a partner with my corset. In fact one had to be. It alters one's life for sure - one's movements - behaviour, conduct -especially a man one is conscious of it but only till one gets used to it. Its second nature to Mrs. N. She's always in hers and her gait and deportment reflected in the way she sits and breathes shows it and I think its wonderful. Take it away and she'd be lost. 10 REFLECTIONS ON MY CORSETIERE As for Mrs Norris, I now felt I had achieved what I sought and that was to be regarded by her, and hence by others, as a serious knowledgeable corset wearer. When I would sit down and exchange pleasantries before, during and after a fitting or measurement she would tell me a little news of her family, but much of what we discussed was peppered with references to her own corsets, be it the hot weather, skin breakdown, busk breakages and other customers but always discreetly and anonymously. I once asked if an under-busk is necessary. At this she really was amused and said words to the effect that If youve ever got your skin pinched in a busk youll know what its like and be glad of an under-busk adding that they dont make busks like they used to and there was too big a gap on many and always say that one could of course try but that she didnt think it was a good idea. From time to time shed talk of her own trials ad tribulations with skin breakdown (answer corn plasters over the offending spot), suspenders slipping off tops, staying tightly laced on hot weather, etc, etc., (she couldnt loosen the lace because the waistband of ones skirt couldnt be closed). She admitted that on hot days she would do so to watch television but would afterwards go straight to bed avoiding the waistband problem. I started to see her generosity. She gave me two pairs of Aristoc Harmony black nylons - she knew I wore size 10 and these had been given to her by her very own daughter as a Christmas present. Clearly she did not to know that her mother would never wear black. I never asked her why she would not but suspect it was related to their association with widows. She also gave me two pairs of the same brand - by now they were the only ones in the UK - in Chocolate Brown, which a male customer had given her. They were too long for him and had proved to be too long for her too, so she generously passed them to me and, in both cases refused to accept any payment.
She slowly became more expansive about her own problems. As she was to say in letter of Jan 22, 1984 "I made myself a corset with an old spoon busk, then one side of it broke in half, so I had to take it out. (Berks Corsetier) sent me one for Xmas so very likely I'll make another one for the fine weather." Jan 22, 1984. When I look at the images of well corseted women in Ivy Leafs Tribute I now get a strange sense of companionship or fraternity, as though because they choose to be corseted like that they would have understood me and me them. That was how I found it. In future years I was to meet with equally well-corseted men or women. There was no need for justification for what brought us together, no need to even talk about it. Each of us knew what we were wearing often out of sight and knew what we were experiencing. An individuals, having found what she or he "needed" we would try to encourage the other person to try, but I found that, on the whole a persons stockings, suspenders and corset preferences were entirely personal, that no two individuals were alike. While other men wore stockings they didn't lace as tight as me. For obvious visual reasons it ill-behoves a man to cinch his waist so that generally the women laced tighter but then with one exception they didn't like so many suspenders as me, though one lady who used four pairs kept hers so taut that one could almost play a tune on them. This need to talk was reinforced by our own Ivy Leaf. In her August 2008 diary entry she records her conversation with a Camp corset wearer at a wedding: It was at a wedding in Utrecht recently that my sister-in-law introduced me to a rather smart, elderly lady with the enigmatic words that we had much in common. It was the lady that broke the ice with "I understand you still wear corsets; so do I!" Trust the Dutch to speak their minds. Two English ladies could, and probably would, talk around the matter for hours, days even and then never quite get to the point. It transpired that the lady had worn a Camp corset for years, just as her mother had done. Her problem was, as it is for all corset-wearers, diminishing supply. She had purchased corsets from Coja for years, but the Basko Camps corsets latterly were sturdy, but hardly feminine. She candidly agreed that she was vain (what lady is not), and nothing held her stomach in check like a Camp, but she lamented the passing of the glorious materials once available. I hope it is not to presumptuous of me as a mere man to say how closely I identify with the sentiments Ivys fellow guest alluded to. Whilst I have never worn a Camp corset, I believe my appreciating of a proper busk and underbusk to rein in my stomach accords with her feeling. As for sentiments of vanity I have never sought accoutrements of female vanity such as frills or delicate facing. For me sturdiness would be the ultimate accolade I could give to the styles of corset, shoulder straps, boning and suspender design that my corsetire made me when finding my Corset self and to what became my preferred corset styles. There is no doubt that subconsciously right until the 1950s, it was the collectivity of womens needs that effectively demanded that men, even husbands, design and make them corsets, corset components or corset patterns and that it was men who responded and designed the busks, bones, suspenders and fittings, envisaged lacing systems to meet their needs. Other web sites are filled with examples of patents granted in the UK, USA and elsewhere and almost every applicant was a man designing to meet the needs or vanity of women. As Ivy Leaf notes in Corsetry Compendium - Trapped inside my Panty-girdle about an unsuccessful attempt to do up 17 hooks and eyes. This device just had to be invented by a man. While some would call the corset a tyranny on women others like me came to admire the women I knew, and didnt know, who chose to wear a busk-fronted corset or a Camp or a Jenyns fan lacer. For them it was an essential part of their attire and persona so that many of those women were tightly laced in their corsets, all day every day some overnight too - for 40, 50 or more years. 11 REFLECTIONS ON FITTING AND WEARING LONG CORSETS Fitting and relaxing in corsets became its own reward. I came to find the busk was the part I liked best. I liked to here the metal clicks as stud and slot engaged one another as I hooked it up . Once hooked, I liked to see the hook plates glint in the light and finger the tiny domes on the top of each stud in turn. Even now I find nothing more appealing than the glinting parts of the busk up the front of a corset and writing in 2008 no more so than seeing Nicole Kidman in hers in Moulin Rouge.
Once laced in, I found I liked to relax and for example expand my belly just to feel my busk resist. I still liked to run my finger up and down my spiral bones only now in a high top the length was much greater. I derived much reassurance from putting my hands on the tautly stretched and boned black satin facing on my hips and using my thumbs to press against my pair of back steels or reach back and "strum" the taut crosses of the back lacing. All this gave me solace that I had done the right thing. I also liked running my fingers up and down the satin covered busk, plates, the seams between the panels and of course the boning. When I did so on spiral steels boning I marvelled at how pleasing it was to feel through my fingertips the subtle indentations caused by the presence of their rolled spring steel coils. I don't know if it was on account of my being a man but I came to appreciate the technical aspects of corsets and stockings. I studied the way stockings were knitted and marvelled at the thought that went into the design features of fully-fashioned styles. I had now worn stockings almost all day ever day for 15 years and had got used to feeling warm legs on the warmest days of summer. However as I didnt feel right without them, I came to accept it as part and parcel of my commitment. As anyone person - man or woman - who wears suspendered thigh-length stockings will tell you, the tactile sensations they make on the wearers legs means that one is continually aware of their presence, whether one is moving, standing or sitting still. As for the high top corset, one of the biggest challenges I faced was trying to wear it in hot summer weather and on occasion I would end the day with the lining damp before I realised I should wear it over a cotton under vest.
12 REFLECTIONS ON SUSPENDERS I dont apologise for writing for one last time about suspenders, which after all were the third pillar of my compulsion and the obligatory link between my stockings and a corset or suspender belt. As I was discovering more and more about my corset self, as you my reader may recall from the end of Part 3 of this Odyssey, I had concluded that best answer to the fraying problem with some but not all of my suspender elastics was to fit detachables. These paragraphs are simply to record the fact that by early 1983 all my corsets and deep boned suspender belts had fitted with loops on which to fit detachable suspenders. Years earlier I had found repairing suspenders was not easy and I did not enjoy doing it and despite use of a thimble regularly pricked myself of cut myself with blunt blade of a screwdriver or other tool I used. With the very first suspender fittings I used and tried to repair the design used part of the steel length adjuster to crimp one end of the elastic under part of the metal. My ministrations with a sufficiently fine yet rigid screwdriver to price the crimped metal apart were initially rewarded with stabbing my fingers with it blade and no pair of pliers was equal to the task of re-crimping the two halves of metal firmly enough onto the new elastic - if I could hold it correctly in place. Visits home involved furtive visits to my fathers workbench where the jaws of the vice could do the job. At the time, all suspenders I could buy including Winfield brand in Woolworth have included this detail. The design had no doubt evolved to reduce the bulk of a suspender so that it didnt show through a tight skirt. Only later did the makers revert to the integral loop, which allowed the elastic end to be sewn to its length adjuster. I will not bore readers with the all the other things that could go wring but more than once I succeeded in getting individual items of a suspender - the length adjuster, the clips buttoon fitted incorrectly which necessitated unpicking stitches and repeating the exercise at hand. In contrast I had now had the privilege of seeing Mrs N at work on the machine sewing up five or six suspenders at a time. As I did, I marvelled at how she never made errors of the kind I did all too frequently - full testimony to her professionalism and why I knew I needed her to keep me on my Odyssey. Back in 1982-3, another important factor in being accepted as a customer was that Mrs Norris was always ready to help with running repairs for a modest charge on any corset, whether she had made it or not. This was an additional way for me to give her business and to meet her. As to my needs. I wanted four changes - first to standardise the number of suspenders at five pairs and second to have only detachable suspenders. This meant secondly to have 10 loops for five pairs sewn on the hem of all corsets and boned suspender belts. As for the elastic I wanted them in a variety of lengths according to position around the hem and thigh and fourthly I wanted to have some of each length made up with three weights of elastic.
Hence regardless of earlier changes I would gradually get Mrs Norris to convert all my corset that I wore regularlyand happily it mattered not whether she had made them or not. That meant removing all sewn on suspenders and sewing onto the hem instead the loops though which the split rings I discussed in Part 3 could be threaded. I was quite particular about loop location and got the front pair close to my busk and the back pair immediately below my back steels. The three side pairs directly below the pair of spiral steels. As you have read, it had not been without its travails. Ill summarise how I reached each final choice solution in turn Corset loops: Mrs Norris had tried using several materials for the loops including elastic and twill tape both of which got cut and frayed by the edges of the split rings while Petersham or bias binding tape or built up strips made of regency nylon satin proved to be much more durable. We never tried elastic loops - as I had learned with my disappointing Kesman basque and waspie in the early 1970s, its use defeats the desired goal by reducing tautness and moreover quickly breaks down. Suspender Elastic: Fraying, leading to suspender breakdown had become the most problematic aspect of my new lifestyle. If stockings laddered - until 1994 at least - and could always be replaced at reasonable cost - but, as I quickly learned, my preference for very taut suspenders was incompatible with long life for suspender straps. Over the years I had experimented with different weights, weaves and widths of elastic and in the 15 years since I had started on my Odyssey I had become reasonably competent at handling a needle and thread to sew new elastic into my humble suspender fittings. I paid her appropriately for such work and used it as a reason to visit her more regularly without the need to order a new corset every time. I now had 10 corsets - even after discarding the Pink Wilbro - and so had regular need of access to repairs beyond my skill with needle and thread but easily done by an industrial grade sewing machine in the hands of a skilled seamstress like Mrs Norris. As noted l had become more sensitive to the importance of having the right weight or strength of elastic in particular suspenders or to use with stockings of certain lengths or deniers. At this time the weights and types of wide 1c inch suspender elastic that Iris used were longitudinally ribbed - the lightest, cross weave of intermediate width and long weave which was the heaviest. I had encountered many other weaves in the twenty of more makes of ladies suspender belts I had bought between 1967 and 1980 but all were in the 3/4 inch. I had even use belt grade elastic in both widths, but as part of my home repair kit in 1984 I bought from Iris 10 years coil of heavy or strong cross weave from Iris to make my own. Through my experiments I had become a great believer in graduated length and graduated strength of my suspenders. In general I liked very strong elastic in the front and less strong in my back pairs which I usually sat on. As I noted in Part 3 I got Mrs Norris instead of getting a set of suspenders for each corset I got her to make me up a variety of lengths based on unstretched elastic length ranging as follows This was my initial order. In strong or heavy elastic: 3 inch -4 pairs, 41/2 inch (classic provision ) 6 pairs, 6 inch 6 pairs, In medium strong elastic 6 inch 6 pairs, 9 inch 6 pairs 10 inch - 6 pairs and 12 inch 6 pairs. The strong front ones would not pull when I sat down but would give me a satisfy sense of their pulling hard on my stockings when I stood up. Moreover the lighter strength back ones would not cut in if I sat for a long time driving the car. Still if I took off my under-apparel at the end of the day it was surprising how one could discern many details in the pink marks my suspenders would leave on the white skin of my thighs. A fact which inhabited my wish to ever be seen in a sports changing room though today I wonder if anyone would put two and two together as the cause of such marks! Rings; at first the corset or suspender loops tended to come off simple steel rings. Hence I refined my choice to that of split, or key rings to link hem loop to suspender loop. I initially matched ring diameter to strap diameter but found the 1/14 inch diameter rings were a little unsightly and moved on a smaller diameter of 1 inch. In doing so I found the smaller rings were usually made of a superior steel - a true spring steel which after threading the loop into position would always closed the edge tightly. My initial ring purchases had been made with lower quality steel and even an initially prising apart would cause them to gape open at each end a fact which was quickly detected by the strained elastic and during the course of a day I would experience the ignominy of a slipped suspender.
13 ADAPTING A PLAYTEX IDEA I had been used to seeing the long narrow brown paper parcels in which Gardners and then Mrs Norris customarily rolled up a customers completed corset. Doing so served one of two purposes it was protected from dust and damage prior to the customer calling for a fitting or it could be mailed back and forth if additional alterations were necessary between corsetire and customer. I tried to keep my corsets in the brown paper but in time it proved inadequate and I resorted to using padded envelopes of padded bubble wrap especially to carry short corsets in my briefcase. For visits I tended to use a what is often referred to as a Pilots document case but if I carried high tops some even if folded with ten suspenders proved to be too long for such treatment. So I settled on what I call a Playtex-type cardboard tube. I had first seen the cardboard tube in a Playtex advert in the mid-1960s and later walked passed them in a department store and noted that girdle tubes were about a foot long and 18 hour corselettes were in tubes of about 18 inches long. At the time, though I would desperately have loved to try on a corselette, unlike Simon <<link>> I lacked the courage to go into a store and buy one for myself. But I never forgot the cardboard tube. In the right length they would allow me to carry one of my high tops while the world at large imagined I was carrying a roll of architectural plans!. Of course when rolled a high top needed twice the diameter of the tube and almost double the length (30 inches) I remembered with Playtex. So, fifteen so years after first seeing the Playtex tube, I adopted the idea and sought out tubes of different lengths to suit the various lengths of my corsets to store them when washed and dry I might add - and to carry corsets on my travels. That said, to anyone contemplating such an idea in these security conscious times more than once between 1981 and 2001, I know my luggage was searched by the luggage security section after check in. I can just imagine how a long corset rolled up with 20 or more 16-20 inch spiral and flat steels and a heavy busk, it must have appeared to look like a gun or weapon on the scrutinisers X-ray screen. I could tell such things had happened by the fact that it was no longer as I had packed it and had been impatiently stuffed back into the tube my a zealous security agent. I was also glad that I never locked the suitcase as no damage was ever done. I often wonder what words were exchanged when they looked at my humble high top with its ten dangling suspenders and why it was in what was otherwise gentlemans clothing. But then I am such people have seen even more unusual or incongruous item of apparel in their time. Today I wonder how many would even recognise what it was!
14 IVY LEAF AND THE ROLE OF PHOTOGRAPHY Accounts of my Odyssey would be incomplete if I did not at least discuss my interest in self-photography. In this regard writing now in 2008 I wonder if Id had access to Ivy Leafs Tribute to the Corsetiere and its wonderful reproduction of corset photographs whether Id have felt compelled to make a photographic record of my own corsets. Indeed I will forever be being grateful to Ivy Leaf and her husband for their altruism in for their web site and their innate altruism. It is amazing what had been possible -positive and negative since the inception f the Internet. That said I now beg the indulgence and forgiveness of them and my readers when I tell them that for myself the chance to access so much material about corsets and corset photos had been wonderful. In the past, the availability of corset stories, experiences and photos was always very limited. Whilst a number of pleasing studies were published they were few and far between and are now of vintage age they were few and far between. Hence since I could not find the type of photos I sought in the late 70s like Berks Corsetier, I became my own model using a tripod, and flash to high speed film. Thanks to the web I now know we were not alone in doing so. All we sought as self-photographers was a more permanent record of what we transiently saw when we looked at our corseted reflections in the mirror. The Internet is now veritably littered with such images. Regrettably most but not all are taken by younger photographers who, together with their models or partners, sadly lack the grounding in he appreciation of the innate beauty of the correctly cut and properly laced corset, of suspenders and their fittings and of stockings and their seams, finishing loops, afterwelts heel and seam reinforcements that persons of my generation gained in every day life of the 1940s, 50s and 60s. 15 EVENTS ELSEWHERE
There was also a revival of interest in fully-fashioned stockings and to that end a new window display which I was surprised to see in many more of the smaller stores which dealt with ladies fashions. It was a photo placard for "Harmony featuring the rear view of a winsome model in black lingerie, strategically raising the legs of her black satin French knickers to reveal the tops of her black stockings below which straight seams ran into the point heels above the sole of backless, high-heeled mules. I wrote to Aristoc congratulating them on their initiative and my flattery resulted in them sending me a copy of it free and gratis, which I cherish to this day. In February 1984 the cover of Playboy featured Shannon Tweed wearing a vintage corset, faced in blue. I was fascinated to see the two-way curvature of the corset front as well as the five glinting busk hooks, which had created both her dcolletage and sharply defined waist. Other details I noted were the exquisite fine sewing of what might have between cane stays and fine contrasting stitching. This was a major event for me to see such a thing worn on the cover of a mainstream magazine, the fist since Id seen my teenage crush of close to 30 years earlier, the red satin corseted Dawn Addams who had appeared as the centrefold of Picture Post back in 1955. Corsets featured in the spring 1983, in the movie "Picnic at Hanging Rock" an Australian film with a crocodile of six or more schoolgirls simultaneously lacing one another into their corsets, accompanied by the sound track of the tightening laces squeaking. In a second scene, a farm hand is helping to lace in a maids corsets and she involuntarily calls out "Oh" as her corset takes control of her figure.
In Part 5, I record the thoughts on the future that Berks Corsetier and I had shared at our first meeting about identifying makers and minimum orders For example the last British busk maker Ariel Works of Leicester, which no doubt lost its biggest customer with the closure of W & R Symington in 1981 still offered to make busks but the cost was based on a production run of no fewer than 10,000 items for each length produced. ]About this time one of Paul Raymonds stable of magazines "Club", included a portfolio of drawings by Rick Blue. The most memorable was one inspired by the doyenne of corset wearing models from the 1950s featuring tight lacing corsets, seamed black stockings with cuban heels, and steeple heeled shoes. Further ironic evidence of a revival of interest just as availability was in decline. In the outside world, the economic news was not good. Mrs Thatcher may have won the Falklands war, but she had doubled VAT so that inflation remained at high levels, serious though not as bad as the Wilson years. It is ironic that as I write, Thatchers policies and those of Reagan are all but discredited. At the time they meant that industries were closing every day, unemployment was rising, and money didnt go so far. The price of corsets rose all the time as well. A G72 high top that had cost 40 in November 1980 by December 1892 was costing me 55, while today it might cost 200, even 300. I have already noted how stockings were becoming much more expensive.
16 PREPARING FOR 1984 - RESOLVING DOUBTS AND LEARNING THE FINER POINTS It took time to learn the best way to do almost everything related to my chosen way of living. Sometimes I despaired to the point of abandoning the corset for days at a time. But as I had found, the need to wear a corset returned within days and I was again required to address the issues I found so daunting. In more reflective moments I came to realize that things were different for me, a man. I didn't start from the same way as women. Starting in their teens, several
generations of women had successively introduced to the intricacies of stockings and suspenders, then to girdles and some corsets over a period of years. They also had the benefit of sharing ideas and how to do things. They picked things up from the day-to-day example of the mothers and grandmothers too. I had to learn it all on a comparative crash course without reference to no one - until I met Iris. Even then on occasion I would ask myself if it was all worth it. Then, once I wore a corset more regularly it was the days I didn't wear it that I found I wanted to have it on. Earlier it had been the same with stockings and suspenders belts, which I decided to wear every day in the late 1960s .and have done ever since- TH1 is on the days when a corset is out of the question -usually on account of hotter summers mmaking even the casual too . For those who may ask, yes for close to 30 years I wore stockings either with a corset or suspender belt for air travel, but that ended in September 2001 I now realize that I chose to start on my Odyssey at the very end of the golden era of corsets and stockings. To my personal distress many of the items of womens apparel that had fascinated me were not only being discarded but were no longer produced while young women no longer wore seamed stockings. Within a few years they abandoned them totally and within a few years more, as tights became popular first suspender belts and then girdles were no longer worn and joined corsets in being harder to find. I was the proverbial fly in amber, caught in a time warp. Yet, as long as Mrs. Norris lived - for she showed no signs of growing old or slowing down until the last year or two of her life - I would be able to get replacement corsets. As for my commitment, I have never quite overcame the anxiety I still felt each time I slotted up the busk. It had been the same with twisting do clip on the back suspenders which needed me to twist more than my back -healed as it was from childhood injuries would allow me to. Yet when it came to making a choice, compulsion trumped anxiety. My introduction to wearing a corset had been in snatched moments at inconvenient times./ Not surprisingly when I had gained the experience of wearing it for many hours and got confident enough to wear it to work, things became much easier, I learned that there were advantages in not being laced to the limit in that one could wear the corsets all day. However I tried to vary my diet or eating pattern, I always got a sense of overeating however much or little I ate if laced too tight. It would manifest itself in various ways but one way was a slight pain about 2 inches below the top of my busk in a 12 inch where my spare tire would It was more difficulty with corsets and I did learn that for me the best procedure was to put my stockings on first of all, rolled to my knees. I would then slot up one hook on the busk . Like this I could twist enough to clip on my back pairs of suspenders, which if the busk was fully hooked up, I could not do. As for the tendency of the suspenders to drag down the corset below the correct level, I found that because the ideal elastic length for the back suspenders was so great, even after they were clipped on my stocking tops they were still much the elastic did not pull on the loose corset at all. Thus once all my clips were on my stocking tops I was then free to finish hooking up the busk in the preordained manner with the comfort of knowing I had my stockings held up - albeit loosely. Once the busk was slotted I could then pull in to the first level of tightness which was enough to counter the down-pull of the suspenders. I would rotate the stocking top to get the very back suspender closer to the inside of my thigh. I id this primarily to position it so that I did not sit on it all the time I came to find that there was no anxiety associated with clipping on the other three pairs of my suspenders as those were all in view and I appreciated taking time to deal with them carefully. I would start by looking between my thighs and if I could just get a glimpse of the very back clip I would then clip on the very front suspenders about 4-5 inches from the back ones well to the inside of the thigh. The second or centre front suspenders would then be right on the front of my thighs coming straight down. At this point I got the visual pleasure of seeing the chrome of the clips and the length adjusters glinting and reflecting the light. all that was then left to do was to tilt my head to catch sight of the seam suspender and gauge the distance between that clip and the centre front one and carefully attach the last pair of clips mid way between them right on the side of my thighs, almost over my hip bones - or to use the term beloved of those 1930s corset instruction book writers, who must have had an understanding of equine medicine - the trochanter. With all ten suspenders clipped on I made a point of walking around to allow the pull of the suspenders to act on the stockings before going through the process of shortening the elastics. Again I experimented with the order to follow and again practice taught me that reality was different from fantasy. It was unrealistic or unnecessary to expect all ten suspenders to be taut all the time. Indeed it was better that the back ones were long enough to make sitting easy but short enough to pull up the back of my stockings as I stood up though I knew that when walking they would
momentarily come right out of tension as I observed myself in the mirror on one occasion. Likewise the when sitting to have the front suspenders taut was equally impossible anatomically but as long as they were there to pull the stockings uptight over my knees when I stood up it was enough. . I would start the elastic shortening with the seam clip and then the centre front pair. had learned that this was advisable as lacing in just once meant that within the hour the corset would feel loose. Equally satisfying was the fact that even with all the down-pull of ten suspenders I could barely detect their down pull in the corsets but a slight dip of the hem where the rings held them showed that the force was there. This simple fact was enough to remind that at the outset I had sought the perfect suspender belt that could not be moved by the pull of suspenders. It was the reason that I approached my first outfitter for a corset back in 1972, when I had been unable to resolve the lack of distance between the suspenders of my Contessa and my stockings tops. The outfitters advice to wear a corset had been right and I was not disappointed but pleased. I also realise that detractors of men with my predilections will say that using more than three pairs of suspenders one is in the realms of fetishism. I have examined that remark in two ways. On one level it implies that fetishism is innately bad, whereas as I believe anyone who knows me will say, I am the first to admit that my "need" to wear corsets and stockings might be called fetishism, but. I will respond by saying that it is because I am so particular about what is acceptable to me that I do so and that if anyone chooses to mark me as a fetishist it is his or her choice. Even then, life was not the bed of roses I imagined possible. I could leave nothing to chance for with the long elastics of the back suspenders it was surprisingly easy to unwittingly twist a strap only to discover the error when it came to shortening its length. By that time, on account of the tightness - not to mention the limitation on twisting of a correctly fitted and laced high top corset I had taken to wearing as much of the time as summer weather would allow - it was all but impossible to rectify matters without unlacing and that might men opening out some or all of the suspender length adjusters and slacking off on the lacing. Only then could I unclip the offending clip, untwist the elastic and do everything again. With time I leaned to check and double check these details and now after close to 25 years of the "high top corset life" I like to tell myself I know as much as even as experienced a Spirella corsetiere. In referring to her, I sometimes wonder if any of those censorious Spirella and other corsetieres, had ever been as broad minded as to accept a man like myself as customer, they might have realized, as Mrs. Norris clearly did, that the mere wearing of corsets, suspenders and stockings gives their wearers a common bond that far exceeds the difference in gender. They would have also understood the fact that men were quite capable of appreciating the same physical sensations all day every day that are derived from wearing those items of clothes, as can any woman. As for tightness, it took time but I gradually learned that one is too easily seduced by the initially sensation of increased tightness. Against that one has to balance what one plans to do over the next few hours, not to mention to think out the opportunities for lacing adjustment, which in the case of a man at work have -of necessity to be accomplished in the far from desirable confines of a cubicle of a toilet if at work or on an aeroplane. That is not to say I couldn't do it - on occasion I had no choice but to do it as discreetly as I could.
17 A CORSETIERES CO-OPERATIVE? 1984 dawned and happily for me no Big Brother had spied on me. The secret I carefully kept under my everyday clothes remained safe and was known to only three people. But I had not bee idle in following up on contacts given to me through the good offices of my corsetiere. My financial situation was eased and I would be able to indulge my flights of fancy by getting Mrs Norris to make me what I call challenging or recreation corsets, suitable only for relatively short term wear either at home or in the company of like attired women and men at a corset soire In summary what came out of my contacts was the fact that if bespoke corsetieres cooperated and pooled their resources or buying, they could over come the acute shortages of supply of components particular to the preferences of tight lacing corsets wearers, which are nothing if not exacting, and I entered 1984 as an exacting wearer I wrote independently to my first contact for corsets -my old outfitter Cover Girl and to her former employee who had in rivalry begun Stage Door. It turned out that Berks Corsetier had been successful in obtaining orders from her - she was his first bulk customer. When I told Mrs Norris of this she was what might best described as charitably disdainful of what corsets might be made using anything other than an industrial strength sewing machine and a
commercial eyeletter. However, my discussions with Mrs Norris and with the Berks Corsetier made us realise that there were advantages to corsetires knowing one another in order to buy and sell or exchange components that were hard to get. I told Mrs Norris of my idea and over the rest of 1983 she was to gradually introduce me to some ten of her customers. For each one she was kind enough to tell me her opinion as to how she judged them. I took is as compliment that she did, but initially I didnt realise that already she regarded me as a friend as well as a customer. It also was interesting how alike we thought because when I came to meet some of the people I could not but be struck that invariably I was finding that her observations of a particular individual were exactly how I would come to feel about them myself, and this meant positive, neutral or negative feelings. One would think that individual male corset wearers would simply be glad to know each other but among them, as in other walks of life there was a spectrum of personalities from warm and friendly to courteous, outwardly pleasant to the boorish, pushy, disputatious and gossipy. In all this she was always discreet and would sharply tell me if she felt I had been indiscreet or I stepped out of line. In all she was kindness and understanding of the lot of a man to the point of sewing black satin tabs over pink suspenders as she thought pink did not suit my personality.
18 CORRESPONDING WITH NEW CONTACTS In the meantime I had struck up a correspondence with David Kunzle whose book Fashion and Fetishism had opened my eyes to a whole new world of corset wearers. He told me of an American enterprise which sold corset patterns and so I learned of Past Patterns of USA. In turn Past Patterns told me of an American lady corset wearer, but she responded with a polite but firm rebuff. I felt like a man rebuffed by a Spirella lady of the old school! Past Patterns also put me in touch with Ruth Johnson of BR Creations in California, who had just set up her firm and published the Corset Newsletter. On one visit Mrs Norris showed me a corset whose fabric had completely frayed from the strain of tightening. After using the old one as pattern she was required to salvage all its components and make a second one faced in his favoured black spot material.. She put me in touch with him. He proved to be a space scientist from Germany with two doctorates who was addressed as Dr. Dr. A. B_______. He had been a customer of the renowned Berlin corsetiere, Hella Knabe. Another contact was the man who owned the company Fanny Copere". He had produced the four volumes of the Corset Question for which Mrs Norris had posed for the photographs and for whom Gardners had procured the orders for his company Mrs Norris also introduced me to two lady customers to whom I wrote very discreetly with my proposal. I was glad I had been discreet for in one case the husband replied. In the other case I heard nothing, but out of the blue a retired career army officer, who lived in a minor stately home often used as a film and television set for period drama, replied. It turned out he was a friend of the other lady and her husband. He said that they were hopeless correspondents but very approachable by telephone and, with their permission he gave me their very private exdirectory number. He had been raised by his nanny and became fascinated by her corsets when she hugged him. As a young subaltern hed had the good fortune to meet and form a relationship with a well-corseted, older widowed lady he had met on a ship returning from service in India in 1938. She took him to Laurence Lenton where she was an established customer.
Another man, Ill refer to as Gardarma, because that was his nom-de-plume, a transposition of blocks of letters forming the name of the corset brand Armagard used by a corsetiere that his wife, her sisters and their mother had patronised for many years. His memories appear under his nom-de-plume in the Long Island Staylace Association (LISA). In every case but one I was fortunate to get a telephone number for each person, which eased communications. The exception was a man who lived with aged parents who wanted to betray no hint of his patronage of Mrs Norris and could only be contacted by letter. He was a most enthusiastic wearer of a tight-laced corset, suspenders and seamed stockings like me, but as I was to find out some years later, the similarity ended there. Indeed, upon hearing I had arranged to meet him she told me, in her most confidential manner, that she felt great empathy for his situation. As a result she said that after fitting him in a new corset would let him dress fully in full lingerie, high heels, dress, put on a wig and make up, after which leave in his car and visit an appropriate club in London, before returning to his aged parents. Contact with these few initial contacts proved to be very like a pyramid letter. Within months I had been referred to a whole network of corset enthusiasts located in France, Germany, Finland, Sweden, the USA and as far away as South Africa - a man of 88 years old no less Australia and New Zealand. Many had been part of a correspondence circle originally centred on Will and Ethel Granger and included every name acknowledged in the preface of David Kunzles book. I especially valued introduction to her oldest customer an old Wykamist and career oil man. I was flattered no end when she told me that he, with a generation more experience than me, had, when told of what I was wearing asked to be measured and fitted with similar styles and even gave her repeat orders. Quite amazingly, after she had resumed work from home he had commissioned many corsets than normal, in different lengths, cuts and boning provisions. He did this in fear that supplies of parts might run out or that she might again retire, or as Mrs Norris put it He things I might die before him! Sadly, in his late 70s his one side was severely incapacitated by a stoke and, having been predeceased by his wife, who was his equally corseted partner for many years, suddenly he had no one to help him lace into the long corsets that he and she so loved to wear together. In genuine despair he admitted that it had taken him several hours and many laddered stockings to achieve his desire to relive for one last time his former passion, using just his good arm and hand. At that, this former world traveller abandoned the effort and not long after passed away. I know he sorely missed his wife but I also know he fretted and despaired of what had been a life of corseting that began in the early 1930s when he first met Overett at Knightsbridge close to 55 years earlier having sought a catalogue while still an inquiring schoolboy. Another of Mrs Norris oldest customers was from northerly city of Aberdeen. He too had moved to Gardners in his 50s when Overett died in 1962. He was now of advancing years and for several years broke off correspondence with me because his doctor told him to stop corseting and he feared that any correspondence on a subject that was so dear to him would cause him to lapse from his abstinence of corseting and fall ill again. Last but not least I met the original person to call himself Frangard - hence I am Frangard 2. His commitment to corsets and stockings had begun in the late 1930s with Laurence Lenton and after his death he became a customer of Marie Stafford who had been trained by Lenton. He moved to Overett when Madame Marie, as he called her, retired in the late 50s. but that association was of course short lived. He then patronised Gardners, knew Mrs Norris but had
also dealt with Madame Medeq. He had known the Grangers and like Will, he corresponded with literally dozens of enthusiasts around the world. I could go on but I refer to these because they were the most important living corset wearers so strongly associated with the preferences of the London Life magazine of the 1920s and 30s and its short lived successor Bizarre which finished publication in 1959. Several had been inspired to respond to Lenton or Overetts letters after reading corset-related letters, which had appeared in those magazines. They fondly remembered both publications and even in 1980s and 90s, averred that the letters and articles in the equivalent modern magazines were only a pale imitation. What upset them was the ignorance of what real corsets or fully-fashioned stockings were.
19 MARCH 1984 - MY FIRST CONSULTATION FOR A YEAR My work arrangements were such that close to a year was to pass before I again visited Mrs Norris. She greeted me and used by first name, which uplifted my spirits no end and she assented to my calling her Iris, which I recalled was the name my first outfitter used when I went back to have a set of longer suspenders made for my first real, red-satin faced corset back in 1972. Many things happened in the meantime, not the least being the efforts I made in contacting other corset wearers. Mrs Norris, or Iris, was getting orders from her old customers and suddenly was getting more outwork. Added to this Mr Gardner had reflected on her failure to return to work with him and so, in had agreed to lend him the eyeletters. She had no nowhere to set them up but the garden shed, which was some distance from the house and cold in winter,. Initially she was forced to use her brother's heated garage, which, though he lived nearby, was inconvenient. Hence in response to this problem she had arranged during the summer to have an extension built on her kitchen where she finally set up the machines and proved a second work area- a small version of the work room shed had at 28 Barnsbury Square -give or take the intervening fridge and stove! This is what I wrote to a friend at the time: I knocked on the side door and Iris called out "Come in so I walked in and she was standing resplendently corseted under her dress, with a lovely small waist and her ample high bosom rising and falling as only the tight-laced life allows. "I'll just put on a cup of tea " she said and turned to go to the sink and I looked at her legs. She was, as always wearing beautiful stockings - dark brown with arrow straight seams and gorgeous point heels which reached about 9" above the sole of her mules and that were suspendered so tautly that they were shimmering on her calves as Ive seen them before. She was wearing backless black 3" heeled mules. I stood by her at the stove and we chatted about this and that, all the time we both knew everything about each other and that even as we spoke we were both wearing corsets, suspenders and stockings mine black, hers dark brown. Before long the conversation turned, as it always does to corsets and so we talked it was rewarding just to watch how she moved about. When she sits she brings her arm across her body under her large bosom across her waist and holds herself on her waist line when she takes it away she seems to be supported ethereally and is obviously resting against the corset wall. Periodically I could hear her stockings whistle as she crossed and uncrossed her legs! I asked her about her problems with her busks and she said "Terrible, Ive broken three since Xmas(!) but luckily your friend (the Berks Corsetier) sent me three spoon busks, which you know I like, and Ive put that in and things are better. That's the trouble when you pull in a lot" I get the feeling she was smaller than Id ever seen her - I almost wonder if she pulls in a bit extra when customers visit, but she said she is holding steady at 20" and for a lady of 63 that is wonderful. I fear shes put on a little weight since she retired but she has a superb ample bosom that MC said her adores.
She'd been fairly busy with orders and alternations for corsets and is doing a lot of clothes alterations. She showed me a pair of corsets she was repairing for a lady in Manchester. They were beautiful in v expensive, figured broche orange pink pattern a black background -almost like a Grecian urn. !9" waist and about 18"+ hip spring beautifully fluted and made by Iris some years ago. She'd finished the alternation and it had four pairs of suspenders to sew on. I had sent Iris some stockings (walking Sheers) coffee Colour for Xmas but they were too big and she said she had given them to another customer in exchange for two pairs of Aristoc 'Harmony" in 'Bitter Chocolate" which she said she was wearing at that moment. He was an old customer who she allows to dress up completely as a woman once she's laced him in and lets him sit with her to talk. It doesn't bother her at all. We then planned the new corset. She proudly produced a 16" long busk for me. Following up on our cooperation idea she had actually bought three of them for me from Berks Corsetier. Together we looked through her stock of steels - flat spring ones and spiral springs too for suitable lengths. She was so helpful and knowledgeable, offering ideas and answering my questions. After some discussion she suggested I had nuli steels on either side of the eyelets so we found two pairs of 18" long ones. That's what I have", she said . "You'll like then, hold you up nicely!.! She said she had some trouble with her own steels -spirals bones digging in on her hip bone and had rubbed raw her skin. "it makes me mad Because I don't feel right unless Im pulled right in so I've put a piece of sponge on my corset to keep it off the spot. I felt it was wonderful that she'd put up with anything to be tight laced in her corsets and warm inside to know that she and I were laced as we talked about it. I went to the fitting room and took off my high top for her to take measurements and when I started to put it on again she said "Come on, I'll lace you in" I didn't like to seem too ready to accept in case she thought something so I said "I'll just slot up the busk and them you can help me. so I did it with loose trousers on, as I wasn't really prepared in cache sex and tights. I still felt I didn't want to abuse her trust by being seen in just corset, and stockings with underpants rather than a cache sex and tights underall as was my habit in her fitting room. As had become usual Mrs Norris, it took some time to easily call her Iris, laced me into the altered high back with the shoulder straps and helped me suspender my black nylons. After I dressed, I rejoined her in the kitchen for another cup of tea and we talked about customers and corsets. She brought out an old corset of the hopeless correspondent customer of very long standing, which she had repaired. The corset had been repaired more than once but still had beautiful pale orange broche facing but what amazed we was its hip spring. In response to my comment Iris said it would create a spring of over 20 inches, which she herself had always aimed for. Several years later I was to meet the woman at her 50th birthday and I found out later it was a favourite of hers which had been made actually been made for her by Overett some 25 years earlier. 20 WITH IRIS AGAIN I hardy thought that after a year between visits I would be back to see Iris again within two weeks but I was anxious to have a fitting for my new high top with a high back and the new style shoulder straps. As I wrote to a friend: She'd been modifying and repairing some of my old corset and suspender belts and has fitted me into the new one with a 16" busk. During this second visit she laced me into three corsets and helped me suspender my stockings each time. My shape has settled down now and she knows my figure exactly and each one closed down beautifully. I told her to cinch me down like she would herself and she got me down to what I found when I checked later
was just over 27 over the corset. About a 7" pull in. During my fitting session I was stretching and bending and sitting to check it out and became aware that she was watching me intently, as I was revelling and luxuriating in corsets and taut suspendered black stockings!. I caught her eye and she smiled slightly embarrassedly as she looked directly at her and she simply said "That looks very nice on you, very handsome. So I said or mumbled something like "that's nice of you because most people would think a man like me in corset and stockings is mad" and she said something like You shouldn't worry, it's what you like that matters, X_______". I remembered our conversation about slipping stockings the next time I sent a mail order to Alberts in America for Walking Sheers. In addition to my own order, I ordered two pairs for her in her foot size in Taupe and the same for the Berks Corsetier. When I wrote to her I pointed out that the ribbing knitted into their tops and thought that it might help overcome her suspender slippage problems. I again suggested she tried using more suspenders, though, who was I, a relative novice to tell her what to do? She replied by return thanking me and said, I wore them last week. However when I saw her next she told me that they were too big and did I mind that shed given them to another male customer. In turn she gave me a pair in Bitter Chocolate, also too big for her that he had bought her at her request. To make amends when I went back the second time I took her two pairs of Harmony I bought her in London and she was very pleased. When I sent him his pairs I told Berks Corsetier that if he ever saw her wearing cuban heeled nylons they were probably a present from me. By return of post he thanked me for them and sent a Polaroid a rear view photo of himself in the pink-brocade faced conventional busk fronted back lacing corset Its back suspenders were clipped above the finishing loops and seams of cuban heeled stockings and the caption written in lead pencil at the bottom band of the photo Trying on Walking Sheers.
21 A CONSULTATION WITH A CORSETIER OR WAS IT A CORSETIERE
It had been a year since Id tried on the long corset with Berks Corsetier and he told me hed had altered it and had ready for months so I agreed to visit. This time it was daylight and I found my way to his home with ease. I no longer felt self conscious about calling and was well laced into my high top. I knocked the door but saw no movement behind it and the door was opened a crack and from behind a curtain pulled across I heard an almost disembodied voice calling me to come in. As I moved though the curtain I saw only what I took to be womans face. I shut the door and a hand reached to lock it. As the curtain fell back across the door I was greeted by the alter ego of Berks Corsetier or was it Berks Corsetiere for that is how it looked? Below the bewigged head, made up face - mascara, rouge and lipstick - I saw a full white blouse buttoned over a bosom that I judged measure in excess of 50 inches. Below was a cinching black leather belt and a knee-length pleated purple skirt, black stockings and strappy silver high heels. I followed the person into the sitting room and as she walked I quickly noted thick black seams on the semi opaque stockings and concentrated my attention on them. We sat down and I said if he was going to be dressed like that, I wanted to get into my under attire. So I went upstairs and took off my outer clothes and I rejoined him in my high top corset, suspenders and black nylons and we resumed our discussion of corsetry. I said however that I was very pleased to see he was wearing black stockings, so he pushed back his skirts and in a mock display of sauciness he showed me his stocking tops. They began on his knees and the suspenders were stretched as taut as could be. I didn't think Id have liked such an experience but I knew him and it all was decorous and platonic. He said he had put on the seamed semi-opaque black nylons to please me and as was his need, they were almost as short a style of stretch style that it was possible to buy, probably foot size 8 or 9. He did so to ensure that they would anchor his suspenders properly, which would then pull hard on the hem of corset and maintain its taut wrap of its skirt on his hips. He then stripped down to his bra and three pairs of corsets and the short black nylons. In acting out our desires or compulsions as far as we had, we now had tastes that would exclude us from a close relationship with almost every member of the opposite sex save the persons we might be put in touch with by specialist corsetieres like Mrs Norris or Madame Medeq both of whom had a keen sense of the difference between myself and what constitutes gay or transvestite behaviour. He looked every bit the lady corsetiere who had taken off her dress to help a diffident customer feel less uncomfortable while wearing underwear in the presence of a stranger. Over all the other corsets he was wearing an amazing fan lacer - Jenyns in pink brocade. Above he wore a superb hostess long line bra, in ivory white satin, with the usual huge bosom so that he, or should I say she, was totally contained in matronly corsetry, stockings, big wide elastic suspenders. He unrolled my altered long corset. It was still the same length but now with just 25 pairs of eyelets and much wider back panels. He had still not fitted suspenders or loops for detachables, and though I had not brought along a deep boned suspender girdle and I insisted that if photos were to be taken I would only do so wearing stockings and suspenders. As I write this now I can see how much I had grown in self confidence about what I wore and wanted to be seen wearing by persons who understood. So, he rummaged in his drawers and produced 4 pairs of suspenders with pink elastic and corset clips which we attached to the hem before he laced me in. Doing so was so easy compared to when it had the 48 pairs of eyelets that it was barely tight on my form. . I now faced his dilemma about stocking length and ended up wearing a pair of 15 denier Alberts Classic which were the shortest stockings I had with me. No photo can record the antics that the corsetiere and her customer had with the corset clips which randomly
slipped off the hem of the corset at inconvenient moments as we shortened their elastics, though I am sure such scenes must have occurred countless times in the salons of Spirella, Spencer or Barcley in the golden years. He then gave me his camera and asked me to photograph the details of his Jenyns for him. In turn I modelled my altered high top and he took lots of photo of details like suspenders, stocking tops, eyelets busk etc from many angles using a close up lens.
22 MY FIRST CONTACT WITH A CORSETED MARRIED COUPLE In answer to my questions Iris had several times mentioned a lady in the Midlands she had put her husband in touch with me. I wrote and was interested to see their address was pre-printed in Gothic lettering and cream paper. Today with the Goth association with outr attire I might have thought this was a code but as I was to find when I met her nothing could have been further from the truth. I though I thought I had been in contact with a lady when I first wrote. Somewhat ominously he said they didn't want to know transvestites and I knew not what shed think of my black seamed stockings and suspenders under my trousers. Suffice to say the subject never arose and I never admitted it to them, though I soon knew they did not regard me as being of that persuasion. I decided to combine a visit to them with a stop en-route at Bletchley. I had sent an order by post for a second high top corset with shoulder strap, like the one shed made me close to a year earlier. I told Iris that I planned to continue on to visit them and she was clearly very pleased that she had been the one who had introduced us. On this occasion the usual fitting included her assistance with my suspendering When I was fully laced in under her gaze, I bent, stretched and sat down to confirm that the cut at the top was right. She asked if I was going to wear it for my visit. Usually I would have carried it home but I realised that she was hoping that I would keep it on. However I knew that the way she had laced me was more than I felt I could tolerate in over and hour of driving plus the prospect of wearing an unknown corset for many hours ahead. So she withdrew while I removed by tights, put on my trousers and she then laced me in less tightly. I asked Iris for a little information about them and asked if he wore stockings wit his corsets, to which always the essence of discretion she said, well if he does they aren't on the corsets I make him. That sealed it for me I would not disclose to my hosts that I was wearing stockings. In. all the times we corresponded or met, I never said I did, and it was never discussed. I left Iris in mid afternoon, and rejoined the M1 and continued onto the M6 and left onto the A45 near Coventry. I had not been up the road since the mid-1960s -18 years early and was astounded at the changes. I reached the A 452 and wended my way into the outer suburbs of Birmingham and arrived at their Tudor-gabled semi detached home a few minutes early.
23 THREE CORSETED FRIENDS DINE I parked the car and was, feeling quite self-conscious I walked as confidently as I could up the front door and knocked. In just seconds I saw movement and the colour red behind the hammered glass and was greeted by a smiling woman in her late forties opened it. I looked right at her. We were both a little nervous and she broke the ice by saying You must be Frangard. I confirmed I was and my field of vision opened up and took in the most tightly cinched small waist I had ever seen. There was no doubting that she owed her figure to a wasp waisted corset and was easily the smallest and most amazing waist I had ever seen. Below what proved to be a red blouse with a flounced front was a wide cinching black belt. Below, a grey pleated skirt welled out over a hip spring of the type I had to that time only ever seen on Iris and the hemline ended modestly on the knee. She turned to lead me into the house and I saw below her skirt seamed full-fashioned dark brown stockings with point heels and four inch heeled, backless black mules. If nothing else she and Iris agreed on the fashions and accessories they liked to wear. I was not surprised she had introduced us and as an introduction of myself I told her I had just visited Mrs Norris. I had no need to say why and she simply asked if she was well.
She asked me to sit down and the only choice was a chair or sofa of three-piece suite which, given my high top corset, was not what I wanted to sit on but good manners told me I could not decline. Fortunately I did so fairly easily and breathed a silent sigh of relief that neither one of back suspenders slipped of because in the quiet of the room my hostess would certainly have known from her own experience what she was hearing and would guess my secret that lay under the legs of my trousers. My concern would then have been that, as yet they did not yet know me well and given her husbands stated concern about transvestites, they might have prematurely branded me as and what turned out to be a positive friendship would have died at once. She told me her husband had phoned to say he was leaving work and would be home soon. Meanwhile we engaged in what could only be referred to as a cautious exchange of pleasantries and of my memories of passing through the area twenty years or so earlier and how unrecognisable many of the roads now were. At about half past five, later than she'd had expected her husband arrived. He was about my age too and came and sat with us, at which point she went to fix supper. He asked if Id seen Mrs Norris and I confirmed I had. Around the home I noted very high-heeled wedge mules were located near each door for which she apologised saying she liked to have pair handy to slip on or off. She had found that because she was constantly laced so tightly that by evening she developed backache. Alternating between low and high heels gave her the changes of posture necessary to alleviate it. She was a school nurse and said she wore high heels at the school all day out of choice. Since I had advised them that my time was limited she had prepared an early dinner and after about another half hour of conversation I was invited to the table. I did all I could to disguise my struggle to get off the low sofa and said as Id advised them in my letter that I was wearing a high cut military style corset and that Mrs Norris had altered for me and had she had laced me a little tighter than I was used to. My hosts said nothing other than to ask how Mrs Norris had been, and to say that he hadn't felt he could venture to try into such a style. Again to my relief my secret remained safe - all my suspenders stayed safely clipped on my stocking tops as I rose. Over the meal of roast chicken, our conversation became more expansive. I noticed my hostess ate only sparingly and that even then she appeared to have more than a little trouble stifling belches, which I put down to the fact that she might have laced herself extra tightly for the occasion.
24 EXPERIENCES ARE EXCHANGED There were very few moments when the conversation lagged and in the first of those I realised that this was the first time Id sat down when three people were corseted and that it was the first occasion on which Id worn a high top corset in the company of others, albeit persons who would understand. At that moment realised that the meeting would prove to be a real test of whether I felt I could tolerate such an increased degree of corset control on a regular basis. The husband asked me how I started to wear a corset and this was one of the few occasions on which I told a white lie and said Id had to wear a back brace and when my back was cured I found I missed wearing one and started a search for a maker for men and eventually ended up in Gardners consultation room With such an opening gambit I returned the question. She very candidly said she had done so since her early teens and now so abhorred the sight of bulges she saw in her clothes if she was not corseted and rather inelegantly said simply I hate bulges. In this her husband concurred and had encouraged her to continue tight lacing long after if went out of style. At one point both of them had put of weight and joined the Weight Watchers programme. Once they had reached their goals his wife said that if a corset was good for her it was good for him and suggested he wore a corset to monitor his weight and eating. Thus he too became a customer of Mrs Norris, and had worn a corset almost every day, including to work for what I gathered had been several years. He solved the visibility problem by keeping his jacket on at work until the weather got too warm when he would not wear his corset. It also turned out that theirs were among the clamour of voices that had asked Mrs Norris to reconsider her retirement. She had worn proper corsets since age 13 at which age they became part of the dress code prescribed by the nuns of
the convent school she attended. I expressed surprise and she said that the school referred pupils to a particular corsetire and that as part of their vocation the sisters in the convent were required to be strictly corseted. Even in the late 1940s, in the pre-girdle era when corsets were still widely worn, the requirement was irksome to many of the new students but my new friend had grown up in a household where both her late mother and grandmother always wore wh at the husband called very strong corsets. From the very detailed description she gave of her mothers corsets they clearly had been very similar to those that Mrs Norris wore. They were childhood sweethearts and he said how among the things about her that had encouraged her husband to invite her out had been her very small waist and deportment. She volunteered the information that by the time they married she had become so accustomed to having the small waist that wearing a corset afforded that she knew she would never be able to without wearing a corset all day every. As result she had always felt grateful that unlike most men her husband had taken and interest in her corseting and of how supportive he had always been in seeking out corsetires who could make the small waisted corsets she liked. From the early 1960s when they married this quickly meant visits to London to Jean Appleby in Edgware road close to Marble Arch and which a firm from the east end, M Yanovsky, which they had also patronised and which merged with Appleby and moved to the west end premises. At this I felt a little bolder than I had up to that point and asked her what style she favoured. She liked a short fluted corset, rather like a waspie, as it gave her the freedom of movement for work and household chores. She also volunteered that she had reduced her waist to the level she liked before having children and had found it hard to give up the corset during her two pregnancies. Apart from the joy of having a new baby the second thing she looked forward to was getting back in her corset which her husband actually brought to the hospital and which she laced on gently within days of each birth. She also said that for the past 15 years or so she had taken to wearing a night corset as it reduced the effort of pulling back to her preferred waist each morning. Both said it wasnt always easy as her active life sometimes used to result in her breaking her busk and had been so glad that Gardners and then Mrs Norris at home could repair or replace them, which they had found many corset makers would not do. In this matter her practical husband eventually found a rigid piece of flat mild steel and curved it to suit her form. She had a pocket made into which to insert it in all her corsets and used it every day with no discomfort and no longer suffered from busk breakages. I didnt ask but I gathered that, on account of the short styles she favoured, a spoon busk was not an option for her. Both said how much they liked her to wear clothes in the fashion of the early 1950s, which I realised she was wearing as soon as I first saw her. She even went to a special shop where the woman catered for people who liked the waspwaisted, full skirted, New Look. She preferred seamed stockings and used detachable suspenders on her corsets since the early 70s she often wore tights for work. At times our conversation digressed as we discovered points in which our lives or interests overlapped such as places we both knew or had taken holidays. It was reassuring to meet a couple with the interest that had brought us together. They were church going, had a grown up children, the son in the forces and their daughter was childrens nurse who had never been pressured to wear corset having chosen not to follow her mother, who worked as a school nurse in a neighbourhood school. In retrospect I asked what proved to be an inappropriate question and my hostess would not tell me what her waist was, disarmingly replying "I haven't checked lately, adding very candidly that in any case it goes up and down. She said a lot of people commented on her waist but she never let on that she wore corsets and that small waists ran in the family. She also cheerfully volunteered that she was not above using the attribute to charm male colleagues and tradesmen to get her way, if she sensed they were fascinated by it. Later I asked Mrs Norris what her waist was, and to her credit she was equally discreet simply saying said that for many years she had the smallest waist of any of her customers. My guess was that it was less than 18 inches. They were to prove to be very private people and the only corset contact theyd had, had been a man whose name was to crop up many times as I was making contact with others and who coincidentally died at around that time. Like I had, he had called when initially she was at home alone and she felt so preyed upon that she ended up moving into the Garden until her husband came home. 25 MEETING MADAME MEDEQ
During the trauma of Iris retirement at Gardners I again wrote to Madame Medeq and was surprised and disappointed to receive a form letter reply advising that she was closing her Duke Street salon relocating to a rural address in Sussex. Back in 1977 when I was first looking for a personal corsetiere among the firms I wrote to had been hers. In order to facilitate her answer I had prepared a Q&A sheet, which she filled in and returned with a letter. In the event I settled on Gardners. I took this move to be a response to the problem of shortage of materials and fewer customers and took the opportunity to write to her and tell her how other small makers were tying to come together. She wrote back inviting me to visit and we agreed on a date. She even gave her home phone number, in case I got lost and might be late. To some corset wearers of the 1960s and 1970s she was the doyenne of tight lacing corsetires in UK and I felt privileged to accept. I took the day off work, which gave me the chance to put lace on my high top with my black nylons as soon as I got up. I did some chores fully laced in my high top then phoned to confirm that I would call after lunch. When I set out it was clearly going to be a warm spring day in late April, just after Easter, which was about as late as it could ever be that year. I kept all the car windows open so that, despite my wearing the high top, I managed to remain cool. As I drove, the miners strike, which had begun a few weeks earlier, was starting to turn nasty and making headlines again. Her home was in rural Sussex and after turning into the lane I drove up past sheep in field. She greeted me warmly and somewhat to my surprise the figure under her elegant grey wool dress told me that she was not wearing a corset of the type she specialised in making. I had clearly interrupted her while sewing up her work as short threads of pink sewing cotton stood out against her dark dress. We went to her sitting room and she must have sized up I was well corseted saying If youre like many of my customers I expect youll prefer an upright chair I said I that would be very kind as I was wearing a high cut military corset to which she nodded and smiled. She talked of her most favoured customers including "Corset Hans" of Zurich (now dead) and a man from East Sussex and confirmed that she had met David Kunzle when he was researching his book. She was a charming woman of about 55-60 years of age. She had been a nurse at a London teaching hospital and met and married an orthopaedic surgeon who had died very young some 25 years earlier. Close to penniless she got into the corset trade when, on the advice of another orthopaedic surgeon friend she bought a business making surgical corsets and found they also did tight lacing corsets for other customers. In time she took over other similar businesses, and slowly built up a slate of enthusiastic tight-lacing corset wearers. She also expressed the wish that someone might read the old records of businesses she took over as well as issues of the 1930s magazine London Life she had inherited and to which Graham Greene refers in his 1939 novel The Lawless Roads. She confirmed she still retained the services of two part time machinists and told me of some of her customers from the past, such as the late Ethel Granger, who she had liked very much and of her husband Will Granger who she found overbearing. She said when they came for a fitting, Will would arrive with cameras and lights and take photos of Ethel in the fitting room when he insisted on lacing in new corsets to 13 or 14 inches. On occasions he would pull the ever-compliant Ethel so tight, and so quickly, that she would faint, which Diana thought was cruel in the extreme. Apart from her business she had a busy life breeding the prize sheep Id passed in the drive and holidaying at a cottage in Cornwall. She knew John Sutcliffe the founder of the first specialist company in leather attire, Atomage and had fitted his creations - boots and Avenger-type suits such aas Honor Blackman and Diana Rigg made famous with corset spiral boning to achieve added smoothness. Through her I got in touch with him and he told me of a woman hed met who ran Versatile Fashions, in California. The most impressive thing I learned was how very fond she was or had been of her present and departed tight-lacing customers and all associated with corsetry which implicitly meant she did not judge men who cross dressed, wore stockings or whatever, saying, but of course everyone should wear suspenders and stockings with real corsets. A particular favourite of hers had been Corset Hans who was the age of the century and was 84 when he died not long after I met her. She referred to how much he loved planning new corsets which she made for him. They were extremely elaborate long, patent or chrome leather corsets, in many colours usually with built up breasts and internal suspenders. Years later, another German contact and customer of Mrs. Norris was to send me a photo of
Hans, clad in a purple leather faced corset extending from his upper chest to his knees, with at least a foot of lower front lacing below his busk. A person of indeterminate gender, wearing a saucy French Maids attire - black satin dress, white apron and cap, black stockings and high heels, was attending to him. Madame Medeq said he was not just as a wealthy customer but had become a warm grateful friend and she was very distressed by the failure of his family to understand his motivations. She said they were so scandalized by his intent to fulfil his needs that they arranged to have him certified and incarcerated and cruelly burnt his corset collection. Happily within months he regained his freedom, excluded them from his will and she happily assisted him in the re-equipping his with a corset wardrobe for which money was no object. Some years later, a French couple, also her customers, contacted me. They were friends of Cora and also of Hans himself. They also sent me several charming sketches of a Mademoiselle touten-cuir" and of her French maid lacing mamselle into her knee length, lace frilled, mannequin corsets. Accompanying the sketches was a short narrative which gave me my first French lexicon of tight lacing words and phrases. Over time he sent me many photos of himself wearing Medeq-made patent leather faced corsetry while he was displaying his amazing collection of thigh high boots, etc. Some featured a "shrine" he had erected to the memory of Ethel Granger. He was clearly an inveterate contributor to magazines and I had seen some of the photos reproduced in magazines I read from time to time. He also sent a lovely informal colour photo of the wife of a person her corresponded reposing in a most attractive, heavily-boned, pink-satin faced corset with innumerable wide black suspenders and what were coming to be the mandatory seamed black nylons beloved of many of my new contacts. A note on the back said "a recent picture of G, thinking of you!" We talked of Laurence Lenton. She thought he had operated in South Kensington, but I was to later find out that he had been located in Fulham, somewhat to the west. She had understood that both he and his wife were dedicated tight lacers and basically catered for women and men who were more demanding tight lacers. She said that the only example of such a corset that she had seen truly was a work of art. Since his chosen field was specialised, in the depression of the 1930s he was always short of money and relied on subventions of say 20 or 50 from wealthy customers and would then gradually make up corsets to the value! She understood that he cross-dressed and apparently there was a big scandal that in about 1941he had died of a heart attack when out so "dressed" which runs contrary to the story of his having been killed in an air raid. I ended by saying how I had first become aware of her business in 1975 when I saw a pin-up photo of a corseted model, who no doubt with the assistance of her photographer, had contrived to wear her corset, back to front as well as inside out I suppose the image of a corset lacing is judged more exciting than the busk hooks. Apart from making it all but impossible to find the pulling loops to lace it tight, she had inadvertently contrived to do several interesting things. First she or they had exposed the makers label, normally hidden form view inside the back. This one read Mme D C Medeq in red flowing writing on a white cloth label and sewn longways near the upper edge. Secondly they revealed details of
an alternative way of forming the lacing loops, which mobilised five pairs of eyelets instead of the more conventional two pairs. This intrigued me so I began to experiment with lacing threading methods and found this arrangement to be very effective, though until the lace developed a shine it was a little harder to pull. However the method means that there is a very marked reduction in slippage during the split seconds in which the lacers grip is relaxed while repositioning the grip as the last stage of lacing proceeds. That is less loss of what had been gained which can be very frustrating for lacer and lacee. Of course she had never seen the photo but said she never knew where her work might ultimately end up but was glad that she was able to help and please people. On this point, she left me with one comment that I will never forget. She said she disliked labelling of individuals and preferred to regard her customers as enthusiasts, not fetishists which she regarded as a pejorative term and not worthy of her customers, some of whom she came to regard as friends. So with a whole world of new friends on the horizon I take a break in my story, which will resume with meeting the new friends and dealing with Iris, who to me was no longer Mrs Norris. End of PART 6
VII: HORIZONS WIDEN

7.1 MORE CONTACTS The much-dreaded year 1984 proved to be a watershed year in my quest for the high top corseted future and life ahead. I now knew that there were other straight men like me who wore real corsets and some wore stockings too but I still had residual elements of phobia in my psyche about being identified with gays and transvestites. Yet, the more I read, the more it became clear that my own private activities were certainly as taboo to the public at large as those of gays and of the outr behaviour of some transvestites. But life in private was better. I had my own corsetiere who would even buy stockings for me. What is more we were now on first name terms. It wasnt easy at first but I now found it easy to call her Iris to her face as well as over the phone and in letters and she reciprocated. My circle of corset-minded friends was growing. Yet writing this some 25
years later I wonder if readers will understand that many of those friends were the last link with the pre-war and early post war era when tight-laced corsets were fairly commonly worn though the era might be better known as the halcyon days of the Spirella-type corsetry, when there was a Spirella lady in every town in Britain. While nylon was to revolutionise stockings, its cousin Lycra had effectively been the death knell of corsets, first with girdles, and later control top pantyhose. Now in 2010 it is Ironic that control garments such as Spanx are being recognised as 21st century corsetry! These new friends who had known the likes of Overett, Lawrence Lenton and his protge Madame Marie Stafford. Many also had known both Will and Ethel Granger and I liked to think that at least I began wearing corsets before Will died and began going to Gardners' five years before Ethel died in 1982 and that she was still tight lacing and meeting these friends. More than anything I valued my visits to Mrs Norris. My finances were improving and I had the money to experiment in the styles of corsets I wore. As I met more people, at times she told me to be careful as she clearly thought I might come too much under the influence of some of the people she had introduced me to some of whose activities she did not approve of. That said, in retrospect her judgment on such matters was always sound. It was obvious that she had always accepted transvestism but other things were a definite no. Although I felt confident that I would continue to be a customer of Mrs N for some years to come I was very aware of our 20-year age difference and that by the law of averages I would outlive her. Hence I thought it wise to keep up contacts I had established during my headless chicken year. 7.2 RUNNING REPAIRS With my new contacts I started to receive more and more corset mail from all over England and suddenly from several other parts of the world. True to her word Mrs N had put me in touch with close to a dozen of her customers who thought they might be interested in my idea. In the rest of this Odyssey I will refer to them more and more. One of those contacts was John Sutcliffe of Atomage, who was always very forthcoming despite the fact my interest was corsets and not the amazing creations in leather that he produced. Years later I was to learn that he had risked jail in the cause of freedom to express himself in such a way and I now realise he understood the difficulties that man such as myself who wished to wear corsetry would experience. During the conversation he told me of a Mrs Johnson in America who he said was producing very attractive corsets. But how to make contact? I used my new contact David Kunzle author of Fashion and Fetishism who also alerted me to a firm in the US called Past Patterns, which even made paper patterns for one to make ones own corset. Their owner kindly put me in touch with two US contacts, one of whom turned out to be BR Creations, which was run my Ruth Johnson Sutcliffes Mrs Johnson. The other contact reacted in the way I had come to expect - an abhorrence of men who wore corsets. John S also mentioned a Jeanette Zinkan whom he had met at an Atomage function at the Regents Palace Hotel but it was some time before I realised he was referring to a woman whose enterprise produced the magazine Reflections in which I first learned of Ethel Granger back in July 1980. I was to learn later that Mrs. Zinkan aka Ms. Antoinette <<image ant14plus.jpg >>had apparently scandalised the hotel staff by proceeding to travel in the lifts and enter the foyer wearing just her corsets, and showing her suspenders and stockings tops above very long boots. 7.3 A CHANGE IN MORES Part of my compulsion arose from a fascination with pin-up photos of models posing with their skirts raised to show their lingerie, stockings and suspenders. Writing in 2010 it still amazes me how reliant even the popular press is on the allure of a stocking top, more than a generation after such hosiery has been almost totally out of mainstream fashion. Yet such images live on the Internet. By the mid-1980 popular pin-up magazines were including features on the models of 20 years earlier. In May 1984 the retrospective issue of Paul Raymonds new magazine, with a somewhat raunchy content called Fiesta (95p), which normally featured lots of 1980s models wearing the suspenders and often seamed stockings that their mothers had
abandoned. In it was information on Girls of 1960s such as the voluptuous June Palmer, Nancy Roberts (later of Opportunity Knocks TV show fame), Harrison Marks muse Lorraine Burnett, all of whom I had seen posing while wearing Charnos Moonbeams stockings all those years before. There was even information on the studios and photographers of 50s 60s, Valley Arts, Roger Davies, Bob Robson of H and C who blazed the trail in the 1950s. 7.4 MY NEW FRIENDS My new friends in the Midlands were in the process of moving as a result of municipal mergers to a new post further south. Iris had made R some new corsets in white - 18" waist - while her husband was always most open in and friendly in conversation, correspondence and phone about his and her corset wearing. Out of the blue I heard from a man in his 80s living in South Africa whom Iris remembered as one of her male customers at Gardners and later by mail order who could achieve a very small waist of 22 inches It seemed as if all whom Kunzle had acknowledged in his book were in touch with one another and had added me to their circle. Basil Costin did a 21" waist and was also a customer of Iris. As for me, I was at this time able to get down for short periods to 27" over my corset from 34" natural, and was happy at 30" over my corset, but it was impractical for wearing to work. Best of all I was in touch with a renowned corset wearing couple in Manchester, who had been friends of the Grangers, but more of them another time. 7.5 THE OLD CORSETIER AND THE NEW CORSETIERE I immediately wrote to BR Creations and within two weeks I received their catalogue and the very first issue of the BR Corset Newsletter, which was issued every quarter. The letter was signed by Ruth Johnson. The designs were spectacular and modelled by attractive women with surprisingly small waists. This had to be the Mrs Johnson of whom John Sutcliffe had spoken not many months before. In reading the material it turned out that Mrs Johnson herself had been a customer of R.G. Loomis The Ole Corsetier who had written the biography of Ethel Granger which I had seen in Reflections magazine in 1980. He had subsequently encouraged Ruth to learn how to make corsets and to then open a business selling them made to measure. She even modelled the corsets for the catalogue and although she called herself Big Ruth the initials of which she used in her newsletter, she did in fact cut a fine figure when corseted. The fact that she offered not just four but 6,8,10,12,16,20 and 24" suspenders on her corsets and suspender belts also indicated that she catered to customers with interests not too different from my own. I subscribed to her newsletter but the prices of her corsets, even allowing for the fact that mine would be in utilitarian grey or black was far out of my league and another factor would have been the swinging customs duties they would have attracted. 7.6 MAY 84 RUNNING REPAIRS WITH IRIS I had time available and enjoyed my meetings with Iris and might be accused of looking for reasons to call and be with her for an hour or so. I did genuinely need a number of small repairs. A steel had popped out of the front of one of my suspender girdles I had bought from my outfitter Cover Girl in 1980 and on another corset the strapping was wearing thin. She relocated some spiral steels in my suspender girdle. I was now close to having changing from four to five pairs of suspenders on all my corsets as well as on my suspender girdles, including changing all the elastic from 3/4 inch to 11/8 inch on the one I had bought from my original outfitter back in 1974. I always paid for work done but Iris also said a lot of people got corsets made by others and came to her for repairs because the others wouldn't do them. As I drove to see Iris in early May, news of the Soviet withdrawal from the Olympics at Los Angeles was reported. This was my firth visit to see her at Bletchley and I had now worked out a better way to get there. I was visiting much earlier than I usually did and arrived before 10 am. I walked confidently to the side door and Iris greeted me. As was my wont as she turned I looked down to see her stocking seams and heels and was surprised to see her wearing much paler shade of stocking than I had ever seen her wear.
I sat down for tea and cake and she produced a 12-inch corset Id left on my last visit. It was originally made with two " flat steels in parallel as the underbusk. Originally she was short of 10 inch long, 1 inch wide, under-busk steels and had put in two half-inch flat steels side by side. The half inch ones were actually two bound on one another bit even with my normal 5" pull in I was finding the busk was bending too much when I sat down. I found that I was straining the busk even with a modest pull in. especially if I leaned over. With visits once or so a year I didn't want to break a busk. She had now changed it to a standard heavy one inch wide one. I arrived wearing the high top and four pairs of sewn on suspenders and I had to take it off for the five pairs of loops for detachable suspenders. After she'd done it and made new elastics in the suspenders as well, she asked, "are you putting this (the altered 12 inch) back on, because if you are I'll lace you down if you like". I retired to her sitting room. She drew the curtains and left me to put it on. I slotted the busk and then did up the suspenders myself as I felt I was tasking advantage of her in helping me do my suspendering which I regard as a great privilege and anyway she was working on my high top as I waited. I put my trousers back on and called Iris, who closed it down. As she was doing it I said, There's something nice about someone else lacing one in" and she said " That's what most people say'. At the end she said "there. That one looks very nice on you, she said She put new suspender loops on my high top and pointed out that the old ones were getting abraded by the key rings. Happily we - I could not do it without her sewing skill and machine - were nearing the end of the process of converting all my corsets to have hem loops for key rings and detachable suspenders. As for Iris I use the words sincerely she was resplendent in her favourite shade of dark brown Aristoc "Harmony" with straight seams clearly she was as tautly suspendered as ever. Her waist was cinched, or as she preferred to say pulled in, beautifully with her blouse filled by her fine bosom, which heaved gently and as we sat over a cup of tea and for the first time I became aware of the gentle creaking sound of her busk as she breathed. As she stood to pour me a second cup of tea she stood sideways to my field of vision and, in the profile of her calves, I noticed that the seams of her stockings stood proud of the sheer fabric on either side of them. This indicated to me that she wore her stockings seam side out, the opposite to what the makers intended their wearer to do and felt bold enough to think I could ask her why. I opened my question by first saying it was always a pleasure to see a woman with straight seams like hers. Before I could ask my intended question, she answered with a stream of words about how she was still having trouble with slipping suspenders. Zealous readers are referred back to my discussion of this in Part 3 - Imperatives - Suspenders when I told her that on the basis of my own experiments I thought that because the rubber buttons provided on modern suspenders were too thin if too strong a pull was exerted on the button by its stocking the rubber would get bent and pull of the lug retaining it on the wire of the clip. She agreed that she agreed that part of the trouble was the rubber buttons are part of the trouble which had never happened with the centrally rivetted style, which are the subject of a photo. After clearing up that irritation she returned to the matter of how she wore her stockings and confirmed that she did it out of choice since that way she found her seams stayed straighter much longer - chacun a son got. Years later some new friends, G and M, told me that G had glued pieces of rubber on to the buttons of Ms suspenders to stiffen and fatten them so that her stockings did not slip off them at inconvenient moments! That said in all my 50 or more visits to Iris I can only recall commenting that one of her suspenders had slipped off about twice. She said that her business was improving and was now keeping quite busy with old Gardner customers and had made a new 18" waisted white corset for R, the distaff side of my new Midlands friends in April. She too knew they were moving because he had changed his job. She said and kindly told me but only after swearing me to her confidence, that J wore a 12" deep corset 7" up and 5" down, just as I did, for every day, but with no suspenders. I knew she was glad she had introduced me to them, and she very kindly suggested I kept quiet about the fact I wore stockings as they were very proper and went to church! I said I hoped she didnt mind me bringing her so many repairs. And she said not at all. She now drew the line at people who were not real customers who bought cheaper made to measure corsets by mail order and being unable to get the supplier to repair them came to her and didnt want to pay what she charged. After she had re-sewn the edge elastic and loops onto the corset hem, she watched me thread the five pairs of split rings in the loops at the ends of the suspenders and on the corset and again teased me about how many suspenders I used. I told her Id seen pictures of women with 8, 10 and even 12 suspenders per stocking and read what seemed to be true, not a fantasy letter of a couple who each liked eight suspenders and she laughed and said "You don't have to
tell me, Ive done that for some people" This time when I'd got all the suspenders back on the corset loops she said 'Come on and Ill help you lace in" We moved into her sitting room, she discreetly drew the curtains, I hung the 18 inch high top corsets off my shoulders with the new straps and slotted the busk. She said Are you ready" and firmly closed me down doing it so quickly I felt the lace burn as it moved fast on my skin and making me call out involuntarily at which she laughed. Luckily the lacing was now a reasonable length or she would have commented wryly about there being too great a length of lacings to wrap on my waist. As it was, she tied the bow at the side, something Id never seen done before. I was learning all the time. Together we then suspendered my stockings and when she finished she stepped back, looked and me and smiled admiringly and said "that corset looks very nice on you, its very handsome, so I said "I feel a bit self conscious in suspenders and stockings, Iris" and she said "I wouldn't worry lots of ordinary men corset wearers wear stockings, they keep your corset more comfortable you know". She asked if was going to see the my Midlands friends but I said I hadnt been able to get in touch as they were moving and she asked Are you going to keep this one on? and I said I would as I wanted to be properly laced in as I was going to call on the Berks Corsetier instead, on my roundabout way back to London. I wrapped up my 12 inch causal now with its 10 suspenders and put it back in my brief case. She made a final cup of tea and she said she had something to show me. It was a new spoon busk shed been able to get from an old corset. Ill be glad to have it in as my other one had been cut down at the top when it snapped and didnt come high enough. For all the repairs she only charged me 5 and so another visit with a wonderful lady came to an end. 7.7 EXPERIMENTING WITH TROLLEYED SUSPENDERS The Berks Corsetier was amazed at how tightly laced I was and as usual we laced one another into different corsets. It was always a pleasure to meet someone who shared my interests and what for each of us was a great joy in lacing one another into very long corsets and enjoying conversation while wearing them. He continued to make and fit me in very long corsets in which I enjoyed being able to cooperate, but his skills were still evolving and he lacked the touch of Iris Norris in those early years before he went into business. That said, I like to think I helped him in his life long desire to be a corsetier of the old Lenton-type school While there I mentioned the problem of the relative length of corset hem and top of stocking and he showed me how he used oval rings to allow him to trolley the suspender clips between an under-belt and the hem of the main corset. As I write this in early April 2010, I have just noted in Ivy Leafs Diary Entry for late march 2010? a reference to the same problem as I was experiencing. I was often finding that the back suspenders on full hip control long corsets was too low on the thigh. With the lower cut corset I found it all but impossible to get tension from back suspenders as the clips were simply too close to the top. Berks Corsetier suggested trolleying them with oval rings which he gave me. I sewed them onto loops on the outside of the corset, about three inches above the hem of the corset. Later I saw such an arrangement on a mannequin corset in a photo in a Finecraft catalogue. Clearly others encountered my problem in those days, but who would understand in 2010? In one catalogue I read of how the front suspenders of a corset fitted with under-belts had trolleyed" front suspenders. The very word Trolleyed fascinated me and recourse to the dictionary told be that this meant that in fact all suspenders were trolleyed on their elastic but some more obviously than others. The suspender ran freely on the elastic straps. In this regard I also learned from Berks Corsetier that when alone one should clip back suspenders onto ones stockings before slotting the busk, because twisting to do up suspenders was too difficult something far easier if one had shoulder straps from which to hang the corsets while doing so, otherwise one had to hook the top busk clasp on shorter corsets. 7.8 I VISIT THE UNITED STATES
As chance would have t my firm was collaborating with another in and meeting planned in London and Germany were cancelled and it was decided to meet in San Francisco Not being Gay the basis idea seemed like a long way to go, but quite by chance just a few months earlier I had been put in touch with Ruth Johnson. As luck would have it within moths I might actually meet her. She was based in Mountain View, California, now the home of the then unheard of Google and about an hour out of San Francisco. There was little doubt that she catered for the diversity of people for which San Francisco has been famous or notorious for over the last 50 years and more. From her newsletter she seemed broad-minded enough so I packed my new large corset in case she wanted to see it. Our group was due to be there two weeks, and upon arrival I phoned Ruth hoping to see her at the weekend. As luck would have it all I got was a recorded message saying that she was away for -yes a tantalising two weeks. So near and yet so far. The year she came to England to the LGM Bal Des Gracieuses I was unable to attend and never met her. As I was in America I even tried to phone David Kunzle. I got an answering machine and found the message somewhat confusing so I didn't leave one. Whilst in America I checked the phone book to see where the Alberts Hosiery stores were located and found that Alberts had a store just off market street near our hotel, So, one afternoon I stepped out of the office and went there. They said that the Walking sheers had been discontinued so I bought myself four pairs of their 15 denier Classic in black and bought Iris another four pairs in the nearest shade of brown they had to what Iris she liked called Sparkle I mailed them to Iris as a gift. Since I had brought the big corsets I set about altering the back suspenders with the oval rings from the Berks Corsetier. It proved to be far easier than I expected but to my disappointment I could still not get my stockings and suspenders taut. However to my surprise, when I tried on my newly purchased Alberts Classic they were really 1950s style full size in the foot but very short in the leg. The after-welts began not far above my knee and certainly too short for the suspenders on my every day corsets and suspender belts. But I quickly realise they were Perfect for my big corset with its trolled back suspenders. Whilst I would have preferred to have met with Ruth Johnson I passed the weekend fitting and relaxing in and even sleeping in the big long corsets and very short stockings. As much as anything I was amazed by the sensation I got if I raised a shoulder to tension the shoulder strap that the force travelled though the length of the corset and I felt it again pulling hard in turn on my SUSPENDERS and stocking top on the same side. On July 11,1984 I WROTE IN MY DIARY I got up early after a most satisfying nights sleep in the big corset. It was incredible how much it controls ones movements. It comes right up under my armpits and is very high at the back taking in my shoulder blades. I found I could lean back against it and feel the big flat steels take the strain and support me like unseen hands. I looked down at my legs and it was funny to see a dark brown Aristoc Harmony and a Taupe waking sheer showing on my legs. Talking of the high back when I tried it on I leaned back on it and Iris was watching and I said "Gosh I do like this high top those back steels feel good" and she said "A lot of people who've tried it say its best". I thought you would but its no good for a woman a corset like that, it comes too high in front. I even took some photos that show a back view of the corset and trolleyed suspenders. As chance had it my visit occurred during the run up to the Democratic National convention, which ended up selecting Mondale. Staying in the hotel was the Newsweek writer George Will and in those pre-mobile phone days, I overheard him talking on a pay phone in the lobby passing on news just in that Geraldine Ferraro would be the first female Vicepresidential running mate. In fact our time ended up being circumscribed by the convention and we were required to check out and return home.
7.9 BACK IN BRITAIN Back in Britain in September I visited Iris again and arrived in time for an early lunch which she had prepared formsalmon sandwiches and a piece of cake and cups of tea. This time she was again wearing her favourite shade of hose, which had the longest heels Id seen since the 1950s fully half way up her claves. Those are very fancy heels Iris. She smiled and said do you like them and disarmingly said they were really too long in the foot, that shed had to sew a fold in the toes and that shed taken to buying a bigger size to get a longer leg. The following is taken from an account I wrote at the time to my friend the Berks Corsetier. She had remade a corset with a higher back. It now had 18-inch back flat spring steels on each side of the lacing eyelets. As usual now, we checked the fitting. I slotted the busk alone and rolled my black nylons to my knees and called her into the sitting/fitting room to lace me in it. It was wonderful and she stopped and said "How's that?". I said I'd like a little tighter and she said 'There's about half an inch to go, I'll close you down all the way if you like. Did she have to work! I raised my arms, pulled in my breath and stomach, everything, to get it closed. Iris warmed to the task and in the end this was a real exercise in lacing tight, for me. It was obvious she done it many times before. When it was done she said, "Shall I cinch you down at the waist? Of course I said, "Yes please and again she pulled with all her might and I said "do you have a tape measure and she measured me at 271/2 inches a 7-8 inch pull in from natural. Oh it's lovely, I said and she reminded me about my suspenders and started suspendering my back suspenders and tensioned the adjusters. I sat down in it and said "Mmm, Iris those back steels feel lovely on my shoulders and she smiled and tilted her head and replied to the effect "Yes that high tops suits you. I said I couldn't wear any other kind of high top without shoulder straps and she said "Yes, its funny, all the people I have who wear high tops prefer them with the high back and shoulder straps too. I suddenly felt self conscious when I realized she was looking at my stocking tops and suspenders and felt completed to say "You must think me odd to wear stockings" and she smiled and said Look if you wear a corset - man or woman - its much better if its held down with stockings and suspenders and if you don't mind wearing stockings, why worry." In the end she said, "You remind me of Mr C (a Kunzle collaborator) he liked a high top with a wasp waist like you but mind you he was a thin man and had a 21 inch waist. She looked as beautiful as ever on both visits. Laced in to about 20", I'd guess with a lovely wide black leather belt, tightly buckled to cinch her skirt. When I saw her last in May I thought she put on weight but shed clearly lost it over the summer. As ever she was wearing her usual Aristoc "Harmony" in "Bitter Chocolate." I said to her "Iris, I don't think I've ever seen your seams crooked and she laughed and replied, "That's because I keep my suspenders tight as they should be kept. The only reason people used to get crooked seams was because they were too lazy to get them on properly. She wanted to give me back the Alberts Classics I sent her from San Francisco. She'd tried them on but to quote her letter "I find them too short they will just about go on my suspenders. At this point I had a surprise when she handed me a cellophane packet containing a pair of chocolate brown stockings. They had been given to her by another customer LB who had found them too long as did Iris. So I said dont give me back the Classics theyll be too short for me, give them to LB instead. It was to be 4 years before I finally met LB who by now lived alone and spent all his non-working hours as a transvestite. To Iris eternal credit after lacing him into his corsets in the fitting room she allowed him to fully dress as a woman to check its effect. Sadly she was forced to end the arrangement when LB injudiciously allowed himself to be accompanied on an appointment by a person of similar persuasion who arrived dressed as a woman. After that she required LB to visit alone. This reinforced my belief that I should never in any way compromise the courtesy of her accepting me as a customer.
She also showed me the corset of my Wykamist correspondent who like me had it faced in black satin and with suspenders. For many years both he and his wife wore corsets and stockings all day every day, but after illness she had stopped tight-lacing. His main complaint was availability of Aristoc Harmony stockings in long lengths and had given some to Iris which were too long for her and passed on to me. Before departing I handed over the last high top she had made me before she left Gardners in Nov 80 to change the back panel to a high back and to add shoulder straps. As usual I left around 3 pm en route to what I might now call my South Midlands friends. I had told Iris of my plan and she remarked that R was heavy on her corsets because she washed them too frequently". She said the materials tends to shrink over the steels and that is when the steels start to abrade the pockets or strapping as she called it. I told her I would do the same in the heat and she said dry them by wrapping over a hot water pipe. But that it was better for a man to wear a vest and a woman a chemise, each of cotton but some tight lacers were too keen on measurements and forgot about care of the corset. 7.10 VISITING MY FRIENDS IN THEIR NEW HOME I found that my friends had moved from the Midlands nearer to Bristol and realised that I would be able to visit them with only a slight detour after visiting Iris en route to see my family. R looked as ever superb such a small waist is stunning to behold. During dinner her stomach wouldn't stop rumbling and her husband said that what it was a consequence of her reducing further than he thought she should. She was getting used to the new community and to everyone seeing her amazingly small waist. She said she and her daughter were shopping in Cheltenham and her naive 18-year-old daughter said, "Mum why is everyone looking at us?... They both regretted that she hadn't been able to make her daughter wear a corset. She said her mother and grandmother were inveterate tight lacers and wore what she called strong corsets and started her on a regime in her early teens. . J said during the hot summer weather in his new office that everyone was in shirtsleeves so he had to stop wearing his corset for fear of it being detected through his shirt. 7.11 1984 COMES TO AN END 1984 was the most amazing year. I visited Mrs N on no fewer than six times the last in November. By that time every corset I had was fitted with 10 suspenders and I had shoulder straps on all my high top corsets. This is what I wrote in my diary after my last visit of the year: I showered and was able to really take my time to get underdressed perfectly - white support tights, Alberts Walking Sheer Black nylons. I put on the high top high back laced down a little clipped on the back two pairs of suspenders and completed lacing in. Then I clipped on the rest of my suspenders and tensioned each pair in turn. I spent the next half hour having breakfast - packing and last thing I re-laced the corset and cinched down to 29 inches. It was magnificent. I dressed and you couldn't tell I was superbly corseted except when I sat down or walked. I went to the car and drove up to Bletchley on the old A5. I got to Iriss house, knocked the door and she called "come in Frangard" I let myself in and she was standing ironing. She had on a white blouse and black skirt and cinched in as small as I had seen her. I said Hello and was so moved by her appearance, so I said, "My goodness you look very smart today" and she said thank you". She moved from behind the ironing board and I saw she wearing her usual chocolate brown nylons. As before Her point heels came almost half way up her calves. She said 'I got you the stockings. My usual source of Aristoc Harmony had not had any on stock for some time and when I had written to arrange an appointment I had send the money and asked her to buy me some Aristoc Harmony from her shop. She told me that when she got to the Milton Keynes Coop they only had them in brown and, as was her wont, she persevered and went into Dickens and Jones and they had black. So I got you those and Im wearing the
brown ones I got at the same time, now. I said "You've reduced again" and she said "Let's say I sometimes pull in it extra to go out or for visitors. I said I would like to take her photo but she declined as she felt her hair wasnt right but agreed to be ready for my next visit. She then said one of the kindest things Id heard. Every time I dressed after she laced me in a corset, I had asked her if it showed because like the male half of my Midlands friends I didnt want anyone at work to even imagine I was. This time she said: " Of course I know you're wearing a corset, but I can't tell what kind your in. so I said "a high top and she said I can't tell and the reason I asked is because you're always worried it if will show. So I said "Its a dead give away if I sit down and she said 'good, it keeps your posture correct, that's very important and why a corset should be important you know I couldn't leave it off because of back ache even if I wanted to . I felt I was truly accepted my her now. She clearly regarded me as an equal in that we were both corset and stocking wearers and to her it was only natural that we should talk about such things. Im sure readers will agree that it was true. This time we talked about busk design and. She was now in touch with the Berks Corsetier who had bought 2000 1o inch long busks - the minimum order - from Steels and BBusks Aerial works in Leicester. He was trying to sell them to anyone who needed them. She had used some but said the workmanship was a disappointment. She said that shed had a complaint from a customer who didnt like an under-busk about being pinched by her busk. What was happening was that there was tendency for skin to get squeezed in between the two busk edges and if one moved the busk plates moved closer and the skin got pinched. As a result shed compared them to some old busks she had in her stock drawer and asked me to do the same. We agreed first that the spring steel was too light a gauge and second that there was too large a gap between the two sides on account of the bobbles or posts being set too far from the edge of the steel. To overcome this she was fitting underbusks She was still making for Axfords and matching pre cut fabric to make dresses for Evans Outsize. 7.12 STORM CLOUDS - THE DEMISE OF ALBERT'S HOSIERY I have already alluded to the demise of the seamed stocking and the reduction in manufacturers. By the mid-1970s only Aristoc in the UK were left and I sensed it was only a matter of time before they too discontinued the style, especially as the dress code of the uniformed military services - police and traffic wardens - finally accepted seamless styles. That Aristoc Harmony actually continued in production until 1993 was little short of a miracle and testimony to a continuing, if small demand and by the time they stopped I had bought over 100 pairs of them. I realized that the prudent way was to keep the "discontinued styles for wear only on special occasions not for every day. For every day I would wear styles still in production and as a pair laddered replace it immediately. Essentially this meant wearing sheerer ones than I would have liked to wear but at 25p pair in the early 1970s they were a bargain compared to the 7/11 (39p) I had paid for some for my first real girl friend back in 1958! I usually bought them at larger department stores like DH Evans or Selfridges or Dickens and Jones, but after an attempt at revival with lurex seams in, of all magazines, Womens Journal in 1986. By the late 1980s they seemed to be "rationed". This meant that they were sometimes available in either 10 or 11. In addition, over the years the stockings had got longer while in response to shorter skirts the tops got thinner and in time the old foot sizes and leg lengths disappeared and were replaced by sizes 1 to 6 - no leg lengths. While I found that size 6 (11) was the best foot size, I could also wear size 5 (10) which with lower hemmed corsets I preferred on account of their not reaching so far up the thigh they meant that I could get a more rewarding degree of tension or pull in both my suspenders and stockings.
As noted above, since March 1983 Id settled on the small ladies store "Jean" at 4 Station Road, West Drayton, whose owner or manageress was initially very reserved but by my third visit she knew what I would order and would remember what I sought and volunteer that she had some size 11s if I preferred. I made a point of going out of my way while going to visit Mrs Norris and as I got to know Mrs N better would buy her two pairs in her size 101/2. She accepted that reluctantly and said I didnt need to pay of repairs but I always insisted on doing so as I felt she undercharged for what to me was a wonderful service. As was to prove later I was glad I had done this because she reciprocated my thought in several ways. What a contrast it all was to my experience in 1969 of going in an army surplus store in Kingston-upon-Thames after I spotted the characteristic green cellophane packet of Charnos Commonsense which had became surplus when the WRENS dress code accepted seamless hose. When I asked about them, the male assistant leered at me as he peered over the counter to look at my feet saying "What size do you want Twelves?" It had been more than I could take and I said "Oh no nothing like that" and, flushed with embarrassment, I turned and quickly left the store in horror at anyone alluding to what I wanted to keep as 'my secret". I tried to call on a visit and would always buy six pairs of black for myself - if they were in stock and two pairs for Mrs Norris in her preferred shade of "bitter chocolate" Eventually "Joan" went out of business in about 1988 and the premises had become an Estate Agents office. I boldly asked Mrs Norris on one visit where she bought her stockings and she said Dickens and Jones or the Coop in Milton Keynes. After D and J burned down in the early 90s we arranged that in future, before my appointment would send her a cheque and she'd buy me a dozen pairs at a time to pick up when I next visited. This worked well and I recall to my amazement she presented me with two dozen pairs - in black and other shades. Kindness itself she had done so because shed heard they were about to be discontinued and done the same for herself. Before they were discontinued in the early 1970s I managed to buy two dozen pairs of
Charnos "Commonsense" 30 Denier since I preferred the way they felt on my legs when they were pulled hard by my suspenders. For wear with corsets they were much better and remain my favourite stockings. I also quizzically found that Aristoc somehow lasted better than other sheerer ones and only years later did I find they were 20 denier, not 15 the extra five denier making a huge difference. By now I had worked overseas and had access to US dollars and as a result I began ordering from Alberts in the USA. I had seen the logo on pin up magazines in the 1960s and realized they offered two grades of fully-fashioned seamed stockings -Classic and "Walking Sheer" and settled on the 30D style, which lasted so well. I patronized them for and between 1978 and 1986 I bought no less than 60 pairs "Walking Sheers" before Alberts closed down its chain of stores. Surprisingly in the early 1990s, Zo, a vendor in the US began selling them. I learned that all such surplus of out of style stockings had been concentrated in a large warehouse in the USA. Between 1990 and 1993 I bought all I could afford. Not only did I buy 30D - more than 20 pairs - and some in very short and others in very long lengths and even bought some in 60D. I found the anchorage afforded by the 60D stockings to be incredible and liked it very much. However, to my chagrin I discovered that some had cotton tops and the yarn had been partly rotted due the black dye and my quest for taut suspenders soon resulted in them ripping in holes! Over my Odyssey I bought over 80 pairs of Walking Sheers and still have close to 40 In. my stocking wardrobe. I still wear them regularly and, actuarially speaking at my rate of use they should see me out. They were, and mine still are, wonderful stockings and from the mid-60s when I first noticed them, they and their 15 D counterpart "Classic" had been the seamed stockings of choice" for all US lingerie and corset pin ups - women or TV - including many of those of the late, renowned leg art photographer Elmer Betters. Sadly their sizing was never very good and between 1977 and 1986, when Alberts closed their doors, I identified no fewer than five styles of welts. Being 30 denier they were almost indestructible even In. my hands and last far better than Aristocs Harmony Points. Who made them Im not sure as Alberts was only a retailer for later I saw a model posing in stockings with the same style of after-welt but with the kormograph printed as Triumph "Ease Top". And so 1984 ended and I moved on to meet new friends on a regular basis.
Weddings
Weddings were probably the special occasion where women could be persuaded to wear their best corsets. A persuasive corsetiere could have a field day once she got wind of an impending wedding. The Spirella magazines have many charming wedding photographs with detailed descriptions of who is wearing what under the satin dresses and the floral rayon print of the Mother. Typically in the 1960s the mother would be wearing a 305 corset or one of the heavier-style girdles, however, there are no references to the bride doing so. Usually the bride would be wearing a 206 girdle or something similar. On a few occasions, the bridesmaid, apparently aged about 25, was described as wearing a 305, however, I doubt if this was a regular habit. The wedding description below comes from November 1969. Note that even at the end of the swinging 60's, two middle-aged women are wearing corsets.
An exciting day for the bride and a proud moment for our consultant Mrs. H. of Peterborough. The bride wore Spirelettes 83 and 132 [a desperate attempt by Spirella to attract a younger market with lighter foundations], the bridegroom's mother (on her left), a Coppelia 44 and Modern Line bra; sister of the bride (extreme right of picture) wore a 305 and Fashion Line bra, and (on the bride's right) her mother in a 325 corset and style 72 bra, and Mrs. H. in Spirella foundations 305 and 30. Reports Mrs. H.: "A guest at the wedding became interested in Spirella and ordered a Coppelia girdle and bra. Another guest had a Coppelia girdle and asked me to get her some support stockings." It was Mrs. H. who, in the August issue, explained how she had secured orders while helping out at a funeral. Is nowhere safe?? At least Mrs. H was wearing the same foundations that she sold. Note that the sister on the right wears a laced foundation, one of Spirella's many euphemisms for corset. The year was 1969 and I could well believe that her Mother was a regular corset wearer. The fact that her Mother wears the complex (and expensive) 325 suggests that this is so; however, a 30-year-old woman? At the end of the 1960's such a garment for the sister I suspect might just be 'for special occasions only', such as this wedding. From 1959 comes a lovely photograph of a very attractive bride with a keen interest in her appearance
as is revealed by her corsetiere's letter to the Spirella magazine:The charming 21-year-old bride is a regular Spirella wearer. Her corsetiere, Mrs. N. of Norwich, tells us she had supplied her with one 700, one 260, one 384, one 423, one 323 and one 206 : and all during 1959. To translate from Spirella's love affair with their numbering system, the 700 is quite a formidable corselette (and would probably have been worn at the wedding), the 260 and 206 are high-waisted girdles, and the rest are brassieres, two of which are long-line style. By today's standards that is a remarkable trousseau. Weddings, present and future, were a source of vital intelligence for the diligent corsetiere with an eye for future sales. The bride, bride's mother, granny, bridesmaids and a host of relatives, in a time when life was far more parochial than present, represented an un-tapped vein of commission. How good a corsetiere are you? Let us see if you can spot the potential corset and girdle wearers in these wedding photographs. Look at the photographs below that appeared in the British Spirella Magazines of the mid-1960's. Guess who is wearing the corsets, girdles and pantie-girdles. It isn't very difficult, with a few exceptions. The real task of the corsetiere was to engage all these ladies prior to the wedding, and convince them that a new lower foundation was essential for the occasion. Having sold the idea of the new lower foundation, a matching brassiere would be proposed as an essential complement to the girdle or corset. There is plenty of standing around at these functions, so some support stockings for those aching legs will be required. There are thirteen ladies present, who ages range from 24 to 65. This means that some of the older ladies were born around the turn of the century, whilst the brides and bridesmaids would have been born at the end of the Second World War. Seven are wearing corsets, one is wearing a pantie-girdle and the rest are wearing open-bottom girdles. Click on the picture to find out if you guessed what the lady was wearing. How good a corsetiere are you?
In practice, however, the majority of brides in the late 1950's and 1960's were looking towards the lighter foundation, and below ( 1958) and right ( 1965), all the girls are wearing Spirella's 'waist nipper'. In 1958 in Britain, a girdle would have been 'de rigueur', however, this was Spirella in a rather warm South Africa.
The text attached to these photographs from the Spirella magazine speak volumes about the aspirations of these young ladies.
Left 1962: "Spirella client, Miss F. of Stockport, completes three generations of Spirella wearers. On the day of the wedding, Miss F., her mother and grand-mother all wore Spirellas. All are clients Stockport corsetiere, Mrs. B." Indeed, a good corsetiere could guide generations through their girdles, maternity belts and corsets. Right 1964: "This charming wedding picture shows the daughter of corsetiere Mrs. H. of Colchester, Essex. Her daughter wore a Waist Nipper and short bra style 93 for this most important day of her life. She hopes to follow her mother's example and become a corsetiere when she is twenty-one, later this year.
When these photographs were taken, it is right to assume that that all the older ladies (over 50) are wearing a corset. Only one woman is wearing a pantie-girdle, however, this garment was not that common in the mid 1960's in Britain. Therefore, all the others are wearing traditional girdles. The two exceptions are the bridesmaids who are wearing corsets despite being in their 20's. One is a little 'chubby' and appears obviously under the influence of some constraining foundation garment. The other looks quite slim, and to be fair, the 515 was described as a girdle and could be ordered without lacing. To any woman of her age today, however, that garment would be called a corset, assuming that the woman of today knew was a corset might be. The late-1960's were a period of transition, when an elderly lady might wear a pantiegirdle and a woman in her 20's, a corset. The girdle was still (literally) the mainstay of the middle-aged woman. The houses of the corsetieres proudly displayed their professional signs. Unlike any other industry, Spirella and Spencer, anticipating Yellow Pages by more than a decade, bought full pages in the county phone directories to advertise the numbers of their corsetieres.
The counters of the department stores groaned under the weight of corsets and girdles, and in Marks and Spencer, girdles of an amazingly high quality could be purchased by the average woman. In 1967, this charming lady of my acquaintance ( left ) displays what the perfect middle class lady in her early 60's would wear to a wedding. Silk twin-set and pearls, hat, gloves, long-line bra from the Triumph Doreen range, zippered high-waisted girdle from Marks and Spencer, and support stockings from the ladies' shop on the high street. The flatness of her stomach is a tribute to the power of the Marks and Spencer classic girdle. Some of her less generous circle suggested that she wore a corset for such occasions, however, she didn't. Having no children, an early adulthood on horseback, and proper foundations gave this women an excellent figure. That her figure is elegant and wellcontrolled should have sounded a warning bell to the marketers of the bespoke corset houses. Sadly, within three years, this lady's girdles had been consigned to the dustbin. As she followed her American cousins into the panty-girdle. Her figure was never quite the same.
Indeed, the times were changing, and within a few years those same girdles and corsets would be be permanently 'on sale', the panty-girdle and then the brassiere would overtake the girdle for prime position in the stores, and the generic corset would become a sad object of fun, lying unwanted at jumble sales, and latterly charity shops.
Wedding Whimsy by Sylvia
A girl will turn into her mother. This is not always a good thing.
SPIRELLA CORSETIERES IN ENGLAND

AREA REF COUNTY TOWN No. of Corsetieres in City/Town 1 1 7 1 1 2 10 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 7 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 3 1 1 1 2
27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 11 11 11 26 11 26 02 19 02 02 19 02 19 02 02 19 07 02 07 19 07 07 07 07 19 02
BEDFORDSHIRE BEDFORDSHIRE BEDFORDSHIRE BEDFORDSHIRE BEDFORDSHIRE BEDFORDSHIRE BEDFORDSHIRE BEDFORDSHIRE BERKSHIRE BERKSHIRE BERKSHIRE BERKSHIRE BERKSHIRE BERKSHIRE BERKSHIRE BERKSHIRE BERKSHIRE BERKSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE CAMBRIDGESHIRE CAMBRIDGESHIRE CAMBRIDGESHIRE CAMBRIDGESHIRE CAMBRIDGESHIRE CAMBRIDGESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE
AMPTHILL ARSELEY BEDFORD BIGGLESWADE DUNSTABLE LEIGHTON BUZZARD LUTON SANDY BRACKNELL COOKHAM DIDCOT FARINGDON MAIDENHEAD NEWBURY READING WARGRAVE WINDSOR WOKINGHAM AMERSHAM COMMON ASCOT BEACONSFIELD BLETCHLEY BUCKINGHAM CHALFORT ST PETER CHESHAM GERRARDS CROSS GREAT MISSENDEN HIGH WYCOMBE MARLOW PIDDINGTON, HIGH W YCOBE SLOUGH STONY STRATFORD TAPLOW WAVENDON WENDOVER, AYLESBURY WINSLOW WOLVERTON CAMBRIDGE ELY GREAT SHELFORD MARCH SOHAM WISBECH ALTRINGHAM APPLETON ASHTON ON MERSEY BAMFORD BEBINGTON W IRRAL BIRCH VALE BIRKEHEAD BRAMHALL BREDBURY BROMBOROUGH BROXTON CHESTER CASTLEFORD CHESTER CLAUGHTON BIRKENHEAD CONGLETON CREWE CUDDINGTON DELAMERE ELLSMERE PORT HALE
07 19 02 07 19 02 02 02 07 07 07 02 02 19 07 07 02 07 19 07 19 19 19 19 02 07 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 34 34 34 34 34 34 34 34 34 34 08 08 08 08 28 08 08 28 02 28 08 28 08 08 28 08 08 08 28 26 08
CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CHESHIRE CORNWALL CORNWALL CORNWALL CORNWALL CORNWALL CORNWALL CORNWALL CORNWALL CORNWALL CORNWALL CORNWALL CORNWALL CORNWALL CORNWALL CORNWALL CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE
HASLINGTON CREWE HIGHER BEBINGTON HIGHER POYNTON HOOLE HOYLAKE HYDE KNUTSFORD MACCLESFIELD NANTWICH NORTHWICH OSCROFT TARVIN CHESTER POYTON PARK ROMILY RUNCORN SANDBACH SHAVINGTON CREW E STOCKPORT TARPORLEY UPTON UPTON HEATH WALLASEY WEST KIRBY WESTON RUNCORN WILLASTON WILMSLOW WINSFORD BODMIN BUDE CAMBORNE CAMELFORD FALMOUTH FOWEY ISLES OF SCILLY LISKEARD LONG ROCK LOOE LOSTWITHIEL NEWQUAY PENZANCE TREWANNACK HELSTON TRURO BURGH-BY-SANDS, CARLISLE CARLISLE CUMWHINTON, CARLISLE FLIMBY, MARYPORT KESWICK MARYPORT PENRITH WHITEHAVEN WIGTON WORKINGTON ALLESTREE ALVASTON ASHBOURNE BAKEWELL BEIGHTON BELPER BOLSOVER BOLSOVER, CHESTERFIELD BUXTON CHESTERFIELD CHESTERFIELD CLAY CROSS CLAY CROSS CLOWN CHESTERFIELD CLOWN, CHESERFIELD DERBY DUFFIELD HOLMEWOOD CHESTERFIELD HOLMEWOOD, CHESTERFIELD ILKESTON KEGWORTH
1 1 1 1 2 4 1 7 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 1 2 1 10 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 1 1 1 1 8 2 1 1 1 1
26 08 08 08 26 08 28 08 26 08 28 08 26 08 02 02 08 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 30 30 30 30 30 23 24 24 24 24 24 23 23 24 24 24 24 24
DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DERBYSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DEVONSHIRE DORSET DORSET DORSET DORSET DORSET DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM
LOSCOE MATLOCK REPTON RIDDINGS RIDDINGS RIPLEY SHEEPBRIDGE, CHESTERFIELD SOUTH NORMANTON SOUTH NORMANTON STAVELEY CHESTERFIELD STAVELY, CHESTERFIELD TIBSHELF ALFRETON TIBSHELF, ALFRETON TICKNALL TIDESWELL WHALEY BRIDGE WIRKSWORTH BARNSTAPLE BIDEFORD BRADNICH BRAUNTON BUCKFASTLEIGH BUDLEIGH SLATERTON CREDITON DARTMOUTH DAWLISH DEVIZES DEVONPORT EXETER EXMOUTH HONITON ILFRACOMBE KINGSBRIDGE MINEHEAD NEWTON ABBOT OKEHAMPTON OTTERY ST MARY PAIGNTON PLYMOUTH PLYMPTON REDRUTH SIDBURY SIDMOUTH SIDMOUTH SOUTH MOLTON ST IVES TAVISTOCK TEIGNMOUTH TIVERTON TOPSHAM TORQUAY TORRINGTON TOTNES UFFCULME CULLOMPTON YELVERTON BRIDPORT MAPOWDER, STURMINSTER NEWTON PARKSTONE POOLE WEYMOUTH BILLINGHAM ON REES BLACKHILL BLAYDON ON TYNE BRANDON COLLIERY CASLESIDE CHESTER-LE-STREET CROOK DARLINGTON DURHAM EAST BOLDON FELLING, GATESHEAD FENCEHOUSES FRAMWELLGATE MOOR
3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 15 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 4 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 2 1 2 1 1
24 23 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 23 24 24 23 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 36 14 36 14 14 14 36 36 14 36 36 14 36 14 36 36 04 14 36 36 14 09 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30
DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM DURHAM ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX ESSEX GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE
GATESHEAD GUISBORIUGH HARTON SO. SHIELDS HEBBURN HORDEN, SUNDERLAND JARROW ON TYNE LOW FELL, GATESHEAD ROKER SEAHAM HARBOUR SOUTH SHIELDS SUNDERLAND WEST HARTLEPOOL WHITBURN, SUNDERLAND WINGATE WOLSINGHAM, BUISHOP AUCKLAND BILLERICAY BOCKING, BRAINTREE BRENTWOOD BRIANTREE BURNHAM-ON-CROUCH CHELMSFORD CLACTON-ON-SEA COLCHESTER DOVERCOURT EPPING HADLEIGH HERTFORD LEIGH-ON-SEA MISTLEY ONGAR SHOEBURYNESS SOUTHEND-ON-SEA THROPE BAY TOLLESBURY WALTON-ON-NAZE WESTCLIFF-ON-SEA WITHAM BOURTON ON THE W ATER BOURTON ON THE W ATER CHELTENHAM CHELTENHAM CHURCHDOWN CIRENCESTER CIRENCESTER COLEFORD DURSELY DURSELY EASTINGTON EASTINGTON GLOUCESTER GLOUCESTER HUCCLECOTE MORETON-IN-MARSH MORETON IN MARSH STROUD STROUD TETBURY TETBURY WARMLEY ANDOVER BLANDFORD BOSCOMBE BOURNEMOUTH CANN, SHAFTESBURY DORCHESTER FAREHAM GILLINGHAM GOSPORT HAYLING ISLAND HURSLEY LEE-ON-THE-SOLENT LYMINGTON
7 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 8 10 4 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 3 1 1 1 1 7 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 4 5 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 6 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 10 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 01 36 14 14 36 14 01 36 01 01 31 27 31 27 11 27 31 27 26 26 15 15 15 15 15 15 30 30 30 30 30 30 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 32 16 32 16 16 32 16 32
HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HEREFORD HEREFORD HEREFORD HEREFORD HEREFORD HEREFORD HEREFORD HEREFORD HEREFORD HEREFORD HERTFORDSHIRE HERTFORDSHIRE HERTFORDSHIRE HERTFORDSHIRE HERTFORDSHIRE HERTFORDSHIRE HERTFORDSHIRE HERTFORDSHIRE HUNTINGDONSHIRE HUNTINGDONSHIRE ISLE OF MAN ISLE OF MAN ISLE OF MAN ISLE OF MAN ISLE OF MAN ISLE OF MAN ISLE OF WIGHT ISLE OF WIGHT ISLE OF WIGHT ISLE OF WIGHT ISLE OF WIGHT ISLE OF WIGHT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT
NEW ILTON PETERSFIELD PORTCHESTER, FAREHAM PORTLAND PORTSMOUTH RINGWOOD ROMSEY SALISBURY SOUTHAMPTON SOUTHSEA TWYFORD, WINCHESTER WINCHESTER HEREFORD HEREFORD HEREFORD LEDBURY LEDBURY LYONSHALL LYONSHALL LYONSHALL ROSS ON WYE TENBURY WELLS BISHOP'S STORTFORD BERKHAMSTED BROXBOURNE LETCHWORTH ROYSTON STEVENAGE TAKELEY, BISHOP'S STORTFORD TRING ST IVES ST NEOTS CASTLETOWN CROSBY MAROWN DOUGLAS ONCHAN PEEL ST JOHN'S COWES EAST COWES NEWPORT RYDE SANDOWN VENTNOR ASHFORD BIRCHINGTON BROADSTAIRS CANTERBURY CHATHAM DEAL DOVER FAVERSHAM FOLKESTONE GILLINGHAM HERNE BAY HYTHE MAIDSTONE MARGATE NONINGTON RAINHAM RMSGATE ROCHESTER RODMERSHAM GREEN SITTINGBOURNE SANDHURST SANDWICH SEVENOAKS SHEERNESS SITTINGBOURNE SOUTHBOROUGH, TUNBRIDGE WELLS TANKERTON TENTERDEN
4 4 1 1 8 1 1 4 16 2 1 2 1 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 4 1 3 2 2 1 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1
32 16 32 32 16 12 12 12 02 02 12 34 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 02 12 12 12 02 12 02 12 12 12 12 12 34 12 02 02 02 02 02 12 02 02 12 12 02 19 02 02 02 12 12 19 34 34 02 02 02 34 12 19 02 34 12 02 02 12 12 19 02 19 12 12 02
KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE
TONBRIDGE TONBRIDGE TUNBRIDGE WELLS WESTERHAM WHITSTABLE ACCRINGTON AINSDALE SOUTHPORT ANSDELL LYTHAM ASHTON UNDER LYNE ATHERTON BACUP BARROW-IN-FURNESS BARROWFORD NELSON BILLSBORROW PRESTON BIRKDALE SOUTHPORT BLACKBURN BLACKPOOL BOLTON BRIERFIELD NELSON BROADLEY BRYN WIGAN BURNLEY BURSCOUGH ORMSKIRK CHADDERTON CHORLEY CHORLTON CUM HARDY CLAYTON GREEN CHORLEY CLEVLEYS CLITHEROE COLNE DAISY HILL BOLTON DALTON-IN-FURNESS DARWEN DAVY HULME DENTON DIDSBURY DROYLSDEN DUKINFIELD EARBY COLNE ECCLES FAIRFIELD FARNSWORTH BOLTON FLEETOWOOD FLIXTON FROMBY GATELEY GLAZEBURY GLOTTON HAWKSHAW BURY HELMSHORE MANCHESTER HELSBY WARRINGTON HEST BANK, LANCASTER HEYSHAM HEYWOOD HIGHER SUTTON HOLLINWOOD HORNBY HORWICH HUYTON IRLAM LANCASTER LEARSLEY BOLTON LEIGH LEVENSHULME LEYLAND LITTLE HULTON LITTLE SUTTON LITTLEBOROUGH LIVERPOOL LNAGHO BLACKBURN LONGTON BRIDGE PRESTON LOWTON ST MARYS'
1 1 2 1 2 3 1 1 6 2 1 9 1 1 4 14 9 12 1 1 1 7 1 1 2 3 1 2 1 3 1 1 3 1 2 1 3 1 1 4 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 2 4 1 2 1 1 3 33 2 1 1
12 19 02 02 34 02 02 12 12 19 02 12 02 02 12 12 12 02 02 19 12 12 12 02 02 02 02 12 02 12 12 19 12 02 19 02 02 12 02 34 02 02 19 12 12 19 12 02 02 08 08 08 08 08 08 08 08 08 08 08 08 08 08 08 08 08 18 18 26 26 18 18
LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LANCASHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE
LYTHAM MAGHULL LIVERPOOL MANCHESTER MIDDELTON MORECAMBE MOSSLEY MOTTRAM IN LONGDENDALE NELSON NEW LONGTON PRESTON NEWTON-LE-WILLOWS OLDHAM OSWLADTWISTLE PENDELBURY PENNINGOTON PENWORTHAM POULTON -LE-FYLDE PRESTON PRESTWICH RADCLIFFE RAINHILL RAWTENSTALL RIBBLETON PRESTON RISHTON ROCHDALE ROYNTON SALE SALFORD SCARISBRICK ORMSKIRK SHAW SOUTHPORT ST ANNES ON SEA ST HELENS STACKSHEAD BACUP STAYLEYBRIDGE STOCKTON HEATH WARRINGTON STRETFORD SWINTON THRONTON CLEVELEYS TODMORDEN ULVERSTON URMSTON WALKDEN WARRINGTON WATERFOOT ROSSENDALE WEST HOUGHTON BOLTON WIDNES WIGAN WITHINGTON WYTHENSHAWE ANSTEY ASHBY DE LA ZOUCH BRAUSSTONE BURBAGE COALVILLE GADBY HINCKLEY HUGGLESCOTE COALVILLE HUMBERSTONE LEICESTER LEICESTER LOUGHBOROUGH MARKET HARBOROUGH MELTON MOWBRAY QUORN RATBY SYSTON WHETSTONE ALFORD BILLIGHAY BOSTON BOURNE BRIGG CLEETHORPES
1 3 23 4 2 1 1 2 1 2 15 1 1 1 2 1 7 1 2 1 2 1 1 10 1 7 4 1 4 3 2 2 1 2 2 3 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 1 1 2 7 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 12 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 3
26 18 18 26 18 26 18 18 18 18 18 18 26 26 26 26 26 18 20 21 22 11 11 11 26 11 11 11 27 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 33 33 33 33 33 33 26 26 33 33 33 33 33 33 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24
LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LONDON LONDON LONDON NORFOLK NORFOLK NORFOLK NORFOLK NORFOLK NORFOLK NORFOLK NORFOLK NORFOLK NORFOLK NORFOLK NORFOLK NORFOLK NORFOLK NORFOLK NORFOLK NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND
DONINGTON, SPALDING GAINSBOROUGH GRIMSBY HOLBEACH LINCOLN LONG SUTTON NETTLEHAM NORTH HYKEHAM LINCOON OLD BRUMBY SCUNTHORPE SCARTHOE GRIMSBY SCOTTER GAINSBOROUGH SCUNTHORPE SKEGNESS SLEAFORD SPALDING STAMFORD SUTTERTON SUTTON ON SEA LONDON A-E LONDON E-N LONDON N-Y ATTLEBOROUGH AYLESHAM NORWICH CAISTER ON SEA CROWLAND DOWNHAM MARKET EAST DEREHAM FAKENHAM HUNSTANTON KING'S LYNN NORWICH SHERINGHAM STALHAM NORWICH SWAFFHAM TERIRNGTON ST CLEMENT KINGS LYNN THETFORD WROXHAM CORBY DAVENTRY HIGHAM FERRERS IRTHLINGBOROUGH KETTERING NORTHAMPTON PETERBOROUGH RAUNDS ROTHWELL RUSHDEN TEETON MILL TOWCESTER WARWICK WELLINGBOROUGH ALNWICK ALLENDALE AMBLE, MORPETH ASHINGTON BELFORD BENTON BOTHAL, MORPETH CRAMLINGTON CULLERCOATS EARSDON, SHIREMOOR GOSFORTH LONG BENTON MONKSEATON NEWCASTLE-UPON TYNE NORTH SHIELDS NORTH SUNDERLAND, SEAHOUSES PRUDHOE ON TYNE SEGHILL DUDLEY TWEEDMOUTH TYNEMOUTH
1 1 5 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 122 147 154 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 8 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 4 1 1 3 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 1 1 15 3 1 1 1 1 1
24 24 23 24 26 26 26 08 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 28 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 08 26 18 26 26 26 26 26 26 28 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 08 07 07 36 01 14 07 01 01 07 01 01 07 01 07 07 01 07 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09
NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NORTHUMBERLAND NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS NOTTS OXON OXON OXON OXON OXON OXON OXON OXON OXON RUTLAND SALOP SALOP SALOP SALOP SALOP SALOP SALOP SALOP SALOP SALOP SALOP SALOP SALOP SALOP SALOP SALOP SALOP SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET
WALKER WIDEOPEN, SEATON BURN WILLINGTON ON TYNE WYLAM ANNESLEY WOODHOUSE ARNOLD BARNSTONE BARNSTONE CHILWELL EASTWOOD GILTBROOK HUCKNALL HUTHWAITE, MANSFIELD KIRKBY-IN-ASHFIELD LANGLEY MILL LANGOLD, WORKSOP LONG EATON MANSFIELD NETHERFIELD NEW BALDERTON, NEWARK NEW OLLERTON NOTTINGHAM PINXTON PINXTON RADCLIFFE-ON-TRENT RETFORD SAWLEY LONG EATON SOUTHWELL STAPLEFORD SUTTON-IN-ASHFILED WARSOP, MANSFIELD WEST BROIDGEFORD WORKSOP BANBURY EYNSHAM GORING HEADINGTON, OXFORD HENLEY-ON-THAMES KENNINGTON OXFORD THAME WOODSTOCK UPPINGHAM ADMASTON WELLINGOTON BROSELEY LUDLOW LUDLOW LUDLOW MARET DRAYTON MARKET DRAYTON MINSTERLEY NEWPORT NEWPORT SHREWSBURY SHREWSBURY WELLINGTON WELLINGTON WEM WEM WHITCHURCH BATH BITTON BRISTOL BRIDGEWATER BRISTOL BURNHAM ON SEA CALPIT HEATH BRISTOL CASTLE CARY CHARD CHEW MAGNA CHILCOMPTON CLEVEDON CREWKERNE
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 17 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 1 1 3 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 4 1 2 34 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2
09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 04 04 08 04 04 07 04 07 08 04 07 07 07 04 04 04 07 07 07 04 07 07 07 07 07 07 04 04 08 04 07 04 07 07 07 04 33 04 07 04 04 04 04 04 11 31 11 31 11 11 11 11 31
SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET SOMERSET STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE SUFFOLK SUFFOLK SUFFOLK SUFFOLK SUFFOLK SUFFOLK SUFFOLK SUFFOLK SUFFOLK
DOWN WEND BRISTOL FROME GLASTONBURY HANHAM KINGSWOOD BRISTOL HIGHBRIDGE PORTISHEAD RADSTOCK SHEPTN MALLET SHERBOURNE SHIREHAMPTON BRISTOL THORNBURY BRISTOL TUANTON WELLINGTON WELLS WEST TOWN BRISTOL WESTBURY OB TRYM WESTON SUPER MARE WIVELSCOMBE YEOVIL ALBRIGHTON ALDRIDGE BARTON UNDER NEEDWOOD BURTON BILSTON BLOXWICH BLURTON STOKE BROWNHILLS BURSLEM STOKE BURTON ON TRENT CANNOCK CHEADLE STAFFS CHEDDLETON LEEK CHESTERTON STOKE CODALL DARLASTON DEEPFILEDS HANLEY KELSALL KIDSGROVE STOKE LANGLEY LEEK LONGSTON LONGTON MEIR STOKE MILTON STOKE NEWCASTLE OLD HILL OLDBURY OVERSEAL BURTON PENSNETT ROCESTER SMETHWICK STAFFORD STOCKE ON TRENT STONE STREETLEY AND LITTLE ASTON TAMWORTH TETTENNALL UTTOXETER WALSALL WEDNESBURY WEST BROMWICH WILLENHALL WOLVERHAMPTON BECCLES BRAMFORD, IPSW ICH BURY ST EDMUNDS FELIXSTOWE GORLESTON GT YARMOUTH GT YARMOUTH HALEWORTH HAVERHILL IPSWICH
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 4 1 1 1 2 4 1 2 1 2 1 3 2 1 1 3 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 6 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 5 6 5 1 9 1 1 2 1 1 4 1 1 8
11 11 11 31 31 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 04 04 04 04 33 33 33 33 04 33 33 04 04 04 33 33 33 04 34 34 34 34 34 34 09 09 14 27 27 14 27 14 27 14
SUFFOLK SUFFOLK SUFFOLK SUFFOLK SUFFOLK SURREY SURREY SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE WESTMORLAND WESTMORLAND WESTMORLAND WESTMORLAND WESTMORLAND WESTMORLAND WILTSHIRE WILTSHIRE WILTSHIRE WILTSHIRE WILTSHIRE WILTSHIRE WILTSHIRE WILTSHIRE WILTSHIRE WILTSHIRE
LOWESTOFT NEWMARKET SOUTHWOLD STOWMARKET SUDBURY HORLEY DORKING ANGMERING ARUNDEL BATTLE BEXHILL-ON-SEA BOGNOR REGIS BRIGHTON BURGESS HILL CHICHESTER CRAWLEY CROWBOROUGH EAST GRINSTEAD EASTBOURNE HAILSHAM HASTINGS HAYWARDS HEATH HENFIELD HORSHAM HOVE LEWES LINDFIELD LITTLEHAMPTON NORTHIAM PETWORTH RYE SEAFORD SHOREHAM-BY-SEA SOUTHWICK ST LEONARDS-ON-SEA UCKFIELD WORTHING YAPTON ARUNDEL BIRMINGHAM BLACKHEATH BOURNVILLE COOKLEY COVENTRY HATTON KENILWORTH' LEAMINGTON SPA MARSTON GREEN NUNEATON RUGBY SEDGLEY SHIRLEY SOLIHULL SOUTH KILWORTH, RUGBY STOCKINGFORD, NUNEATON STRATFORD-ON-AVON SUTTON COLEFIELD AMBLESIDE APPLEBY ARNSIDE KENDAL NEAR SAWBEY, AMBLESIDE WINDERMERE BRADFORD ON AVON CALNE CHISELDON SWINDON CHISELDON, SWINDON HIGHWORTH HIGHWORTH MARLBOROUGH MARLBORUGH SWINDON SWINDON
2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 6 1 2 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 8 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 6 1 54 2 2 1 23 1 1 3 1 2 4 1 2 3 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 4
09 14 27 09 09 04 04 04 36 04 04 36 04 04 04 36 04 04 04 04 04 27 04 04 36 14 04 04 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 23 23 37 23 23 23 23 23 23 37 23 23 23 23 23 05 05 18 28 17 17 18 18 05 28 28 28 05 05 17 05 28 17 17 28 05 17
WILTSHIRE WILTSHIRE WILTSHIRE WILTSHIRE WILTSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE YORKS EAST RIDING YORKS EAST RIDING YORKS EAST RIDING YORKS EAST RIDING YORKS EAST RIDING YORKS EAST RIDING YORKS EAST RIDING YORKS, NORTH RIDING YORKS, NORTH RIDING YORKS NORTH RIDING YORKS, NORTH RIDING YORKS, NORTH RIDING YORKS, NORTH RIDING YORKS, NORTH RIDING YORKS, NORTH RIDING YORKS, NORTH RIDING YORKS NORTH RIDING YORKS, NORTH RIDING YORKS, NORTH RIDING YORKS, NORTH RIDING YORKS, NORTH RIDING YORKS, NORTH RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING
TROWBRIDGE UPPER STRATTON SWINDON UPPER STRATTON, SWINDON WARMINSTER WESTBURY DROITW ICH BEWDLEY BROMSGROVE DROITW ICH DUDLEY EVESHAM EVESHAM HALESOWEN KIDDERMINSTER KINVER MALVERN MALVERN MARBROOKE NETHERTON PENMORE REDDITCH SHIPSTON-ON-STOUR STOURBRIDGE STOURPORT TENBURY WELLS TENBURY WELLS WEST HAGLEY WORCESTER ACOMB BRIDLINGTON DRIFFIELD HOWDEN MALTON PICKERING SCARBOROUGH EAGLESCLIFFE HAWES KIRKBY MOORSIDE LEYBURN LINTHORPE MIDDLESBOROUGH NORTH ORMESBY NORTHALLERTON REDCAR RIPON SLEIGHTS, WHITBY STOCKTON ON TEES STOKESLEY, MIDDLESBOROUGH WHITBY YARM ALMONDSBURY BAILDON SHIPLEY BALBY, DONCASTER BARNSLEY BATLEY BEESTON & B MILL LEEDS BENTLEY DONCASTER BESSACARR DONCASTER BINGLEY BIRCOTES BIRDWELL, BARNSLEY BIRLEY CARR BRADFORD BRADLEY HUDDERSFIELD BRAMLEY BRIGHOUSE CARCROFT DONCASTER CASTLEFORD CHAPEL ALLERTON LEEDS CHAPELTOWN CLECKHEATON CROSS GATES
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 4 1 5 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 4 9 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 4 2 1 1 3 1 1 1 16 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
28 28 17 18 28 28 28 17 28 28 28 05 28 17 05 37 17 28 05 05 37 17 28 05 17 28 05 17 28 05 37 05 05 34 28 05 28 17 17 05 17 05 17 05 17 28 05 17 17 05 18 17 05 17 17 05 28 05 17 17 17 28 17 17 28 17 28 17 34 37 28 05
YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING
CUDWORTH, BARNSLEY D1NNINGTON ,SH DEWSBURY DONCASTER DORE AND BRADWAY DORE AND TOTLEY DUNSCROFT, DONCASTER EAST KESWICK ECCLES FIELD SHEFFIELD ECKINGTON EDENSTHROPE ELLAND ELSECAR, BARNSLEY FRASLEY FRIZINGHALL BRADFORD FULFORD GOMERSAL GREAT HOUGHTON, BARNSLEY GREETLAND HALIFAX HAILFAX HARROGATE HARTSHEAD LIVERSEDGE HATHERSAGE, SHEFFIELD HAWARTH KEIGHLEY HECKMONDWIKE HIGH GREEN, SHEFFIELD HOLMFIRTH HORSFORTH HOYLAND, BARNSLEY HUDDERSFILED HUNTINGTON IDLE BRADFORD ILKLEY INGLETON JUMP, BARNSLEY KEITHLEY KIVETON PARK, SHEFFIELD KNOTTINGLY LEEDS LIGHTCLIFFE HFX LIVERSEDGE LONGWOOD HUDDERSFIELD LOWER WORTLEY MELTHAM HUDD METHLEY MEXBOROUGH MILNESBRIDGE HUDDERSFIELD MIRFIELD MORLEY NEW MILL NEW ROSSINGTON DONCASTER NORMANTON OAKWORTH OSSETT OTLEY PELLON HALIFAX PENNISTONE SHEFFIELD PICKETT WELL HEBDEN B PONTEFRACT PUDSEY RAVENSTHROPE DEWSBURY ROTHERHAM ROTHWELL ROUNDHAY ROYSTON BARNSLEY SANDAL WAKEFIELD SCHOLES, ROTHERHAM SEACFROFT SEDBERGH SELBY SHEFFIELD SHELLEY HUDDERSFIELD
1 1 2 6 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 12 3 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 13 1 1 2 1 1 3 1 2 28 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 34 1
05 05 05 18 05 28 17 37 17 17 28 17 05 05 28 37 28
YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING YORKS WEST RIDING
SHIPL;EY SKELMANTHORPE HUDDERSFIELD SKIPTON SNAITH SOWERBY BRIDGE STAIRFOOT, BARNSLEY STANNINGLEY STARBECK, HARROGATE TADCASTER THORPE ACRE BOSTON SPA TINSLEY, SHEFFIELD WAKEFIELD WESTGATE HILL BRADFORD WIBSEY BRADFORD WICKERSLEY, ROTHERHAM WISTOW , SELBY WOMBWELL, BARNSLEY
4 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1
TOTAL NUMBER OF SPIRELLA CORSETIERES IN ENGLAND with LONDON: 1942 TOTAL NUMBER OF TOWNS AND CITIES SERVED IN ENGLAND: 942
SPIRELLA CORSETIERES IN NORTHERN IRELAND

AREA REF COUNTY TOWN No. of Corsetieres in City/Town
25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25
ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ANTRIM ARMAGH ARMAGH ARMAGH DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN FERMANAGH FERMANAGH FERMANAGH LONDONDERRY LONDONDERRY LONDONDERRY LONDONDERRY LONDONDERRY LONDONDERRY LONDONDERRY TYRONE TYRONE TYRONE TYRONE TYRONE TYRONE TYRONE TYRONE
ARMAGH AROGHILL BALLYCASTLE BALLYMENA BALLYMONEY BALLYNAHINCH, BELFAST BELFAST COMBER BELFAST DERVOCK DOAGH, BELFAST DONAGHADEE, BELFAST GLENARIFF GLENGORMLEY ISLAND-MAGEE, BELFAST JORDANSTOWN KELLS, BALLYMENA KILLYLEAGH, BELFAST LAMBEG. LISBURN LARNE LISBURN MULLUSK, BELFAST PORTRUSH RANDALSTOWN SAINTFIELD WHITEHOUSE LURGAN PORTADOWN POYNTZPASS NEWTOWNARDS BANBRIDGE DOWNPATRICK WARRENPOINT CLOUGH BANGOR CARRICKFERGUS MARING CAIRNCASTLE BELEEK EDERNEY ENNISKILLEN COLERAINE LIMAVADY LONDONDERRY MAGHERA MONEYMORE PORTSTEWART UPPERLANDS DUNGANNON CASTLEBOROUGH FIVEMILETOWN GORTIN, OMAGH MOY, DUNGANNON OMAGH STEWARTSTOWN STRABANE
1 1 1 4 1 2 42 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 1 3 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 112
TOTAL NUMBER OF CORSETIERES IN NORTHERN IRELAND
TOTAL NUMBER OF TOWNS SERVED IN NORTHERN IRELAND:54
AREA REF 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 13 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 03 38 24 38 35 03 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 38 38 38 03 10 38 10 38 38 38 38
COUNTY
TOWN
No. of Corsetieres in Town 14 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 5 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 4 1 1 1
ABERDEEN ABERDEEN ABERDEEN ABERDEEN ABERDEEN ABERDEEN ABERDEEN ANGUS ANGUS ANGUS ANGUS ANGUS ANGUS ANGUS ANGUS ARGYLL ARGYLL ARGYLL ARGYLL AYRSHIRE AYRSHIRE AYRSHIRE AYRSHIRE AYRSHIRE AYRSHIRE AYRSHIRE AYRSHIRE AYRSHIRE AYRSHIRE AYRSHIRE AYRSHIRE AYRSHIRE AYRSHIRE AYRSHIRE BANFF BERWICKSHIRE BERWICKSHIRE BERWICKSHIRE BUTE CAITHNESS CLACKMANNAN DUMFRIES DUMFRIES DUNBARTON DUNBARTON DUNBARTON DUNBARTON E LOTHIAN E LOTHIAN E LOTHIAN ELGIN FIFE FIFE FIFE FIFE FIFE FIFE FIFE
ABERDEEN BALLATER FRASERBURGH INSCH KEMNAY PETERHEARD WOODSIDE ARBROATH BRECHIN BROUGHTY FERRY DUNDEE CARNOUSTIE DUNDEE FORFAR KIRRIEMUIR MONIFIETH DUNDEE CAMPBELTOWN DUNOON SANDBANK, DUNOON SANDBANK, DUNOON AYR DALRYMPLE GIRVAN IRVINE KILBIRNIE KILMARNOCK KILWINNING LARGS MAUCHLINE MUIRKIRK, CUMNOCK NEWMILNS NEWTON ON AYR OLD CUMNOCK SALTCOATS TROON BUCKIE DUNS EYEMOUTH EYEMOUTH MILLPORT THRUSO ALLOA DUMFRIES KIRKMAHOE ALEXANDRIA DUMBARTON HELENSBURGH RENTON ARMADALE HADDINGTON PRESTON PANS ELGIN ANSTRUTHER COWNDENBEATH CUPAR DUNFERMLINE DYSART KELTY KINGHORN
38 38 38 10 10 03 03 03 35 10 35 13 35 35 35 13 35 35 13 13 13 35 35 13 35 35 35 35 35 13 35 13 35 35 13 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 03 03 38 10 10 10 10 10 35 35 13 13 35 13 03 38 38 38
FIFE FIFE FIFE FIFE FIFE INVERNESS INVERNESS KINCARDINE KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE LANARKSHIRE MIDLOTHIAN MIDLOTHIAN MIDLOTHIAN MIDLOTHIAN MIDLOTHIAN MIDLOTHIAN MIDLOTHIAN MIDLOTHIAN MORAY ORKNEY PEEBLES PERTH PERTH PERTH PERTH PERTH RENFREW RENFREW RENFREW RENFREW RENFREW RENFREW ROSS & CROMARTY ROXBURGH ROXBURGH ROXBURGH
KIRKCALDY LESLIE LEVEN NORTH QUEENSFERRY ST ANDREWS INVERNESS BANCHORY STONEHAVEN KIRKCUDBRIGHT LUARENCEKIRK AIRDRIE BARRHEAD BIGGAR BURNBANK, HAMILTON CARLUKE CLYDEBANK COATBRIDGE DOUGLAS W EST DUNOCHTER EAST KILBRIDE GLASGOW HAMILTON HOLYTOWN, MOTHERWELL KILSYTH KIRKMUIRHILL LANARK LAW, CARLUKE MOSSEND, BELLSHILL MOTHERWELL NEILSTON NEWARTHILL, MOTHERWELL NEWTON MEARNS STONEHOUSE STRATHAVEN UDDINSTON PENECUICK BONNYRIGG CORSTORPHINE EDINBURGH 12 EDINBURGH JUNIPER GREEN LOANHEAD MUSSELBURGH WEST CALDER FORRES KIRKWALL INNERLIETHEN ABERNETHY ALYTH CRIEFF LUNCARTY PERTH GOUROCK GREENOCK LINWOOD PAISLEY PAISLEY PORT GLASGOW RENFREW INVERGORDEN HAWICK MELROSE NEWCASTLETON
5 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 64 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 31 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 6 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1
38 38 03 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 03 38 38 38 38 35 35
SELKIRK SELKIRK SHETLAND STIRLING STIRLING STIRLING STIRLING STIRLING STIRLING STIRLING SUTHERLAND W LOTHIAN W LOTHIAN W LOTHIAN W LOTHIAN WIGTOWN WIGTOWN
GALASHIELS SELKIRK LERWICK ABERFOYLE BONNYBRIDGE FALKIRK GRANGEMOUTH LARBERT LAURISTON, FALKIRK STIRLING GOLSPIE ABERLADY BATHGATE LINLITHGOW WINCHBURG NEWTON STEWART WHITHORN
1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
TOTAL NUMBER OF CORSETIERES IN SCOTLAND
297
TOTAL NUMBER OF TOWNS/CITIES SERVED IN SCOTLAND
136
AREA REF
COUNTY
TOWN
No. of Corsetieres in City/Town 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 18 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
01 36 14 01 07 29 29 29 29 29 29 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29
BRECONSHIRE BRECONSHIRE BRECONSHIRE BRECONSHIRE CARDIGANSHIRE CARMARTHENSHIRE CARMARTHENSHIRE CARMARTHENSHIRE CARMARTHENSHIRE CARMARTHENSHIRE CARMARTHENSHIRE CARNARVONSHIRE CARNARVONSHIRE CARNARVONSHIRE CARNARVONSHIRE CARNARVONSHIRE CARNARVONSHIRE CARNARVONSHIRE CARNARVONSHIRE CARNARVONSHIRE DENBIGHSHIRE DENBIGHSHIRE DENBIGHSHIRE DENBIGHSHIRE DENBIGHSHIRE DENBIGHSHIRE FLINTSHIRE FLINTSHIRE FLINTSHIRE FLINTSHIRE FLINTSHIRE FLINTSHIRE GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN
BUILTH WELLS HAY HAY HAY ABERYSTWYTH AMMANFORD BRYNAMMAN CARMARTHEN LLANDOVERY LLANELLY NEWCASTLE EMYLN BANGOR CARNARVON COLWYN BAY OLD COLWYN CONWAY DEGANWY DOLWYDDELAN LLANDUDNO PORTMADOC RHOS ON SEA ABERGELE DENBIGH GWERSYLLT WREXHAM JOHNSTOW N WREXHAM LLANGOLLEN WREXHAM FFYNON GROYW HOLYWELL OVERTON PRESTATYN QUEENSFEERRY RHYL BARRY BARRY DOCK BARRY ISLAND BISHOPSTON, SWANSEA BRIDGEND BRYNCETHIN CARDIFF CAREPHILLY CHURCH VILLAGE PONTYPRIDD DERI BARGOED DOWLAIS LOUCHER LOWER CWM TWRCH, SWANSEA MARGAM, PORT TALBOT MERTHYR TYDFIL MOUNTAIN ASH PENARTH PONTARDAWE PONTYPRIDD PORT TALBOT RADYR RHIWBINA
29 29 29 29 29 29 29 07 07 07 01 07 07 07 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 01 01 01 07 01 29 29 29 29 29 14
GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN GLAMORGAN MERIONETH MERIONETH MERIONETH MERIONETH MERIONETH MERIONETH MERIONETH MONMOUTHSHIRE MONMOUTHSHIRE MONMOUTHSHIRE MONMOUTHSHIRE MONMOUTHSHIRE MONMOUTHSHIRE MONMOUTHSHIRE MONMOUTHSHIRE MONMOUTHSHIRE MONMOUTHSHIRE MONMOUTHSHIRE MONMOUTHSHIRE MONMOUTHSHIRE MONTGOMERY MONTGOMERY MONTGOMERY MONTGOMERY MONTGOMERY PEMBROKESHIRE PEMBROKESHIRE PEMBROKESHIRE PEMBROKESHIRE PEMBROKESHIRE RADNORSHIRE
RUMNEY CARDIFF SKEWEN NEATH SWANSEA TREHARRIS TROEDYRHIW WILLIAMSTOWN, PENYGRAIG YNYSYBWL ABERDOVEY BALA BARMOUTH DOLGELLEY DOLGELLEY HARLECH PENRHYNDEUDRAETH ABERGAVENNEY ABERTILLERY CRUMLIN CWM EBBW VALE MAESYCYMMER NEWPORT PONTLLANFRIATH, NEW PORT PONTYPOOL PONTYPOOL ROAD RAGLAN RHYMNEY TREDEGAR LLANYMYNECH MACHYNLLETH PANT PANT OSWESTRY WELSHPOOL HAVERFORDWEST MILFORD HAVEN NARBETH PEMBROKE DOCK WHITLAND KNIGHTON
1 1 10 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 1
TOTAL NUMBER OF CORSETIERES IN WALES TOTAL NUMBER OF TOWNS/CITIES SERVED IN WALES
142 92
Part 12a: Maternity underwear:

Maternity and Nursing Bras: Just before a move in the 1960s, my family was invited for dinner at the home of one of my father's co-workers. His wife was about 8 months pregnant, which I found very intriguing. They had 4 daughters (from 4 to 15). After dinner, I happened to walk back into the dining room. The woman was standing surrounded by her daughters, and was straightening her outfit. She had her top up enough to expose her tummy, and most of her tummy was clearly held by a substantial maternity girdle. She probably had a big laugh later from seeing the expression of shock on my face, as I can still recall how I was utterly transfixed at the sight! This was a turning point for me. I realized that I found the whole cycle of pregnancy to be absolutely fascinating! There are those people that feel that a pregnant woman cannot be attractive (or are just turned off by the whole idea of pregnancy). However, I hope that readers may be objective enough to accept that there are many men who think pregnant women can be very appealing. Given my interest in pregnancy, full figured women, and women in their underwear, it's only logical that the intersection of those interests would focus my attention on maternity bras and girdles, and nursing bras. I have seen very little written about maternity underwear. As an exception, Sylvia Aster's "Bra Boutique" site includes images of maternity bras. However, inventors have long been active in developing support systems for pregnant women and people with pendulous abdomens. I found at least 28 patents. The 1883 patent by A. Galny was the earliest one I found. Some garments feature elaborate support straps and bands. Recent patents by Wicks and Burke (1990) illustrate ongoing efforts to provide good tummy and back support during pregnancy. The 1988 patent drawings are unusual and interesting because they depict a female model rather than just a "cut-away" view. There is something about this image that is both attractive and appealing and I wonder if it may have been sketched from a live model. She is also shown wearing a body suit - in contrast to the nude image used by Galny in 1883 and by Seering in 1997. The image shown here is for the "Prenatal Cradle" (r). An earlier invention by Seering (#4,836,824 in 1989) also used a similar sketch. Other elaborate support systems are depicted in catalog images throughout the period covered by this essay. Several catalog pages
shown here span a period from 1936 through the 90's and illustrate changes in the presentation of maternity girdles and nursing bras. In the early part of the period, it appears that models were used that were not pregnant (or certainly not advanced in pregnancy). The 1936 Sears also advertised "bindings" for the breasts and abdomen. Most of the focus of these early garments was reducing the size of the woman's body, as well as supporting her abdomen.
I cannot state for certain if the models in these early images are actually pregnant. The images from 1936 and 1943 are suggestive of early pregnancy, but this may be an illusion resulting from the expansion panels over the model's tummy.
One objection to maternity girdles in the 1930s and 40s was that the lacing arrangement to allow for tummy expansion created unsightly distortion of the woman's outer garments. Beatrice Wohlman addressed this in 1953 in Patent #2,651,778. She used an arrangement of panels (some that had horizontal stretch, and some with vertical stretch) to allow the adjustment laces to be in back rather than in front. There were still two sets of laces, but they were located over the back of each hip. As early as 1958, Sears used models that appeared to be in the early months of pregnancy. The models for the "brief" style garment (which fits tightly against the crotch - without legs) are shown wearing the garment over long leg panties. This may have been due to "modesty". However, similarly cut "sports" briefs with button crotches were shown in catalogs in the 1940s and 50s (discussed earlier) without panties under them.
The garment shown by Sears in 1958 with shoulder straps appears to be based on a design similar to one patented by Henry Lunney in 1941.
The model used by Montgomery Ward in 1960 certainly does not appear to be pregnant. She also models items for tall women in other parts of this catalog. Similar to Sears, she is shown wearing the garment over long leg panties. Note the near center location of the front garters compared to the side location used by the "Gale Supports".
By 1962, the garments were made of materials that relied more on stretch than lacing adjustments to accommodate changes in size. (Although lacing was still used as illustrated in 1967 by Sears.)
The waist sizes offered may seem small. However, note that most times, sizes are quoted for prepregnancy size.
The maternity girdle with expansion panel developed by Sydney Alberts (Pat # 3,080,869) appears to be the basis of the style offered by JC Penny in 1972. The woman who modeled that garment looks like the same person used by Montgomery Ward that same year.
Other examples that used more elaborate combinations of stretch panels are shown here and following. Note that the models exhibit a slight amount of tummy expansion.
The model that appeared in the 1981 Montgomery Ward may be pregnant. However, there is a slight shadow in the area of the tummy expansion panel that makes me think that she has a pad in that area. Sears included an "anatomy lesson" in 1981, showing the changes in size during pregnancy. Interestingly, many of the maternity girdles at that time were still modeled by women with flat tummies. The models from the 1986 JC Penny catalog could have modeled any item in the catalog equally well. Was this a lack of pregnant models, store policy, an attempt to subtly suggest to buyers that they would not look pregnant, or something
else?
Following the trend of the decrease of girdles with garters from main line catalogs for the past decade, maternity girdles in JC Penny or Sears catalogs have not been available with garters for the past two decades (or longer). "Leading Lady" offered two girdles that appeared to have tabs for detachable, hidden garters in their wholesale catalog in 1987 (left) and possibly some other brands may still be available in specialty shops.
In 1986, Sears began to use models that appeared to be in their 5th or 6th month of pregnancy. These models really demonstrated the capacity of the maternity girdles! There was also an unusual "group" shot of pregnant women in one of the Sears catalogs (New England edition) around 1983-84, but I was unable to locate a copy.
Shortly afterward, JC Penny introduced the "Rosalind" product line, and generally used models that were clearly pregnant.
In the 1990's the whole focus seemed to change, and I wondered if there was almost a competition among catalogs to see who could "get out front" with maternity catalog images. The widely distributed Leggs catalog included a model that appeared to be near term. This image was unusual since it showed her body and face - not just an anonymous torso.
In 1995, Leading Lady included maternity underwear in their catalog using pregnant models.
The following image from JC Penny seemed to represent the apex of this trend. Later catalogs used models with somewhat smaller tummies.
Store mannequins were specially made to model maternity clothes. This is an example of a mannequin offered to the trade. An invention by Vestal Nobbs in 1993 appears to have been successfully marked by Jeunique as their "Natal Support" panty. This allows for individual adjustment for support and comfort.
It may appear that I've used an abundance of patent drawings to amplify my material. However, there are a large number of patents for women's underwear and maternity supports. Especially in the last decade, there was an explosion of development of ideas for maternity supports. The patent by Burke in 1990 is typical of that genre. I have actually used only a small fraction of the available patent illustrations.
Maternity and Nursing Bras:
The Lady's Shop in Newcastle

The shop in which I worked from 1963 until 1972 was situated on a street corner in Newcastle-under-Lyme and served all classes of women, from the miners and potters wives of the five towns to the up-market west side of Newcastle. Usually the miners wives would be contented with the wares from Tunstall, but sometimes, if they needed something a bit special or made-to-measure, they would take the bus and visit us. I know the Spirella ladies did a good trade - there were a dozen in the area - but we didnt mix much since we were basically competing for the same clientele. I enjoyed the job. Ive always liked fashions, and worked in the trade as my mother did, and my nine-year foray into foundation garment retail was most enjoyable. The ladies I served were a really diverse slice of provincial Midlands womanhood. As far as I could tell, class bore no relation to prudishness, it just seemed to be a feature of the womans character. Some women would retire to the changing cubicles as various wares were passed discreetly through the curtains, whilst others would brandish our latest corsets in front of other customers. These women would often grab the two ends of the unfastened busk and tug the corset width-ways, resulting in a satisfying snapping sound. Seems strong enough! they would say. It might need to be I often thought, but never said so. In those days such rudeness would merit instant dismissal, and I genuinely enjoyed serving most of the customers. The exceptions were the haughty or arrogant, and again this was not necessarily confined to class. Being typical Midlanders, many women were direct and wanted a good bargain, but I respected them for that and always showed the foundations that I thought they wanted; plus of course, a few others that might tempt them to a higher price range. It was here that a surprising class difference was apparent, or it might simply have been cost, but the middle-class women could usually be persuaded into a broche or satin material, whereas the thrifty upper and lower classes would stick with plain, cheap, and hard-wearing coutil. Many of the regular customers became, if not friends, solid acquaintances. I seemed to fulfil a dual role as an agony aunt, but I refused to share confidences and practiced the motto of my mother, neither to offer nor to receive gossip. Mind you, I did learn some fascinating facts about the local women and their husbands. The shop owner was a massively built Russian lady who had fled to Britain in the early 1920s. She lost everything except her accent and a deftness with needle and thread that she used to start a new life in her adopted country. Her own foundation was a laced corselette of a size big enough to house a small family. She imported these from Germany and claimed that no other country understood large women like the Germans. These monstrous foundations were finished in a bright pink patterned satin, quite unlike the subtle tea-rose of British corsetry. Her size and almost unintelligible accent frightened some women, especially the younger ones, and so she kept herself to the backroom and the running of the business. On her rare forays into the sales area, her arrival was announced by a wheezing and creaking, both from her stays and the floor-boards. Yam pleeced vit profyit would rumble up from the depths of her prodigious bosom as she surveyed the weekly accounts through an old-fashioned prinz nez. Our mainstay was traditional corsetry with conventional girdles for the younger women, and mothers and daughters often shopped together, despite their requiring markedly different garments. We were slow to bring in pantygirdles, the owner feeling that they had no place in a serious corset shop like hers. This reluctance to change would ultimately doom the shop; however, like so many others, it was simply a matter of time.
America in the 1950's

There is something so evocative about America in the 1950's. The world was starting to recover from the depredations of the Second World War whilst enjoying the consequences of newly developed technology. Mass production and new materials opened up a world of new corsetry and, in that halcyon, even innocent decade before the liberated 60's, women wanted to look like their Hollywood idols and the foundation garment industry was there to help.
From America in the 1950's, we have some detailed information about Mrs Serena Scott Cowan and her corset shop at Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. This is what we really like in a corset shop. Rows and rows of boxes. Plenty of different sizes, styles, makes and materials. If one visited Miss Serena's emporium, you would leave as a different woman. It is strikingly apparent that Miss Serena has used her expertise in corsetry on herself. What an example to her clientele!
Charis
and their Foundations
I'm sure the majority of Charis corsetieres were hardworking, housewives trying their best to make an additional income, however, judging from the pictures below, the Charis literature seems to specialise in fierce corsetieres.
Charis achieved quite some success with their remarkable arrangement of lacing. Twin overlapping under-belts were laced into the corset so that the lacing was accessible from the exterior. Any bending movement was accommodated by the under-belts riding over each other. The garments were not that strongly boned and the majority sold were corselettes. Like Camp, the garments were not truly made-to-measure, however, with so many components in the construction, each one could be ordered to an different size and assembled to fit any shape of wearer. A corsetiere was really necessary to make the measurements and suggest one of the myriad options. From the Charis catalogue of 1937 come these photographs from an era that all but seems inconceivable today. Firstly, the Charis corsetiere was encouraged, as were the Spirella and Spencer fitters, to demonstrate the excellent qualities of the garment by wearing an example themselves.
The Charis corsetiere checks that everything is in place.
The fit and flexibility of the garment are demonstrated. Corsetieres were told to wear front opening dresses so that the corset could easily be displayed without the corsetiere completely undressing, or even removing her hat for that matter !
The engineering of the garment and the complex lacing is demonstrated. The underbelts, the back and the front of the corset were all laced together which meant that each lacing controlled three separate pieces of material. I have tried to demonstrate the complexity of this arrangement in some examples from the Ivy Leaf collection.
At the Charis school, the long-suffering client has her measurements taken again and again for the benefit of the students.
The older corsetiere examines a trainee for correct procedure. The trainee is unlikely to have worn such a garment in real life (unlike the instructor), however, her shapely body made the garment look even more effective than it already was.
I find the last photograph on the right vaguely sinister. It reminds me of the uncomfortable relationship that Alison had with her manager. Note in two of the photographs, the models have their slips rolled up over their bosoms. This was for the obvious purpose of displaying the garment and also to disguise the dcolletage. Sinister or not, these corsetieres sold some beautiful garments. Quite frankly, however, fierce or intimidating a corsetiere might be (and most are not), they will not stay in business if the product is poorly designed or constructed. One sad fact about the decline in the corset industry is that the companies lost sight of this fact and that some garments were unattractive and poorly made. It takes decades to make a reputation a precious little time to lose it. Nevertheless, let us return to an age of elegance.
The Complexity of the Corset
The Charis corset once adjusted, stayed adjusted! This is in contrast with CAMP, for example, where each day the lacing is loosened and fastened to shape the wearer's figure.
Long Corsets
Ultra-long corsets do exist and we have a few examples in the collection. They are often referred to as 'discipline corsets' and the story goes that they were used to discipline or train teenage girls' figures. Personally, I believe that such practices, if they ever existed, have not done so since Victorian times. The beautifully constructed brocade corset (left) and satin corset (right - Axfords 1971) have boning from armpit to knees. Nobody ever wore this device for fashion. As an aside, both these corsets, although beautifully constructed, lack the day-to-day necessities of a fly underneath the lacing. Look how the poor woman on the left has her excess flesh squeezed into a painful vertical line.
An Axfords corset from the early 1970's. Full length spiral boning was available then, but not latterly.
So where does form end and fetish begin? The examples on the left show long-leg corsets. One is a German device from the 1960's. This is, indeed, a surgical corset for stabilisation of the hips, whereas on the right, the confection from Romantasy could well have been inspired by the German corset, albeit three decades later. Mind you, if I had to wear such a corset, I would rather wear the one on the right! In this collage, kindly donated by Frangard, multiple lacings and suspenders abound. One might believe that this tortuous device belonged to some aging virago, determined to achieve a certain silhouette. Indeed, the multiple suspenders could support multiple layers of stockings, and for sure some elderly women used to wear two pairs as standard.
In reality this is a flight of the corsetiere's fancy, or perhaps corsetier's fancy for it has been said, that only a man could wish to imprison a woman thus. It seems that the Jenyns concept lends itself to extreme corsetry. Below left is a remarkable Jenyns confection that must have been made to special order (below left). The detail is amazing and the front and back measurements are 21 and 23 inches. The corset is odd, since although furnished with sturdy suspenders, the front (the longest I have ever seen in an apparently conventional corset) could not have accommodated a woman's breasts and the hip spring is almost negligible. Was this a special order for a man, or an elderly, very tall woman? It weighs, with the four full length back steels, an astonishing two and a half pounds! I showed it to my husband's niece, who is a nurse, and she thought that it might have been for a woman. She reckoned that the corset was worn lower than we thought to stabilise the hips. She actually tried it on but even her rather small breasts were painfully squeezed and it didn't fit her younger female form at all. Certainly with the device tightened as far as she could tolerate, her spine was quite immobilised, but she could not sit down at all! She wore it for five minutes and was grateful to escape.
Above on the right are a corsetiere's take on the Jenyns principle. The extremely complex Jenyns with the laced
brassiere and the other confections below might appear somewhat 'over the top', but I have visited an elderly friend of my mother-in-law who's daily ritual was to don such a combination of garments. She told me of another lady who wore a back-laced brassiere (Spirella offered this as an option until 1993!). Rather than attach her brassiere to the corset by hooks, she made her long-suffering maid physically lace the bottom two holes of the brassiere into the top two holes of her corset!
On the left are two examples of the corsetiere's art taken to an extreme that would be tolerated by few women. On the left is a modification of the Camp system (as opposed to Jenyns - regard the three-hole formers). The straps are controlled by buckles at the front (a very good idea too). The brassiere and corset are finished in satin, what else. On the right is my favorite, possibly because it is similar to my standard Spirella 305 but with a long ten-buckled under-belt. I have seen such devices made by Spirella, but the heavy satin, the under-belt extending beneath the corset front point to an independent interpretation of the theme. As they would say in the world of classical music, "A corsetry confection on a theme by Spirella". Whose confection was this? Why is this page confined to the Otherside section of our web site? I suspect the reader will have guessed. All the hallmarks are there, the satin, the confinement by multiple lacings and straps. I'll say no more.
But fantastical constructions aside, extreme examples of corsetry do exist and were made by mainstream manufacturers to clients' special order. This example below comes from Lady Grace (below) and is an outrageous 25 inches long in the back with an eight-buckle under-belt. I have also never encountered a seven-stud busk before. Sitting in this device certainly is not an option.
A PERSONAL CUSTOMER AT WILBRO GODETS RECOLLECTIONS

1 FIRST CONTACTS The recollections of a former Wilbro customer, Godet*, born in 1951, from the neighbouring Manchester area as the firm, form the basis of much of the Wilbro History. Godet had been fascinated by corsets since his very early teens and first visited the premises, almost as soon as he left home in 1976, at age 25. About that time, he had seen its advertisement in the Dress section of Exchange and Mart and promptly wrote for the catalogue. After reading it avidly he gathered up his courage and telephoned the Wilbro number. He spoke to the woman who answered the phone, who proved to be Margaret Beck, and a consultation was arranged for what was to prove to be the first of many appointments. At the time, Godet had started studying and doing research for his Ph.D. and by chance realised that the small flat he had rented was not far from the Wilbro Corset Paradise, as it came to be called, at 180, Oxford Road in Manchester. At that first nervous appointment and discussion with Margaret, on the basis of her thoughtful and sympathetic advice, he bought his very first corset. It was a Period Corset, Ready to Wear, the PCRW2, which coincidentally is what Frangard 2 had - could it have been presciently? - selectted from reading the excellent descriptions in the Wilbro catalogue. Clearly a mail order customer and the Wilbro corsetiere thought alike as to what might prove to be a good corset to start wearing! During those years my hours were not fixed and I was free to come and go more or less as I pleased, thus enabling me to take the time to visit Wilbro regularly. Godet remained her client, and she his confidante, for close to 10 and he fondly recalls those years of their association: I could go on at considerable length about Wilbro - I bought my first corset from them and also I bought my first made to measure from them and also learned a great deal from Margaret - including that I was certainly not the only man who wanted to wear corsets!! When he visited the salon again he was planning to buy a second PCRW2 but Margaret had correctly judged his penchant for pulling in his waist. She recommended instead that he try a fluted hip style, commenting in words he still recalls you have a very tractable waist. So he tried a PCRW5 which in his own words: felt so much better than the previous style and meant that I could wear a 28" PCRW5 rather than a 30" PCRW2. As I recall the corset was one of several samples that Margaret had had made up with a view to extending the ready to wear range and was a fluted hip style Edwardian in 'oyster pink' cotton backed satin, lined and quite heavily boned. In truth the colour was more of a lurid peachy/orange and certainly not the colour of any oyster that I have ever eaten! I believe that later this style was added to the ready to wear range albeit unlined and was designated PCRW5 "I found that I especially liked the fluted hip styles because I could get them extremely tight around the waist - a sensation that felt wonderful to me and was becoming quite addictive by this time. So by 1981 and after several more appointments at which ready-to-wear styles were fitted and purchased, Margaret judged that her enthusiastic client had the necessary experience of corseting, she suggested that a made-to-measure corset would be better so she arranged another measuring
appointment and in due course was in receipt of my first MMCG5. I am still not certain of the designation but it was certainly a very waisted corset with (for a man) a quite large hip spring and fluted hip panels 2 GODETS CORSETIERE Contrary to the salon figure she presented in the Wilbro salon, Godet did see Margaret tightly corsetted on two social occasions. The occasions arose when, after visiting the salon about five times, he felt confident enough to suggest they met socially after her work for a drink. He agreed with her suggestion of The Sawyers Arms, a fairly busy Manchester city centre pub. The time was set to give her the opportunity to go home to 'freshen up'. He arrived first and to use his own words: I sat there very nervously waiting for her and when she arrived I was thunderstruck when she took her outer coat off. She had a very smart grey suit with a very tailored jacket showing her fabulous figure. As I remember she was wearing black shoes with about three inch heels - but I could not ascertain whether her seamless black hosiery were stockings or tights. . There was no noticeable change in the timbre of her voice nor of her being a little breathless that might suggest that she was especially tightly laced, rather she seemed extremely at ease and most comfortable. They talked at length "about everything under the sun". He didnt want to press her on the subject of corsetry too much but he did learn that she was not married but had a long term partner who wasnt too keen on corsets. They repeated the rendevous about a week later when he collected a corset from her. While she was again charming and elegant, he realised that although this could possibly have developed into a stronger friendship, because of other relationships at the time there was probably no point in further meetings outside the salon. Future visits to Wilbro were kept as always on a business footing, although he felt she saw him as much as a friend as a customer. As his patronage continued she became more expansive and talked on several occasions about her interest in corsets and about the styles of corsets she liked to wear. She also talked of the 'lovely sensation of being tightly laced into a long corset such as the PCMM5, (the Gardner's mannequin trainer with front lacing below the busk and reaching to the wearer's knees). Given the problem of self-lacing such a style he speculates that her partner must have helped her to fit them this being one of the 'time to time' occasions she spoke of earlier . Another time: She showed me on one occasion a delightful and very curvy, heavily boned Edwardian S line corset that had several flutes and what was obviously a large hip spring that she was making for herself out of a broad black and white striped cotton backed satin - very striking! 3 CORSET FITTING He recalls that on his first visit he was shown into the consultation room and the key was turned in the lock 'We dont want interrupting do we?' She was very friendly and put me at ease and recalls her saying something like 'You told me on the phone that you want a corset - Im sure we can find the ideal one for you' She didnt make it seem any more out of the ordinary than buying the morning paper. I said that I liked the look of the small waisted Victorian style and had seen the PCRW2 in the catalogue that I had previously sent for. In response she said that it was A very good starter corset lets see what size you need. He recalls her rising form her chair and standing expectantly with her tape measure in hand. Expecting to be measured over his clothes he was certainty not ready for the disarming way in which she said 'If you take your shirt and trousers off Ill measure you and you can try one'
At this point he recalls he was shaking so much I could hardly undo my shirt buttons! but she was so soothing I was soon quite easy again. I got undressed and put my clothes on the sofa while she stood to take measurements and went into the back room to get a corset she thought would fit. She went through the door to the stock room and returned with a box which she laid on the table and took out the white corset with its suspenders dangling and displayed it for him to see. I remember to this day the first time she wrapped that corset around me I was so nervous but she was so calm and reassuring you would think she was selling me a sports jacket. When she laced me in it was a truly wonderful life changing experience and so different from the sensation of very tight belts I had been wearing from time to time and the secretive fumbles with grandmothers corsets when we had visited her many years before. Once she laced him in she observed That was a bit easy - you need the next size down - Ill go and get one He recalls that the words Sounded like heaven, the one I was wearing felt absolutely fantastic and yet she was going to get an even smaller one! When she came back from the stock room she removed the one I was wearing and replaced it with the new one which she laced down all in less than two minutes. I must admit it did feel even better and when she measured me she said 'There you are, thats about a 3" reduction - in time you will be able to close the corset but take it very slowly - I wouldnt try to close it completely for at least two months and that will reduce you by 4 inches" This really was a bit of a mixed message as the way I felt and looked in the mirror I thought she must have reduced my waist by at least 8" - how little I knew at that time! 'Do you want to leave it on to go home or take it off?' she asked. I decided it might be best to take it off as I didnt know who I might meet on my way back. 'Id better show you how to take it off and put it on yourself then' and she proceeded to show me the intricacies of unlacing and lacing it again - it was almost impossible doing that behind my back but she said I would soon learn to do it easily if I kept trying. I thanked her and paid her and as I was going she said 'If you have any problems or queries dont hesitate to phone - Im always happy to help' I thanked her again and made my way home. 4 SALON ETIQUETTE As for the corsetry customers at the Salon, they were in Margarets words were about 40% men, and she was never judgmental. Indeed, one letter writer to a magazine in the early 1980s wrote that she was in fact quite empathetic to male customers motivations: Once a year I visit Wilbro Corset Salon in Manchester and there in the presence of a very charming lady who is the resident corsetiere can try on my knickers in front of her. Which I cannot do in an ordinary lingerie shop. On my first visit four years ago I was rather shy but she gave me self-confidence and now I parade in front of her in corsets, stockings, knickers and high heels . (The corsetiere) has helped me a great deal with my purchases both made to measure and off the peg. They have a great selection of corsetry for all tastes and I cannot praise them too highly At the time, several readers thought the magazine was imprudent to publish the letter in case an unwilling Wilbro owner would get pestered by new customers wanting the same service. On this point Godet, said Knowing Margaret as I did I strongly doubt the validity of this claim and feel that it is far more likely to be 'wishful thinking' than actual fact. Given the tenor of the adverts however it is just possibly true. That discretion was used and as it turns out was abused in return. On reflection this however may have been un-advertised but intended part of the Wilbro service, especially at a
time when the type of customers was changing as was the range of corset accessories offered.
* The nom de plume Godet is inspired by the Godet cut corset which the author liked to wear. It was sold by Wilbro as the MMCL5 or MMCG5 styles. As a made to measure corset it was made for them by Gardners using their L267 pattern. The style was also sold by Fanny Copere as its Jean style. The L267 was much favoured and was always worn by Iris Norris herself. The adjective Godet is used in reference to both skirts and corsets. In the latter it refers to the flutes or gores, inserted between the customary full length panels, to accommodate sharp changes in girth as with the hip spring, in excess of about 15 inches without giving rise to undue and ultimately uncomfortable creasing or puckering of the fabric of facing or lining
by Frangard2 On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the death of Iris Norris on April 19, 2010, the following notice was posted:-
Iris Norris, Corsetire extraordinaire

Members of the group are reminded that Monday April 19, is the 10th anniversary of the death of Iris Norris, (1921-2000). Much loved by grateful customers not only for her kindness and understanding, her personal dedication to tight-lacing, and her skill in producing wonderful corsets, when working at A Gardner and Son Ltd, Islington, London, 1942-1981 and on her own account in Bletchley from 1981 until shortly before her death in 2000.
Responses were received from none other than Robert and Cathy Jung, from Diane Hammond of Axfords and from 'Peter'. What finer testimony to a wonderful lady and corsetire.
We had the privilege and pleasure of knowing Iris when she was working for herself from her home. She was a whiz on her sewing machine which she had set up in her kitchen and could seemingly complete a corset for you while you stood there!! I have many corsets which she made for me and still enjoy wearing them. We first met Iris when she came to the very first LGM Ball which was held in Letchworth, England. She came with Michael Garrod and the "head table" of corset makers and "experts" included Diana Medeq, Rudi van Ginkel, David Kunzle, Maureen Munton, and Ruth Johnson of BR Creations. This was the first of our many contacts through today--most of them very positive experiences!! We look forward to hearing others' experiences. Bob and Cathie Jung Iris Norris worked for Axfords for many years as an outworker and was one of our best corsetires the only one who worked outside the factory and the only one to make our famous long mannequin corset, the D29, which was laced at the front, from below the busk, down to the knees, as well as lacing all of the 29 at the
back.<<insert photos of D29 front and rear>> Iris was profoundly deaf and the spectacles she always wore were in fact her hearing aids, transmitting sound waves via the frames to the bones of her skull. This deafness in some ways isolated her, and the world of corsets, small and intimate, in which she was a valued and respected figure, was of immense importance to her. Throughout the 1980s and 90s I visited her house in Bletchley most weeks, to pick up corsets and drop off materials for the coming weeks work. She took enormous pride in her work and was very knowledgeable, both as a maker and a wearer of corsets she was always laced and beautifully turned out and ready to share her long experience. Diane Hammond Axfords
A 25 year old black D29 modelled by an enthusiastic volunteer
I have happy memories of numerous visits to both Barnsbury Square and to Bletchley. As a man who loved to be corseted I was always made welcome and treated with the kindness and good humour for which Iris was noted. Iris seemed ever willing too give helpful advice and was never judgemental, she would always proffer advice about ones aspirations and requests for corsets that were out of the ordinary and if she thought the request was too extreme she would gently counsel for some sort of compromise. She was a true Lady and a very accomplished corsetire, I still miss her and often think about her. Regards, Peter
3. FITTING CORSETS
3.1 FITTING She was nothing if not formal and correct. Upon visiting for a trial fitting or to collect a new or repaired corset, one would be asked to sit down. On the desk or table would be a brown paper parcel usually about three inches wide and two inches deep and with a length a little more than that of the subject corset. Its ready, would you like to try it on? she would say. At this, more than one new gentleman customer would demur and would continue do so until he felt confident enough to agree. Whether it was to be fitted to not, without undue ceremony, the light bowknot in the string would be pulled and the corset unwrapped. Every feature would be explained starting with the busk, followed by a description of what steels had been provided. In the days of supply difficulties she would say "I couldn't get a 11 inch busk so I've put a 10 inch wedge with a hook and eye below, if that's alright. You wanted the double spirals but there weren't enough in the three-eights so I've put a quarter and a three-eighths together." Finally she'd check if the suspenders shed provided were right. "The back ones are on longer elastic and the sides and front are your usual," or "I know you dont like that pink/narrow/ribbed elastic. I've got some of the belting and thats like you showed me. I bought a roll as some others like that type too". With preliminaries over, she would lead the customer into the fitting room. 3.2 FASTENING THE BUSK Her first action in the fitting room was to open out the lacings, which she did in a tried and practised way that defies description. As every corset wearer knows, this is followed by hooking up of busk. The genuine look of concern Iris would give on occasion, as a customer, experienced or inexperienced, would struggle to first hook the two halves of a busk was very real. She would watch as they attempted to pull the two sides of the corset together and at the same time bend the busk plates in opposite directions to push the top post or stud (bobble as Iris always called them) into the plate. Then she would take back the corset and while holding one half would manipulate the laces, allowing the force of gravity acting on the hanging half of the corset to help in opening the back lacing out a little more. With that attended to, she would again watch patiently to see if the customer, who she no doubt had taught her preferred procedure of completing the task, would engage the bottom pair of studs and say such words as "There, a busk gets easier with practice doesn't it, but they're all a bit different aren't they?" At which point she would ask "Are you ready to be laced in? "
A customer recalled the process:"I then went back in to see Mrs. Norris and said I'd had a lot of trouble fitting the busk and did she have any special way of putting on a corset that she could recommend? It was such a basic question that she couldn't answer and she had to go through the motion of putting a spare corset on over her dress and said, words to the effect "Yes I just take hold of the corset, get the top stud on and then I just pull the bottoms together till I get the studs to catch." She went though the motions of what was a conditioned reflex to her as natural as putting on ones shoes and lacing them." What she actually did mirrors what is contained in the advice given in of 'Corset Fitting in the Retail Store.' In Chapter VII - Lacing the Corset:"Turn the customer to face you, and fasten the top stud. Place the back of the right hand flat against the abdomen of the customer, holding the clasp section at the bottom with the right thumb. Place the left thumb under the busk and two fingers over the top of it. Bring the clasp section forward with one firm movement, fastening the third stud. The remainder of the busk fastening will then automatically fall into position. Fasten the hooks and eyes below the busk and attach the remaining suspenders to the stockings. Fuller details on fastening busk fasteners are given in Chapter X, 'Busk Front and Inner Belt Corsets' which begins with this note:"Fastening a busk; an action which must be mastered" It includes Fig. 37, the caption to which reads "The knack of doing up a busk fastening must be mastered. Study diagram and text carefully, then practise till perfect." These paragraphs and diagrams is clearly shows that the top stud of say, a 12 inch busk or a spoon busk, is the key stud which when hooked causes the busk plates to form an inverted 'vee.' After the bottom ends are pulled toward one another and the higher of the bottom pair of closely placed studs (what is referred to as the third stud above) is engaged, the rest of the studs can usually be hooked without undue difficulty. Iris was also most attentive if shed fitted high-top military length corsets with a 7 point (stud), 16 inch busk. Then she advised that the key stud was not the top stud, it was either the second or third from the top, depending on which the wearer found engaged the easiest, and then proceeding as before. 3.3 LACING THE CORSETS The test of the corset is how it fits one laced in. Having it done by an expert corsetire is undoubtedly one of the most satisfying aspects of wearing such corsets. Those privileged enough to have been accepted for such service by Iris would never forget the experience. To be laced in by her was to gain an appreciation of what her understanding of 'tightness' really was. There is no doubt that she never pulled laces any harder than she thought was necessary, based on her understanding of what was right and appropriate, and gained over a lifetime of making and wearing corsets at a level of tightness that would deter many a novitiate corsetee from continuing to corset. Thus she was scrupulous in staying the ambition of over ambitious newcomers at all stages and would even disobey the customers wishes if she believed them to be foolish. It is to be doubted if many such customers ever complained The first moments of lacing-in never ceased to surprise even a regular customer. First she preferred that the corset was fitted directly next to the skin, not over a camisole or vest. Then the high-heeled customer was invariably pulled slightly off balance backwards and had to check their balance as she started to pull in on the laces. Then she initially pulled the laces though the eyelets at such speed that as the lace passed across the customers skin it caused a sharp almost painful burning sensation which would almost make the customer involuntarily call out, but as the excess lacing was pulled back the speed reduced and the moment, so to speak had passed. One customer noted that in what must have been as many as 70 lacings-in, never once did she resort to that image of fantasy, much loved of artists and writers, in which the fierce lacer puts his or her knee in the wearers back to pull the corsets closer together. It would be difficult to express in words her technique, in which somehow she managed to maintain tension in the
puller loops and at the same time was able to 'pluck' the crosses of lacing to effect additional closure. That must surely be the stuff of a slow motion film on the subject! With an experienced customer, if she sensed that the customer was experiencing discomfort sooner than she thought was correct she would discreetly stop and on her own initiative tie a knot and suggest a cup of tea before lacing the customer tighter. It was in such moments that she confirmed to the customer what is innate property of corsets and that is they are precisely made to the 1/4 inch, saying "This is still open just over and inch. A little more and I think you should stop there," or "If you want to go any smaller youll have to raise your arms above your head. That's what they say is the way isn't it?" After such a remarks she would chuckle, clearly enjoying the interaction between customer and corsetire at such times. And indeed the customer would raise the arms and rapidly feel Iris exert more pull on the laces and hear her sudden exhalation after she had given her all in the final closing effort. With long corsets, invariable there would be a spaghetti like mass of lacings on the floor behind the customer. It was always far too much to form a bow at the back, so she would pass the loops forward into the customers hands and wrap them around the waist until the judged there was the right amount left to form a bow, wherever it suited best be it at the front, at the back or at the side. In conversation, she would point out that there is a sensible reason to discourage loose lacing since most ladies who cultivate a small waist will have had the waistband of their skirts or frocks cut to suit, and if the corsets werent tight, the waist couldn't be closed. 3.4 SUSPENDERING STOCKINGS If stockings were worn by the customer, she preferred that the customer kept them rolled to the knees and not put them on after lacing in, and while she left a customer to prepare for lacing in might say reminding them to leave their stockings on. She had a deft and sure hand when fastening suspenders. As soon as knotting off was done she would start to do up the customers back suspenders. As she did so, she would make one think, if one did not know otherwise, that she imagined that sheer stockings were indestructible. She would grip a top and pull it up to its suspender with almost enough force to unbalance a customer in the high heels most women wore at fittings, at her suggestion. If a customer used more than her suggested three pairs of suspenders she would wonder out loud at how they managed them alone and joke that shed get confused, and again introduce a light-hearted note to the proceedings at hand. When all were attached, and customers often did up the front ones while she attended to the back pair or pairs, she would again commence to shorten the elastic with a sharp hard pull to a degree of tension which she clearly thought necessary. In comparing notes customers even remarked that on occasion they had really felt they were going to disappear into the stocking, which felt as it would be up over them. Each shortening action would end with the sound and sensation of the teeth of each regulator in turn was folded into position on the suspender elastic. At such times she was known to air her views on the life of suspender elastic and comment that black dye especially shortened the life a lot. When all was complete she made a point of standing back and asking the customer to turn around. Ever the professional she would remark that the corset looked very good or that they were a nice set of suspenders. That said, she did observe that it wasnt so much of a problem for a woman but did believe that the small waist was the only way one should be able to tell that a woman wore corsets. With gentlemen customers who were concerned with the top edge of the corset showed though a shirt, she would patiently wait while they redressed and would look them up and down with her critical professional eye and usually would reassure them. She was patience itself with nervous customers, typically a gentleman with a barrel chest, that she was known to alter the top edge as many as three times to get things right. Mrs. Norris never advised wearing the newly fitted corset for the journey home. She knew all her customers were well capable of self-lacing themselves back into the corset they had arrived in, but she was always politely insistent and would lace them back into the original corset. It should also be emphasized that at all times, even
when a relationship had evolved into friendship, in the fitting room her attitude was as formal and professional as the first time they had met.
4. IN THE MACHINING ROOM

4.1 CORSETS OF EVERY KIND First and foremost, Iris loved her sewing machine. She was at heart a machinist. Indeed, apart from the bespoke work she really enjoyed, she still spent most of her time producing off-the-shelf corsets in various waist sizes en masse; individually sewn but en masse. If she wasnt making corsets, she would be doing what is known in the 'rag-trade' as 'outwork'. She would cut out and sew up women's dresses by the dozen destined for sale in a chain store specialising in outsize clothes. Such work always had tight deadline but such was her speed of working that they were always ready when the customer called. One customer recalled that Mrs. Norris said she could not only see her that day and measure her, but could make the corset for collection the next day! For the last few years at Gardners, Iris became acquainted with all aspects of corsetry. In addition to machining and sewing, she could do the cutting out, either bespoke or in bulk, and she could sew in any material from the finest broches to utilitarian twill, leather and leatherette. She could fit busks of all lengths and type, make corsets of every kind including under-belts for those needing them. She made deep, boned suspender belts and could make suspenders of all types; sewn on, detachable or trolleyed together with an under-belted corset. To watch Iris Norris work at any aspect of corset making was to watch a professional. To see her run the machine down the seam between corset panels, with her fingers deftly altering the run of the seam to accommodate the changes of direction between top and bottom of the panels was to marvel at an expert seamstress. 4.2 ADDING THE BONING When it came to inserting flat or spiral steels between the facing and lining, she used a specially designed push in tool. This comprised a long solid piece of wood which appeared to be cut from the old-fashioned kitchen utensil tool to mash potatoes. At its end was a narrow slot half an inch deep into which could be located the bone to be inserted. First the bone would be pushed as far as it could by hand. When resistance was met the tool was engaged with the bone and, while stopping the bone from bending, it would be pushed right into position in the corset panel. When the requisite bones were all inserted, the bones would be individually sewn in place. Her attention to detail with needle and thread when sewing a busk in place showed that whilst the machine was quicker, she could always resort to hand sewing if necessary. Anyone who has made up a suspender from its parts will know how easy it is to reverse one item or another. Not Iris Norris; she had done it hundred and thousands of times. She could make up suspenders six at a time. To watch the skill in sewing suspenders onto a corset hem was equally amazing. She would double fold the elastic and sew though as many as six or seven layers of material and would turn the work to double and redoubling the stitching to ensure a secure item. Likewise, what kind of a mess does the average person make in threading a replacement stay-lace through the eyelets. Of course it helps to have a tailors' chalk at hand to make the eyelets where the puller loops are formed, but to see Iris at work, almost always threading laces which lacked the end tags was amazing. Likewise, the skill of opening out a corset ready to be clasped around a customer formed part and parcel of the service and skills a proper corsetire brought to the business. 4.3 SPECIAL SKILLS - FLUTED HIP CORSETS IRIS Norris was one of the last corsetires of her era who were able to make corsets with fluted hips for large hisprings. It is not surprising that lady customers with 20 inch plus hip-springs remained faithful customers, or that Cathy Jung made a repeat order within days of accepting her first corset from Iris. While she would never aspire to
produce a corset with the degree of glamour evident on many that Kathy laced on, there was no doubt about the fit and their ability to comfortably reduce and maintain a 15-inch waist. She could also work in leather, but as noted on June 18, 1992, "The leather will be a bit of a job (to purchase) especially if it's got to be long. Mr. Gardner used to have a job getting long ones and they're not very cheap so I think we ought to skip that. I don't mind leatherette you can buy that by the yard." 4.4 REPAIRS AND ALTERATIONS Iris, like Gardners, was always popular with customers unskilled at sewing because they were ready to do even small repairs and alterations. However Iris was always keen to say, that while any corset can always be made smaller, they cannot be made bigger and that, while it was possible to do so, it was cheaper and wiser to get a new corset that was cut to the right size. This is a direct quote written by someone who has taken their corset for alteration. "What happened then really amazed me. Mrs. Norris took a safety razor blade, the one-sided type set in a tiny chrome holder, and proceeded to quickly cut the stitching on the hem of the corset at the top and at the bottom. She did the same with several of the panels and exposed the white lining. I was horrified by the amount of work she had undone in about a minute. She then cut pieces off several of the panels, and in next to no time began to sew it up on an automatic sewing machine that sewed a panel length in literally five seconds or less. In no time the panels were re-stitched and she then began to sew up the elastic edge trim of the top and bottom. In about five minutes flat, she had opened, altered and sewn up the corset as it was before ready to be tried on again. The improvement in fit was amazing."
Iris hard at work in the 1980's
She understood that all corsets needed running repairs as lacing grommets pulled out, suspender elastics frayed and stretched beyond serviceability. She would happily sell, at cost, any a length of elastic or lacing, and if she was reassured that a customer could use a hand eyeletter, she would give them a small number of eyelets and reinforcing rings. As one customer recalls:"On the subject of eyelets she was willing to give them me but said that they needed a machine to fix, and that the silver steel ones were harder than the brass to fix. I said that I had a hand tool that worked and she was pleased but surprised and gave me a whole lot of them of both types. She also said that it was best to glue patches on leatherette which did rip easily and gave me a piece. When I said that I found that it was much easier to lace up an old corset, she explained that it was because both the lace and the eyelets get a shine when youve worn them a bit." For bones that had punched though the lining she would often add bone casing or plush ribbon as strapping over the bones full length. 4.5 ATTENTION TO DETAIL Among the special details she was known to provide for individual customers were the following that she had learned while at Gardners, and to which the reader is referred for fuller details. -Closer pitch for eyelets near the waist where the eyelet pitch is reduced from 3/4 inch to close to half an inch for the three pairs of eyelets on either side of the waist line which was defined of course by the mandatory tape
reinforcement. -Use of buckles and non-stretch, never elastic webbing, petersham or ribbon for shoulder straps of high top corsets. -Provision of split rings instead of the more usual 'bra-type' hooks to proof detachable suspenders against pulling off at the inevitably most embarrassing moment. -Elastic 'vee' chest gussets to allow the wearer to breathe more deeply if required in high-top military style corsets. -While she would fit inverted 'vee' elastic gussets on the front of the hips, she believed the bottom of a corset should be cut to fit without such a need. -Use six panel designs, five for longer corsets. -All lacing eyelets were fitted with brass reinforcing rings on the outside, a decision she made soon after setting up alone. -All corsets are interlined to give the 'weight' and strength that tight-lacers appreciate, and which readily distinguishes the real bespoke corset from imitations. 4.6 THE SEWING TEACHER She was generous with her advice, even to those who others would perceive to be rivals. In point of fact she knew that others could not match what she did and make money doing it because they lacked the essential machining skill to sew up the panels and layers quickly. Even more tricky was inserting the busk and hand sewing the materials around the protruding pieces of metal, studs and hooking plates. Because of the many layers to be sewn though to form seams, an industrial strength sewing machine was mandatory. Such a machine was reliable, and needles didnt break frequently. It could be done with a domestic machine but it would take a long time and this is not appreciated by would be corset makers. Furthermore, seams form the weak points when the corset is tightened every day Once a rival did purchase the necessary machine which proved harder to use and taught a salutary lesson. "Mr. A came to see me the other week to ask me about his new machine as it wasn't working right." Oct 7, 1986 "I don't think that Mr. A knows a lot about corsets only what he's learnt himself." "I don't really know how Mr. A's corsets hold together. I should think one hard pull and they would come to bits." 8 Jan 1985. Of one of her lady customers who thought to make corsets, having had success sewing tent repairs for a youth group:"I could not imagine (her) making corsets. She mentioned it to me once but she did not seem all that interested", April 15, 1984 4. 7 ADVICE ON LAUNDERING AND DRYING OF CORSETS The following summarises how Iris laundered her own corsets: 1 Leave lacing in. 2 Make sure the length adjuster flaps of all suspenders are opened and pull away from stocking clips. 3 Immerse all of the corset in water for a few minutes. 4 Wash by hand in warm water. 5 Lightly scrub with a soft nail brush as required. 6 Squeeze out as much water as possible by hand - DON'T WRING.
7 Lay out on a new dry towel and roll both corset and towel tight for about half an hour to remove moisture. 8 Repeat if necessary. 9 Lay out on a new dry towel and roll both corset and towel around a hot towel rail. 10 Check periodically and change towel as necessary till dry. (Depending on the heat in rail, it should never take more than a day). 11 If desired, iron out wrinkles. 12 Roll up until needed.
5. HER LIKES AND DISLIKES
5.1 IRIS'S OWN CORSETS She was proud of her corsets. "I'll have to show you my new ones" she would say; I've just made myself one. She would retire upstairs and reappear holding the white cylinder of rolled corset with the chrome suspenders glinting and jangling on their pure white straps. She would open out the roll proudly showing a the wonderful spoon busk, and the "Godet" cut, with single spiral steels. At all times Iris wore a "Godet" corset, also sold as style "Jean" by Fanny Copre. Hers were 17 inches long. Five inches above the waist and 12 inches below, a length that fully contained her ample hips and derriere yet allowed her to sit comfortably at her machine. The top came close up under her bosom so as to be overlapped as far as the waist by the lower elastic of her long line bra.
5.2 A FINE FIGURE Customers, both female and male, would speak of how much they felt inspired in their own commitment to corseting just to see Iris's figure and deportment. In a phrase, she lifted the heart of every admirer of the well corseted figure. As one lady said, not long after she had given up wearing seamed stockings because they were becoming hard to find, she had visited Iris for a fitting, and seeing Iriss figure, her shapely legs and seamed stockings made her resolve to emulate her. The question was posed and Iris gave her the names of several nearby stores
where she bought seamed stockings and another person returned to the elegance of the cinched waist, seamed stocking and point heel. Another customer said that any doubts about continuing to tightlace melted away when was greeted by Iris when arriving for a fitting. Just to sit there knowing she probably more tightly corseted than the customer could ever be and to know, that she owed the straight seams of her dark brown seamed fully fashioned stockings to being pulled up by a set of suspenders that were so tight that the customer would be complaining about them all the time, actually inspired them to do the same. In response to a comment that being corseted and suspendered lifted the spirits Iris concurred. She would no doubt have agreed with Isobels observation to Ivy Leaf that:"..as so many women discover, there is something addictive about a really firm girdle, and after a while I found myself missing the tightness, support and control at weekends, when my foundations would consist of little more than an elastic roll-on and short bra. Consequently, when my casual foundations needed replacement, I started to substitute them with things of ever increasing firmness and length, until my lingerie drawer boasted little at all in the way of light control garments." As noted earlier, unlike a number of her customers, Iris never wore a night corset. She believed her own regime was as effective. The first thing she did in the morning, the moment after she had got out of bed, was to put on her corsets and lace them as tight as she could. She claimed that if she waited even seconds that she found lacing in more difficult. She insisted that, in even such a short time, the figure would 'spread', a word that she used very often. She would then put on her stockings. She noted that while one might be able to lace down enough to achieve the same waist size, she had found that the corset would prove to feel less comfortable for the entire day ahead. Only when laced in, would she put on her dressing gown on and go down to make a cup of tea. All this at about 5 am before she travelled to London. She would remain laced in until retiring at between 9 and 10 each night. And Playtex thought they had invented the 18 hour girdle.......?? Her movements revealed to the cognoscenti the fact that she was tightly-laced. Bending was never easy for her, partly because of her subconscious concern not to break a busk which, as she pointed out was dangerous as she herself had been cut by a fearsome jagged edge of spring steel on one occasion when it suddenly snapped as she bent and instantly cut its way out of its pocket. She was proud of her figure and would say how "I pull in eight inches every day and that gets me down to 19 inches." 1972. No longer subject to the rigours of commuting, in the later years after retirement she did gain weight and for the LGM Bal, (Section G), could only reduce to 21 inches, while in 1991-2 she routinely 'pulled in six inches for '22 over' and pulled a little more in for her best clothes in April 1989. "I did not slim for the do. I think it's just that I've got thinner and when Im indoors I do not bother to pull myself tight because of moving about." While in her 70s in the 1990's, she lost a little weight and but still kept to a six inch pull-in to 22 inches.
Whilst she would never call her self a tight-lacer, Iris certainly followed a much stricter regime than many who profess to be such persons. Yes, she was proud of her figure and those privileged to escort her out were aware that the few minutes discreet retirement before doing so, were to allow her to pull in that little extra, change her skirt or dress and no doubt to ensure her stockings seams were as straight as she liked to keep them. The seams of her stockings looked straighter, if that was ever possible, and the addition of a more stylish belt had necessitated a good hard pull on the waist of her beloved Godet style she had worn for over 50 years. Until then she had worn a typical thirties style tubular corset without which a cockney working class married woman from Islington would ever go out. While she bridged more than half a century which saw the corset go from 'de rigueur' attire for all classes of woman, to an item that was worn as outerwear and had been espoused by the 'dressing for pleasure' movement, she accepted the changes with equanimity. 5.4 ON CORSETING IN HOT WEATHER Skin breakdown is a particular hazard for the tight-lacer particularly in hot weather, which is no friend of the tightly-laced waist. On one visit she responded to a customers question:"Well I'm glad the hot weather is over, my bones rubbed me raw on the waist when I was gardening.". On enquiry how to deal with it, she would say "Sponge on either side of the place with sticking plaster to hold it in Place" was one solution. Corn plasters were another solution she offered . "I can still pull in 8 inches then," she'd say. She never compromised on lacing herself in and always wore a corset in the hottest weather. She once wrote:"I can't say about tight-lacing in hot weather. I suppose its either stick it out or take them off like you did." Oct 1983. However, she once admitted that on one hot evening at 8 pm, she loosed off to watch television. 5.5 IRIS NORRIS AND STOCKINGS David Kunzle noted that many of the tight-lacing women he met wore stockings with straight seams. No doubt he would have met and noted that Iris fell into that category when he met Frank Gardner in the late 1970's doing his research. Iris had come to like fully fashioned nylons in the 1940s and wore them in that style right to the end of her life. She would probably have preferred to wear the styles with square cut heels which were really the only type available in Britain in the 1940s and 1950s. Apart from wearing Brettles cuban heeled hose when that style was briefly available during the short-lived British 'seamed stockings revival' of 1979-80, for most of last 30 years she wore Aristoc's 20-denier which went under many brand names beginning with 222's in the early 1970s and ending up at the time of discontinuance in 1993 as "Harmony Points." She was fortunate in that to the end of her life she had shapely legs which were marvellously free of unsightly veins that are the bane of many women's lives. She knew they were enhanced by the straight seams which graced her calves and the long point heels which graced her ankles. As personal customers would know, the latter would be accentuated because she routinely wore backless heeled mules at home. No doubt, like many women, she was happy to discuss the trials and tribulations of suspenders with anyone who would listen. Irritated by modern suspender clips, she used screwed up tissue paper to bulk out the nobs. Only once in the early 1980s do I recall the exclamation of righteous indignation so commonly heard from the lips of every woman from time to time at least until the late 1940's when a clip slipped off her stocking top. In Iriss case, it was followed by an opinion regarding the shininess of nylon used after the late
1970's to knit non-stretch hose. In her case she solved it first by and later by sing a pair of pliers to crimp the clip frame in the button slide area. She favoured the Aristoc shade of 'Bitter Chocolate', although in 1978-9 when Aristoc produced 'Sheer Mischief', which had accentuated and exceptionally long point heels and thicker seams. Iris bought as many pairs of these in the shade 'Gentle Rain' as she could. The choice was not lost on her customers who noticed and in response to a question of what the style was wearing and where they could be bought she said, "Funny you should ask. Youre the second person to ask me today." Interestingly, despite the shade becoming so fashionable, a black stocking never graced her legs; a point she would make repeatedly. One can only speculate on why this should be so and I think that she grew up in an era when black was reserved for mourning or widowhood and in Iris such conventions were embedded. Even her own daughter, no doubt thinking her opinion might change, once gave her three pairs in black for Christmas. In what was typical of her is that she generously gave them to a customer who would appreciate them. Close observers of such things would note that her seams were always raised on her calves, indicative of their being worn 'reverse side' out from the way the makers intended them to be worn. Some will claim they are more snag free worn that way, but it was obvious Iris liked the look and risked snagging, though in point of fact on 40 appointments, one customer never saw her with a ladder in her stockings. This obviously mattered not a jot to Iris, the look was more important. When questioned she simply explained that she liked the effect and routinely reversed them from how the manufacturers packaged them, saying "I always check that the holes (finishing loops) in the tops are outside before I put them on" she said. It was also evident that the heel reinforcement of her stockings reached further up her calves than was commonly observed with the style when worn by others. There again Iris had an answer. She liked the visual affect, which was more common in the 1950s, and she was clearly flattered by comments on the fact. To achieve the look she always bought stockings with a foot size at least half a size larger than she really needed. Where size 9 would do, she routinely bought size 10 or 10. As would be expected there were many admirers amongst her male customers who were only too happy to stop off to buy her stockings before meeting. They typically bought them at the local stores near where she worked, James Selby's or the Coop both in Holloway Road when she was at Gardners, or the Coop or Dickens and Jones (until it burned down in the late 1980s in Milton Keynes), before visiting her at Bletchley. Knowing of her liking for Cuban heeled stockings In June 1984, an admirer bought her Albert's 'Classic' 15-denier stockings whilst visiting the US in the shade of 'Sparkle'. She wrote later and said, "You need not send any money as you already sent me the stockings. I have tried them on but find them short. They will just about go on my suspenders. I should not get me any more when the legs are short", July 25, 1984. Realising the declining availability of Aristoc Harmony Point style seamed hose in the late 1980's, that continued until they were discontinued in 1993, she was happy to purchase or order Harmony Points for a number of grateful stocking wearing customers unable to purchase them in their area. These interruptions in availability bothered her greatly, as is evidenced by the following quotes from her letters:'If you aren't going to wear your black stockings, I will have them off you. Ive been getting mine in the Co-op as Dickens and Jones got burnt up in the new city, Milton Keynes. Someone put a fire bomb because they sold fur coats. I think with these new sizes they got now you have to buy a size larger to get the leg length. Does Maureen want me to get her some? I will if she wants and post them to her." 1989. "I received the 20 and have bought you slate grey size 5 as there is no black going in that style. I may be able to get you some more slate grey if you want them, but I don't think there's many of that colour left." 3 Sept 1993 "I've written to the makers (Aristoc) about the (discontinuance of Harmony Point) stockings but not got an answer yet." 3 Sept 1993 "I got eleven pairs of stockings size 5 slate grey if you want them. That was the last of the size 5. They are not
making any more. I had letter to say so from Aristoc." 13th Oct 1993 "(A customer) had found a chap with some Aristoc stockings to sell, everything by six. This is his name and phone number." July 30, 1994 5.6 ON TRAINING THE FIGURE It is tempting to compare Iriss attitude to corseting with other corset wearers. Ivy Leafs web site offers the testimony in their own words of two such individuals, Isobel and Alison. Alison, one would estimate to be half a generation younger than Iris. Alisons feared manager was probably a whole generation older, a little younger than As mother and probably both began corseting in Edwardian times. Alison is honest about her mother's acceptance of strict corset control and it is most likely that her manager, from the same generation, and if the sentiments Iris quotes are reflective of her attitude, she would also have been as strictly corseted, and probably out of choice. It is thus reasonable to say that she, As mother and Iris would have know no other adulthood than one lived strictly corseted. It is this absolute acceptance of the advantages and disadvantages of always being corseted that Iris brought to her work as a corsetire. Whether the weather was cold, or oppressively hot one remained corseted till retiring for the night. That said initially, Alison was a reluctant corset wearer at first as her words attest: "I was too concerned by the completely new and alien feeling of being encased from shoulders to thighs in unyielding black satin...." "........She required all her corsetires to wear corselets, or 'all-in-ones' as they are often called now. She thought they gave a much smoother figure (which I must admit they did) and, as they were the firmest type of garments Spencer made, they gave a good example to our customers. After all, she explained, if we didnt wear one, how could we recommend they wear one? I still remember that corselet; it was called the Spen-All...." "....... I found the Spen-All very restrictive, especially when I had to bend down to measure a customer or adjust her stockings or garters, but in time I got used to it." But what Alisons manager and Iris knew was that, given a chance to be regularly corseted, even the reluctant wearer comes to prefer to live like that, rather than to remain uncorseted. Alison in writing to Ivy Leaf attests to this when she says:Then, strangely enough, after a few months, I began to need it. In fact I felt lost without it. I am not saying I particularly liked it, but after the first few months I started to look forward to the feel of its firm support, and I put it on as soon as I got up in the morning. As Iris once said:"No I don't think its bad to pull in as long as you know how much you can take. Some people just overdo it" Jan 8 1985 Continued ...
6 CUSTOMERS
6.1 GENERAL The customers she inherited from Gardners were drawn from the highest to the lowest social standings and from about 15 countries worldwide. They included:- Individual women - single or married - Married coupes or partners, who both wore corsets - Individual men -single and married - Customers Inherited from Overett and Madame Marie Stafford of Sunbury. There were public school educated men and women and women who had been first corseted at the insistence of nuns at convent schools in the late 1940s. Several individuals and not a few couples were introduced to Gardners and Iris after forming acquaintanceships with Will and Ethel Granger. Many travelled as much as 200 miles to visit her, first at Gardners and then at home. Those from overseas would include a visit en route elsewhere or on visits to the UK. 6.2 COUPLES In one case, a husband and wife and their secretary became customers. The couple had tight-laced since the 30's and they had encouraged their secretary to train her figure too, when all three were customers of Overett. This salon, with no criticism of Iris, produced corsets whose fit they would extol even 24 years after his death. A large-framed woman, the secretary reduced from 28 to 19 inches between 1955 and 1960 and remained as a customer of Iris from 1962 until 1999 shortly before her death. She favoured the same style of corset as Iris wore, the Godet L267 with, in 1965, an amazing 26 inch hip-spring with, and to please a foible of her husband's, as many as seven pairs of suspenders. Iris also made the couple a number of mannequin styles over the years to wear at corset soires or as Iris called them parties. Her husband had worn corsets since his teens but the onset of arthritis forced him to stop in his 70's. Since she had few personal customers who enjoyed the hip control of the Godet style, Iris always enjoyed appointments with this customer, and would discuss the advantages and the trials being tightly laced whilst driving long distances or in warm weather. From the Midlands hailed the smallest waisted customer on Iriss books who had initially dealt with Yanovsky or Jean Applebys salon in Edgware Road, London. She moved to Iris in about 1965. A school nurse, she had corseted since the age of eleven in the late 1940's as required by her convent school, very much like Isobels experience with her Scottish boarding school about a decade later, and emulated her mother when she began tight-lacing as a student nurse in the mid-1950's. Before pregnancy, she had reached 18 inches and recounted how her husband brought corsets to her while on the maternity ward, so much had she missed being corseted. From about 1965 she practised 24 hour a day tight-lacing and maintained a 17 inch waist, but that was her limit. As Iris wrote:No, Mrs._ has never ordered anything smaller than 17 inches. He wanted her to once, but she would not have it. She very much liked Mrs _ and wrote:-
I think Mrs. _ looks very nice as she is, I don't think she should go any smaller. She came in here once and I should think she was pulled too tight and had a job to breathe, I think it is mad. I hope she doesn't get like Mrs. Granger, I think she looked horrible" 10 June 1985 Her husband who had always admired her waist was also encouraged to corset and became a customer of Iris in the mid-1970s and remained a customer until Iris died. Interestingly, Mrs _ shared Iriss preference for very long stocking heels and for special occasions wore tan stockings with such heels in the older square, or cuban shape and not the point heels she usually wore because they were readily available. It turned out that as a young woman in the 1950's they had been her favourite style and her husband liked the style very much too. They said they liked the look of having the stocking heels ending not far from the 1950s hem line, which began at mid-calf. She had preserved several pairs of them from the 1950's and kept them for over 30 years for wear on special occasions. A modest woman, she had been surprised in the early 1980's to realise what an impression her amazing waist made on the male sex, and would amusedly relate that she was sure that the aura she brought to a discussion enabled her to win her point where, given the tendency for the man to prevail, she was sure she would have been the loser. Another tight-lacing couple hailed from Norway and the man worked for the UN in New York. In the early 1980's the wife was suddenly afflicted with a form of eczema which was traced to the metal in her corset steels. Iris tried every means of isolating the metal in special pockets, but to no avail, and the disappointed woman now in her 50's was forced to abandon the tight-lacing regime she had begun in her teens in the early post war era and she had enjoyed in partnership with her husband who continued as a customer of Iris. She wrote of another couple:"I've made a few corsets lately and they all seem satisfied. Had a chap come Tuesday for his, he was more than pleased and may fetch his girl friend" July 21 1983 Another man began corseting because his wife did, only for her to stop:"The man whose wife's photos were taken for Mr. Gardner's catalogue phoned the other day. I asked him if he wrote to you but he said not yet. I dont think his wife is keen on it (tight lacing) by what he said." Jan 8, 1985 6.3 LADY CUSTOMERS 6.3.1 CATHY JUNG After the first LGM Bal she attended, Iris did make a corset for Cathy Jung and made some more later. Yes, Cathy Jung and her husband came to see me, he seemed quite pleased with the corset, it fitted her, I think to a T. They ordered another on the phone last week but I shan't do it till I come back (from holiday). I should not say anything to X as he might think I'm taking his customers. Mr. B of Germany sent me a note to see if I was still making Mr. Gardner's styles so I wrote back and said I was. Then I phoned X for a piece of the beige material for Cathy Jung's but did not tell him who it was for. He asked me if I wanted to do a high top with fluted hips for Mr. B but he was waiting for material to come, but I said I was going away so I suppose he (X) will do them himself. July 1993 6.3.2 ETHEL GRANGER Whilst at Gardners, Iris dealt with Will and Ethel Granger, but like most corsetires who the couple patronised, the relationship didn't last, largely on account of Will's overbearing personality. "As for Mrs. Granger, she died last year sometime so I heard. I've heard of all the makers you mention, but think some of them don't do it now, but I made Mrs. Granger a few corsets when she could not get them done anywhere else." 1 Aug 1983
"Mrs. Granger died last year. I think it was in the paper; somebody told me it was the evening one. They seemed very nice people but I only met them once. The corset I made for her was about 12" deep, no suspenders, but she had them made in other places as well." Oct 1983. 6.3.3 THE PRIVATE LADY FROM AYLESBURY One of Iris's most private, but loyal customers, was a woman from Aylesbury, Bucks who had entrusted her corseting to Iris, first at Gardners and then privately until Iris died. She had tight-laced in the early years of marriage and only returned to it in the 1970's when she divorced and resumed work as a nurse. At first she wore corsets for support at work, but decided to recreate her youthful waist which she achieved, no doubt under Iris's counsel. She wore the L267 Godet, finally maintaining a waist of 18 inches with a hip-spring of 23 inches. 6.3.4 MARIA-ANNA JGER (added in 2009 and courtesy of Thomas B. Lierse, creator of the Long Island Staylace Association) This is a picture taken in 2005 (at age 60) of a German tightlacer Maria-Anna Jger. Although the photograph is taken well after Iris Norris stopped working, such was the strength (by neccessity) of her creations that this might well still be an 'Iris Norris original'. 6.4 GENTLEMEN CUSTOMERS New gentleman customers, whose first contact with a corsetire was Mrs. Norris, often approached such a contact nervously, because they had the perception they had that their desire to corset was in some way unseemly. Indeed, some would relate of firm rebuffs when they had attempted to make contact elsewhere. However, those whose first contact was Iris Norris were almost universally surprised by the way she gave a friendly response to every question along with a suggestion that they should visit Gardner's salon whenever they wished. Anyone who spoke over the telephone felt instantly at ease and would not have hesitated however shy, to take up her suggestion. A woman clad in only her corsets, suspenders and stockings has been the butt of vulgar humour from the time of the music hall until Benny Hill. Small wonder therefore that the idea that a man may disrobe and be seen wearing the same, was and is the fear that filled the potential customer of a corset maker with despair. However, it is certain that every customer who had for the first time pressed the fitting room bell to summon Iris Norris and then wait as the sense of shame and blushing took over, was immediately disarmed as the door opened and she stood there with her tape measure. The combination of the gentle tone of her voice and the calm matter of fact words, served to re-assure the customer that he was being accepted for what he was and not being judged. Simon's corsetire, Mary, had a similar approach to Iris:"She said that she had always enjoyed being corseted and felt that anyone who had similar feelings should be actively encouraged." Iris Norris had the best relationships, whilst working on her own, with gentlemen who wore stockings and
suspenders with their corsets as she did. One can only speculate that there was a mutual recognition that, despite the fundamental difference of gender, they shared something important to their daily lives in common. While they were a distinct minority, they were in no way worthy of censure of such requirements. She understood that the world was made up of all kinds of people and few were bad. How had this come about? How did her nonjudgmental attitude form? In the case of Iris it is clear that unlike firms and individual corsetires who dealt exclusively with women, Gardner's where she always worked, had always made corsets for men. Her first boss Arthur Gardner wore them himself. She had machined men's corsets. In time she met such customers, generally established customers of the firm. When she assumed more duties in the 1970's and new gentlemen approached the firm in response to advertisements her salon manner was well established. What was this salon manner? It was at heart simply that of an employee of the business desiring to satisfy the customers' needs. The dictum was that 'the customer is always right'. With such an attitude, there was no room for any misguided moral judgment. In any case, where would one draw the line. Was it alright for a man to wear a corset if medically necessary, and wrong if he wanted to because largely on a subconscious level he liked the support it gave. Attempts have been made to define the motivation to corset in psychological terms and the findings and interpretations are always found wanting. However, given that within the spectrum of behaviour of men where would be some whose behaviour bordered on that of impropriety, corsetires experienced with gentleman customers could quickly sum up what kind of a person they were dealing with. In this regard, Iris was no exception. She was a good judge of character and the writer generally agreed with her opinion. Likewise, she had become a businesswoman and customers, especially repeat customers, represent income and a livelihood. The key is to develop the ability to accommodate their behaviour and suppress one's personal feelings unless circumstances demanded otherwise. A satisfied customer, regardless of character within reason, represents repeat business and traditionally, customers patronized Gardners for their entire adult lives. It would, as we know, take a sea change in public attitude in the 1940's for the service to decline over a generation to the point of oblivion by 1990. Her customers ranged from the sincere and polite and pleasant, to the arrogant, presumptuous and pushy. If a customer was at the limit of acceptably, they would be discouraged. Whilst business is business, serious insensitivity of the respect of the corsetire is always unacceptable. She applied the same standards when she set up to work alone. There's no doubt that she did have her favourites and those fortunate individuals would echo Simons observation of his corsetire Mary, that:"Quite why she took to me so affectionately I shall never know, but I shall always be glad that she did." Likewise there are persons would say of Iris, as Simon did of his corsetire:"I will always be thankful to Mary. She was very kind and gentle and responded to my fascination with corsets in a very positive and encouraging way." In point of fact, such persons had always been customers of Gardners from Edwardian times. However in those less tolerant times, all had been very discreet and non-judgmental. However, the overt behaviour of some such persons in the 1980's meant that they were quickly shown the proverbial door by Iris. It was not the special reason they had for seeing her, it was their attitude and behaviour that she could and would not tolerate. She did however say that she felt that those guilty of presumption and arrogance failed to understand that she had
neighbours, and that she could not be the cause of behaviour which, though she might tolerate it as essentially harmless, others might find it objectionable. Twenty years on, of course, such has been the change in what is regarded as acceptable behaviour that today almost anything goes. It may be better that Iris had moved on. That said, for persons with such needs, who were sincere and polite and pitched the request properly, after the corset fitting, she would allow them to remain in the salon and dress in their female apparel. Such was her empathy that she might even remain with them and assist them and comment or reassure them that their new corsets were achieving the effect they sought. Despite that, she did in point of fact say that she had very few transvestite customers, and observed that she had found that it was not a corset that they needed but a girdle bought in a department store that was more easily purchased, and was much cheaper given the total outlay such a lifestyle had. Like Simons Mary, she also realised that some men, like some women who have corseted regularly, felt motivated to reduce their waists. There is no doubt that Iris would agree with Simons observation that had Mary lived:"I would have been trained to have an even better hip-spring than I had, although I was more than happy with what we had achieved." Indeed, Simon gives testimony to the fact that after the initial period of getting to know one another, the customercorsetire relationship, whatever the gender of the parties involved, becomes a partnership and usually one of mutual trust and respect. There was the owner of a stately home (that has been much used as a back drop for films and television,) a career army officer, he had begun corseting when his female mentor introduced him to Lawrence Lenton in 1938, moving to Overett after the war and to Gardners in 1962 before continuing with Iris in 1981. He was a one of a number of ex-army or RAF officers who were initially with Overett. From overseas, there was a customer was a German aerospace engineer much involved in rocketry, who had been a Gardners customer since the early 1960's. From South Africa a man continued to patronise her until his later 80's and who died in 1989. He had first appreciated a tight 'Sam Brown' belt arrangement on his uniform when a junior officer in Palestine in 1917 and his first corsetier was Mr. S Lee of Southsea, near Portsmouth. With long established customers of both sexes and whom she respected, she took a concern in their personal lives. Typically she followed the retirement years of one customer especially when she didnt hear from him only to reemerge as a widower as is evidenced below. A public school boy, he had been an executive with an major oil company who had spent years in foreign parts. He and his wife had followed the Lenton, Stafford, Overett, Gardner path. For the first forty years of their marriage, both he and his wife had worn corsets appropriate to the climate wherever they lived. Suffering ill-health late in the 1970's, his wife gave up tight-lacing, but he continued to wear the military type high-top corset as he had done for many years with suspenders and fully fashioned stockings under his business suits. He wore this to work and continued to do so after retirement and after the death of his wife. He subsequently remarried his wife's friend, apparently on condition he gave up wearing corsets and stockings, and it's unclear whether he felt giving up the corsets had not been worth it and the marriage failed within a few years. Ironically he was cruelly handicapped by a stroke in 1991 and found solace again if he could get into his corsets though he was forced to abandon stockings. Amazingly he had retired to newly gentrified Fulham, within half a mile of his first corsetire, Lenton. Iris regarded him with real affection and mused that he lived in fear of her giving up for, in addition to getting regular replacements, he would make a sudden order for up to ten corsets in three styles. When a customer sent her a Hella Knabe-style culotte (leg) corset for alteration, she carefully measured the panels used to construct it, and advised our customer who had a large wardrobe of corsets of many styles, that she could now do him the style she had previously preferred not to do. He wrote to Iris to say how touched he was by her kind spirit and initiative that would now allow his long held ambition to lace
into one. At the time of her threat to retire, although older than Iris and with a large serviceable wardrobe of corsets, he had estimated how many he would need till his 80's and had commissioned 10 new corsets This is how she wrote of him: "I made Mr. Mc_ a corset about July but he never mentioned his wifes (death)." 13 Aug 1989 Later she was to write more positively, if somewhat wistfully that he had strayed from the path of corseting:"Did you know Mr. Mc_ got married at the beginning of the month. I think he has given up corsets. He said he won't need any more so I guess I've lost myself a good customer." 26 August 1990 Only weeks later she wrote "Mr. Mc_ never got married again. He wrote for a new corset and said he was going to Canada to think it over (second marriage delay)." 1 Oct 1990 "I heard from that Mr. Mc_ about two weeks ago. He has moved out. I don't think they hit it off and I think it got worse after his stroke. I feel sorry for him since he seems a very nice man but I suppose nobody knows anybody until you live with them. I think it was silly of him to give it (corseting) up, he very likely missed it." 3 Sept 1993
7 FRIENDS, ACQUAINTANCES AND PARTIES

7.1 CONTACTS WITH OTHER CORSETIRES The shortage of components, especially busks, resulted in Iris approaching firms such as Vollers for items on a cooperative basis. Other firms, for which she did bulk orders and who had their own sources of purchase in bulk, would also come to her assistance. Likewise she was approached by Michael Garrod after he had established True Grace Foundations, and she attempted to teach him how to sew a fluted-hip corset, but he freely admitted that it proved to be beyond his not inconsiderable sewing skills. Despite further lessons, he freely admitted that he could not master the fluted-hip and her generosity was reciprocated when he sent her all her large hip-spring orders. Over the years, corsetier and corsetire regularly provided one another busks, flat or spiral steels in hard to find lengths and bolts of expensive broche fabric and suspender ends. Over the years her work took her into a number of activities and events outside the corset salon. These are discussed below. 7.2 PHOTOGRAPHS FOR THE CORSET QUESTION At the height of her prowess at age 50, in 1971, Iris was prevailed upon by the owner of Fanny Copre corsets, to pose for the cover accompanying a compendium of Victorian letters on tight-lacing. It was arranged for Iris to meet at the photo studio. Knowing she was being photographed on account of her corseted figure, she selected her attire carefully, taking a satin skirt, and knitted sweaters in black and white. She wore shoes with 2-inch heels, the same height as the mules she customary wore around the house, while machining or attending to visitors or customers.
Three wonderful photographs of her appeared on the cover and inside Fanny Copres book 'The Corset Question' in 1971. Iris Norris's figure when corseted was a magnificent; bust 38, waist 19 and hips 40, a full inch over the de rigueur 20 inches hipspring sought by the determined tight-lacer. Some years later, her sponsor recalled with some amusement the considerable effort that both he and the photographer had to make when helping Iris with her staylaces. Of the session, writing in 1985 he wrote:"She started tight-lacing 20/25 years ago (1960 ed), age 40 when as she said, she had a "belly like an ox" although she wore boned but not tight-lacing corsets. She now laces in to 20 inches, the only 19 inch corset she ever wore was for my photos, and it was hard work pulling her in as I did it myself, as she was not then down to 20 inches regularly. We did once try to get her below 19 inches, I used to see her almost every week for about 14 years or so with the business, but we failed. In 1968, she actually used to conceal her waist and did not make clothes to fit it" 5 Feb 1985. She finally measured the agreed 19 inches over the corsets. In moments she had hooked up the waistband of the matching size of that lovely full satin skirt, adjusted her top and cinched on the narrow black belt and was ready to pose. Many photographs were taken, and the best appeared on the cover of the book with two others inside. 7.3 A CASE FOR THE CORSET DETECTIVE? Attempts have been made to track down the original negatives and both the photographer and Iris have been asked. Her response was:"I can't really tell you where I got them taken as it's such a long while ago. If you ask Mr.C_, he will tell you as he was the one who asked me to have it done. He paid out the money as far as I know. It was in London that they were took(sic)". Sadly, Fanny Copres owner himself was never able recall the name of the photographer who had retained the copyright. Years later he wrote:"I do not have the negatives, and the photographer is no longer in the London 'phone book. When I am next up, I will call around his premises and find out if he is still in business." 12 Nov 1984 Likewise with the catalogue photos, a search came to no avail, for he then wrote:"I have not yet been able to trace the photographer, who took the catalogue photos. The models were ordinary commercial models, whose names I have forgotten. The one on the front (modelling 'Miss Copre' ed.) has been modelling outsize dresses for years." 2 July 1985 So somewhere in London those negatives may still exist awaiting rediscovery. 7.4 A DUKES TIGHT-LACING DAUGHTER-IN-LAW As is well known, the first leading practitioners of tight-lacing were late Victorian and Edwardian royalty and aristocracy in Europe and North America. It was a mid-20th century member of that class, by marriage, however who deserves a place in our story. It cannot be proven but it is almost certainly that in her later years she entrusted her figure to Gardners and later to Iris. It began when Copres owner got into the business because, in about 1967, he met socially with a Duke's daughter in law:-
"My principal interest in tight-lacing arose from my wish (in 1966-7 ed.) to find a suitable article to sell as a mail order business when I retired. I knew (socially, ed.) a Duke's daughter in law who had a fine figure, even at age 79 (in 1984). She had tight-laced for 60 years. I thought there might be other women with the same inclination", Feb 1984 And in a future letter, he explained how it must have been she who had put him in touch with tight-lacing corset makers:"The woman who put me on the tight-lacing trial as a business is not a relative. I know that socially in London she does not admit to tight-lacing, although she can only bend from the hips, and her 19 inch waist and 42 inch hips are scarcely natural. All I know is that she is a farmer's daughter from Scotland who 'pulled-in as a girl' and kept it up. She was born in 1905. Quite obviously her late husband, the son of the Duke, married her because of her waist. His first wife had had a very small waist judging from photos. I know the size of the woman's waist, from her corset maker" 2 July 1985 It can only be inferred that, when he met the woman in 1967-8, when she was in her early 60's, that she was almost certainly a customer of either Gardner's or Vollers or both. That, on the basis of this information, he then made contact with both Vollers and Gardner's and eventually met Iris in about 1968. Quite who would have divulged her measurements is unclear, but it would never have been the always discreet Iris. Even the most deferential reader will wonder what the importance of the woman being married into the aristocracy might be to our account. As ever Iris had the answer in a short unrelated sentence of another letter, asking if she recalled the photo salon. "I should do nothing for him, he's a snob!" 8 Jan 1989 . This comment sums up Iriss character, she liked sincerity. She was not a sycophant. 7.5 ATTENDANCE AT THE LGM 'BAL DES GRACIEUSES' In early 1985, Iris was prevailed on by the founder of LGM, Rudi Van Ginkel of Germany, who had been given her name by another customer, to tell her customers of the first ball. Discreet as ever she would not divulge a single address. However, it was clear that while broadly accepting the idea, one got a clear sense that if she had known him or his lady partner as established customers she would have been more receptive to the idea. She dearly wanted to go, but knew her husband would not like the event and believed he would refuse. What was she to do? One could only but imagine Iris's anguish. She was now the doyenne of British corsetires, working in her own right yet likely to miss the first event in which the common interest was the corseted figure. Yet the rules were clear, men accompanied by a lady and women alone, no single men. Anyone who knew her would know that she would not go alone. While confident in the ambience of a corsetire's salon, she was retiring socially. She would have to have an escort and, resourceful as ever she found one. She took advantage of the fact that for years she had accorded the husband of a former customer she had met at Gardners her always discreet and platonic friendship. She knew how much he admired her figure and deportment. When meeting at a pub, he would complain of, how to his eternal regret, after 50 years of tight-lacing, his wife for 40 years had, on doctor's orders, suddenly and completely given up tight-lacing in about 1980. Iris clearly remained him of how his wife used to look. He admired her very much and she indulged his aimless telephone calls and visits to a fault. And so he became her escort for the Bal." "The party's on Nov 2nd and I'm going with Mr. C." 18 Sep 1985 The matter was cleared with her husband and all seemed to be well. A very indiscreet individual, one whom who
she had discouraged from being a customer, still knew her phone number and it was everyone's misfortune that when the culprit phoned to speak to Iris of the Bal. She was out and had spoken to her husband and to use her words:"Somebody phoned when I was out, and to him there would be fun and games at the 'Do'. You should have heard him when I came in, he's told me not to go but he's annoyed because I never asked him to go, but did not think he would want to. The person who phoned has made bad feelings all round" 21 Oct 1985 So, Iris attended the first of four annual Les Gracieuses Modernisms Bal des Gracieuses to be held in Great Britain on 2nd Nov 1985. It was held at the Letchworth Hall Hotel in Letchworth, ironically just a stone's throw from the old Spirella factory that was about to close. Ever correct and proper, she paid her own way and that included her own room at the hotel venue. As it happened the first "Bal" was a reasonable success and Iris decided to go to the second event held in a hotel in Queensway in Nov 1986, however it was plagued with administrative problems. As Iris was to write:"I think we all got conned as the chap, who went to the ball last year dressed as woman, took it over from Ginkel and made all the arrangements so he said, but it was awful. I would not go again with him organising it. I think he was on the make. The food he got was not nice. I don't know what happened to Mr. Ginkel. I could not find out and they made an excuse and said he had problems . The hotel was dirty and the carpets torn. 27 Nov 1986 With the same escort she nevertheless had enjoyed meeting old friends especially as all had an interest in what she would freely admit was her favourite subject, making corsets and wearing them. "I think everybody looked nice at the ball but then its all according to what shape you like. The woman who wore the long busk was just straight down and looked most uncomfortable and could not sit down, which I think is awful" Jan 1987 She attended the Bal in 1988 with an escort from Sweden, for whose wife she made corsets, and with a gentleman corsetier in 1989. She was conscious of her hearing being more limited in loud places, but word had it that Iris was always able to seek out old customers and meet others she rarely saw. At each Bal, she gave them advice, measured them, and even arranged appointments for new customers. All in all she had a good time and John never objected again. He saw that his wife was, as ever, the essence of discretion. 7.6 HER ADMIRERS Iris was admired by many men who just wanted to be in the presence of a mature woman with a fine figure shaped by a corset. She would always wear her seamed stockings, often as their wives once had. With retirement, Iris blossomed as an independent spirit, which caused a strain on her marriage as her husband, now working part-time, resented the frequent visits by customers. He had no concern as to whether they were men or women, but he resented having to retire from the scene upstairs or to go shopping while Iris attended to customers. It was regrettable that he was one person who did not appreciate his wife's figure and personality in the last 25 years of her life. It would not be an exaggeration to speculate that Iris's ultimate acceptance as friends of men who tight-laced and wore seamed stockings arose because she implicitly knew that they approved of the fact that she tight-laced and liked seams. It was as though she got the approval for her elegance that she felt was denied her in her marriage. Despite her being married, some customers became admirers, and she had to turn down many proposals of marriage and suggestions to leave the family home. While flattered, she was never tempted. I can't imagine what he's thinking of. He doesn't know me, I'd never marry again though she happily posed for photographs, front and rear, for as many as half a dozen of her customers or admirers, always well cinched by a belt and wearing high heels.
That is the way that Iris Norris will always be remembered.
References
1 Born Islington, N1, London, Dec 25, 1921. Died Bletchley, Bucks, April 19, 2000 2 Pickens, Mary Brooks: Harmony in Dress: The Charm of Beautiful Clothes; Good Taste in Dress; Dress Foundations,
Chapter 2, Corsets and Dress Foundations Section 29, Hose Supporters, published by Womens Institute of Domestic Arts & Sciences, Scranton, PA, USA.
Appendix: Measuring Customers

A video exists of Iris in the late 1990's. It can be access from that treasure trove of corsetry, The Long Island Staylace Association. The clip is described below by Frangard:In the video, Iris is finishing off a pair of corsets by machining the binding edges on completed corsets. Iris is in the kitchen cum sewing room I came to know so well between 1981 and 1999. The video of Iris is in three parts which run into one another and I comment on each part as follows: PART 1, (three minutes) features Iris measuring a customer who wants a 20-inch waist corset. The scene is shot with the camera person actually standing inside the dining room which Iris used as her fitting room to lace in clients, and the scene is partially framed by the doorway of the sliding door leading into it from the kitchen. From the conversation, Iris measures her client at 24 inches and the second woman says, She (meaning the client in the black dress) can easily wear 20". She then talks to the man doing the filming and says "that's 50 isn't it?", meaning 50 cms implying that the client is probably European because she says very little. PART 2, (six minutes) is possibly shot some weeks later. It is filmed from the opposite side of the kitchen cum sewing room to that of Part 1, and features Iris seated at her machine sewing the elastic binding on the corset edge. The corset appears to have been cut to a small waist, probably 20 inches, and by the way Iris is manipulating the work piece it has a significant hip spring. Amazingly, Iris is doing the machining with the lacings all in place. Hence I would guess this is after the final fitting which has just been done with the client. Later in the video you will note a person standing side on to the camera, with a hand on her left hip. She then walks away from the camera towards the dining room sliding door and one sees the brass reinforcing rings of the lacing eyelets of a dark blue satin-faced corset she is wearing over a long skirt. This appears to be identical to the one Iris is machining. Incidentally, in that shot the client is walking into the main part of the house from the sewing room. The white door is the sliding door into the dining room where Iris fitted clients with their corsets. By the way, I note that Iris has rearranged her kitchen from how it was for all the 18 years I visited her there, and she has put the sewing machine beyond the fridge on the inner wall rather than under the light provided by the window near the kitchen door. I wonder if this was done to get the light right for the video?
Probably the last pictures of Iris Norris. Energetic to the last, she was already very ill and would pass away in the year 2000
PART 3. The last 20 seconds are of Iris talking to the client and her friend who are examining the pair of corsets Iris has just finished. The corset the client is wearing is clearly visible and I would guess she had two made at the same time, and had been laced into the first of them prior to the filming. Iris always liked to do the last fitting before binding so that she could, if necessary, adjust the sewing up between panels if the fit was found wanting at any place around the corset. If you read the terms of Fanny Copere they would mail you the partly finished corset to try on and return for completion. If you were a personal customer, Iris would do that on the spot, and alter if required, check again and once all was OK only then would she bind up the hems. As you see, it all took her about 10 minutes! As you will see Iris is still as quick and dextrous as ever but it is sad to see she is already much wasted no doubt from what had to be the slow progress of the illness to which she succumbed in about a year. You will hear her quick voice, cheerfulness and chuckle in the way I knew her to
be, as well as the deep sides of her hearing-aid spectacles. It brings back memories of a really fine and understanding woman.
Helen's Page
These photographs were volunteered by a fan of the web-site. They appear here since they are photographs of a real woman and not a model. It is refreshing that this shapely lady cared to share these photographs with us.
What is quite apparent as Helen freely observes is that larger ladies require proper support. The brassiere in the picture below is simply not up to the task required of it (and please, please, don't let the label hang out!). Above she wears a proper long-line bra, and what a difference it makes. Note that the frontal appearance (below) is perfectly acceptable and this is what one would see in the mirror, but it is worth asking hubby for an appraisal of the back view.
We are loathe to include modified photographs, since it opens up an infinite, and uncontrolled source of un-auditable data. These are included from the Spencer advertisements of the 1940's and 1950's because they serve to illustrate the logical conclusions of modified artwork. They are also quite well executed.

Some of the photographs that appear on this page have been taken to sell for charity and are therefore protected by copyright.
What is the Ivy Leaf Collection? At the beginning of the 20th century, burgeoning technology allowed for numerous inventions and patents, not the least of which was the flexible metal stay that replaced whalebone in women's' corsets. The sale of such garments, and the success of the industry, relied upon a legion of corsetieres, and those that worked for Spirella, the pioneers of the flexible stay, joined the company's Ivy Leaf Club. Emblems were issued and corsetieres could collect pins for each decade of selling. It was hoped that the influence of Spirella would grow and cover like the ivy itself. In a small tribute to these energetic ladies, we have named this collection of corsetry after the emblem of the Ivy Leaf. The collection started many decades ago in a draper's shop in Renfrew from where has grown well beyond its original beginnings in the parochial world of suburban Glasgow. It now contains over 500 items. Foundation garments from Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Egypt, Syria, Singapore, Australia, the USA and Canada are represented. In no way is this a comprehensive collection. There are many repeated makes and sizes of garment. Some are brand new and some show the patina of wear and care. Retired corsetieres have donated dozens of garments. Shop liquidations have added the inevitable odd, and therefore unsold sizes, and, of course, the advent of Ebay has been kind to the serious collector. Occasionally we receive packages from children or grand-children disposing of a senior relative's effects and uncertain what to do with "The mysterious underpinnings of an all but forgotten era." All we hope to achieve is to preserve a collection of garments and recollections from an era that has has passed. In 2009, an amazing opportunity passed our way where a group of ladies elected to make a calendar based on vintage underwear. The proceeds would go to charity and, as it turned out, they raised several thousand pounds in the process. We felt that it was a marvellous way to show-case the collection.
Twelve charming volunteers model a small selection from the Ivy Leaf Collection.
The ladies featured above, who agreed to model the Ivy Leaf Collection for a calendar, and whose ages span six decades, were all quite unfamiliar with corsetry. They represent a typical cross-section of professional females in modern Britain. Nevertheless, without exception, they took to their vintage underpinnings with an enthusiasm that surprised both the film crew and director. Perhaps they even surprised themselves! If you wish to contact the curator of the collection please email us at
Fitting the Charis Belt

The Belt
Many Prospective customers who really need the support and control of an inner belt -- not just for the improved abdominal lines which it will help them to achieve -- but also for posture correction, and for the relief from physical strain (that "tired feeling") which it will afford them -- will tell you: "I had a garment with an inner belt once, and I didn't like it. The belt was uncomfortable. It cut at its edges, and pushed my bust up." That is because she purchased the garment by her Bust Measurement, and received the Belt that came with it. It was fixed in its shape, its depth and its position. No doubt it fitted the garment purchased, perfectly, but when one considers the varying height and abdominal development of the hundreds of women having the same bust measurement, is it at all surprising that the one belt supplied with all garments of the same size, should fail, in most instances, to fit the purchaser's figure, or to prove comfortable?
The Charis Inner Belt

for use in Charis Lacer Control garments and girdles is different, because it is fitted to the abdominal problem of the individual customer, not to her bust measurement. 1st--It is Interchangeable in both its Depth and its Style. 2nd--Its Position in the garment can be Raised or Lowered. 3rd--It Lifts Upward and Backward, in perfect harmony with Nature (instead of merely pressing in). 4th--It Shortens with the Body in bending and sitting. 5th--Its Tension is Adjustable to individual need. 6th--In "Outer Lacer" models the Tension is Adjustable from the Outside (with the garment). The Garment is fitted to the natural development of the individual figure, enabling it to achieve the "grip" or "anchorage" on the figure which is necessary to assist the belt in the efficient performance of its duties. The Belt is selected according ti the length of the individual figure, from the top of any fleshy development over the diaphragm, to its natural groin line, and the shape of the abdomen.
Interchangeable
Eight different belts are regularly available for use in any Lacer-Control garment or girdle. These include Two different Styles of Belt, and Six different Depths.
Two Styles
Of belts are carried in regular stock. These are the "S" OR STRAIGHT BELT-for the customer whose abdominal outline is normal or nearly normal. "C" OR CUPPED BELT-Designed to support heavy or pendulous flesh at the base of the abdomen. In addition to the "S" and the "C" styles of belt, a third style may be ordered made up "Special," at a modest extra charge. This is known as the "CC" OR SPECIALLY CUPPED BELT -For the customer whose abdominal flesh is excessively heavy and pendulous.
Six Depths
Since the Charis Belt is made in Six different Depths, any one of which can be used in any lacer-control garment or girdle of corresponding size, it is a simple matter to select a belt -just deep enough to reach from the top of the fleshy development over the diaphragm, down to where it cups in under the pelvic structure, enclosing all of the abdominal flesh. SPECIAL BELTS (Extra Charge) Should be ordered by depth number, taken with the Belt Tab of the Measuring Guide. 'CC" Belts may be ordered made up Special in any depth necessary. "S" and "C" Belts may also be ordered made up Special in any depth not carried in regular stock.
Can Be Raised or Lowered

Since the well fitted Belt will enclose not only the abdomen but also the fleshy development over the diaphragm (See Page 14). the Normal Position of the Belt is with the top eyelet matching the 1st eyelet above the waistline of the garment. Hence this eyelet is known as the 1st eyelet, and the one at the waist, line of the garment as the 2nd eyelet. LOWERING THE BELT for the customer whose Bust is formed low, the Belt may be dropped an eyelet or two below Normal Position, to avoid cutting or crowding the Bust flesh upward. It must never, how, ever, be dropped below the 3rd regular eyelet (which is the first eyelet below the waistline of the garment). Extra Eyelets are provided at the bottom of the ,Side Flap to permit the lowering of the Belt. RAISING THE BELT-The Belt may also be raised an eyelet or two when necessary, to enclose a high fleshy development over the diaphragm, or prominent lower ribs. Some garments feature extra eyelets for this purpose, at the top of the Side Flap. Where these are not provided, a small Eyelet Tab may be inserted in the underarm seam, directly above the Side Flap. (See Page 12).
Lifts Upward and Backward

The so-called "inner belt" of the ordinary foundation garment merely presses inward (contrary to nature). Guided by the line of the lacers, and the diagonal seaming used to increase the support over the base of the abdomen, the Charis belt lifts Upward and Backward in perfect harmony with the great diagonal muscles of the abdominal "wall." A careful selection of the right Depth of Belt enables us to enclose all the flesh of the abdomen, and over the diaphragm.'
If the right Style of Belt has been chosen, it will follow the outline of the figure closely, anchoring below the pelvic structure. The adjustment of the Charis patented lacing feature will then lift the entire abdomen gently Upward and Backward, relieving the strain on the sensitive and often overworked muscles of the abdominal wall. Thus the abdomen is flattened, posture improved, and the wearer relieved of the strain on nerve centers that is responsible for so much fatigue--backache--headache--etc.
Shortens with the Body in Bending and Sitting

Made with two overlapping sections that "fold up" on each other in bending and sitting, the Charis Belt adjusts itself immediately and perfectly to every movement of the body. This feature enables the Belt to fit closely into the groin, without cutting-and to maintain its "anchorage," lifting the abdomen off the limbs as the wearer sits down. It also enables the upper section to remain in position, where it encloses and controls the flesh at and above the waistline, without the slightest tendency to crowd the bust flesh upward.
Adjust It Yourself To Fit Yourself

That is the theory upon which. the Charis Bend-Easy Belt was designed. Lacers, easily adjusted by the customer herself provide for the daily adjustment of the Belt to the just right tension for personal comfort, and to effect the desired improvement in the abdominal outline of the figure. When an Outer-Lacer model is chosen the tension of, the Belt may be adjusted from the outside, after the garment itself has been fastened. This is made possible by the fact that the Belt and Garment are adjusted in unison, by means of a single lacer (an exclusive Charis patented feature).
Determining the Style of Belt

To afford the maximum degree of support and control the Belt must "hug" or follow the outline of the figure very closely. A study of the two figures illustrated will help you to determine whether an "S" or "C" Belt should be chosen for the individual customer. The white outline of the second figure shows the normal abdominal development, and the shaded area a figure problem quite common to the Group 5-6 figure. Remember that there is a third Style of Belt that may be ordered at a small extra charge, when necessary--a "CC" Belt (Specially Cupped) for the extremely pendulous abdomen.
The Belt Measurement

This is to be taken with the center front, or "Belt Tab" of the Measuring Guide. First make sure the waist tape is straight around the figure, at the exact waistline. Then study the figure, and determine where the upper edge of the belt should come to completely cover and enclose the fleshy development over the diaphragm. Raise the upper end of the Belt Tab to this point. Make note of the line on this tab which comes nearest to the top of the waist tape. This indicates the Garment Eyelet into which the 1st Eyelet of the Belt should be laced. While still holding the upper end of the Belt Tab in position, measure -straight down the center front, of the figure to beneath the pelvic structure, and all body flesh. The mark which comes nearest to this point, on your measuring tab, indicates the Depth of Belt needed. Order Belts by Depth Number, not inch measurement.
Raising the Belt

When the Belt is laced in its Normal Position the 1st eyelet of the Belt matches the 1st eyelet above the Waistline of the garment. For some group 5-6 figures, however, your measuring guide will indicate that the Belt should be laced one or even two eyelets above its normal position, to cover a high fleshy development over the diaphragm (or prominent lower ribs). Certain lacer-control garments feature extra eyelets above the waistline to facilitate the raising of the Belt when necessary (see sketch 1). To raise the Belt in a garment that does not feature these extra eyelets, a separate "Eyelet Tab" should be inserted at the under, arm seam, at the top of the Side Flap. Keep this "Eyelet Tab" straight with the waistline of the garment, and exactly the same width as the Side Flap. Be sure the eyelets are evenly spaced (see sketch 2). "Eyelet Tabs" may be purchased made up, ready for insertion.
Dropping the Belt

The Belt may, when necessary, be fitted up underneath a fallen Bust, as the Bust Pocket of a well fitted garment will lift the fallen flesh. But care must be taken to avoid any tendency of the Belt to crowd low, heavy Bust flesh upward, as our customer sits down. Occasionally, for the customer whose Bust is formed unusually low, your Belt Tab,, when held where you feel the top of the Belt should come, will indicate that the Belt should be dropped to the 2nd regular eyelet (the waistline eyelet) or, in the case of an extremely low Bust, even to the 3rd eyelet. Never drop the top of the Belt below the 3rd regular eyelet or it will be uncomfortable, and fail to afford your customer the proper support.
The Well-Fitted Belt

1st. The Upper Edge will completely cover and enclose the fleshy development over the diaphragm (also the lower ribs, if prominent). 2nd. The Lower Edge will cup under the bones of the pelvic structure, enclosing all body flesh. 3rd. The entire Belt will "hug" the outline of the figure. 4th. The Lower Edge will fit closely, but not tight (or the belt may cut in when the wearer sits down). 5th. The Center Front Bones will be full length, and centered between the limbs. 6th. All other bones will end well above the natural fold (groin) line. Note: Order Belts by Depth Number, Style and Size. Charis Belts are made in Even Sizes only, and may be used in both the corresponding Size of garment, and the next larger odd size. For instance, a Size 8 Belt will be used in both a Size 8 and Size 9 garment.
Altering the Belt

Alterations should rarely be necessary, provided the correct style and depth of belt has been chosen. TO SNUG THE LOWER EDGE, remove the lower binding, and the front bones. Then rip the seam between Sections A and B for 5 or 6 inches. Trim the excess size (never more than 3/8" at the bottom of the Belt) from the forward edge of Section B, tapering to nothing very gradually (#18). Restitch the seam, replace the boning, and then rebind the lower edge. TO SHORTEN THE BELT trim the width of one eyelet, or when necessary, two eyelets, from the upper edge of the diaphragm section. Replace the bones with shorter ones, and rebind the edge (#23). CAUTION: Never trim anything from the lower edge of the belt, as this would destroy its anchorage. TO FLATTEN, a small dart may be used at the center front of the C Belt. This must not be more than 1/8 inch deep and must taper to nothing very 15 gradually, at each end.
Ask Yourself
Why are the belts supplied with the ordinary type of foundation garment so often uncomfortable? In what 6 ways does the Charis belt differ from that of an ordinary garment?
How many different belts are available for use in your customer's garment? What are the two styles regularly available in the Charis belt? For what type of abdomen is each of these belts intended? How many different depths of belts are there? In what depths are each of the two styles regularly available? What size of belt should you use in a size 9 garment? How do we determine which eyelet the belt should be laced into, for the individual customer? What is it sometimes necessary to do when the belt must be raised an eyelet? Why is it sometimes advisable to drop the belt to the second or third eyelet? How do we determine the depth of belt which is best for the individual customer? Where should the upper edge of the well-fitted belt come? What is the correct position for the lower edge of the belt? How should the correct style of belt fit? Is it permissible to shorten the center front bones of a Charis belt? Where should the alteration to shorten a belt be made, at the top, or the bottom?
Good service
is essential to the development of a permanent and a profitable Charis clientele - and Good Service must start with the choice of a suitable garment - for regardless of its perfection of design and workmanship, no foundation garment can afford either comfort or the desired figure improvement unless it has been correctly applied to the requirements of the individual figure. Our Charis system of Corsetry recognizes the fact that feminine figures of the same size or bust measurement will vary from each other in three vitally important ways 1. 4th Dimension, or degree of corset need. 2. Hip Type, or size of hips as related to that of the upper figure. 3. Skirt Length, or length from waistline to below fleshy development of lower figure. Charis Products of the same Size have been designed to fit every important combinations of these three points of difference. There is at least one Charis Product ideally suited for the needs of each individual customer. In analyzing your customer's figure, You the Charis Corsetiere will follow exactly the same procedure Charis Designers follow in creating the individual garment. A careful analysis will infallibly lead you to the one garment best suited to the figure requirements of each individual customer.
Degree of Corset Need

Every woman, as she looks into her mirror, sees two figures reflected there - her figure as it really is, and the well balanced, nicely proportioned figure she hopes her new foundation garment will help her to achieve. The ordinary foundation garment is designed to fit primarily the body's measurements, but the difference between our customer's figure as it really is and the figure she hopes to achieve, is not just a question of measurements. There is another consideration of equal, if not greater, importance - the condition of the body. What do we mean by condition? The condition of the body is determined by whether the muscles are still firm and vigorous, with the result that the outline of the figure is both sharply defined and nicely rounded - or whether tired flabby muscles have let the structure of the body slump, the abdomen to sag, hips to spread, posture to become faulty and superfluous flesh to form over the shoulder blades, through the waistline, etc. It's this condition of the body that determines the individual degree of corset need, or in other words, the type of foundation garment needed to enable the individual wearer to achieve the desired figure improvement. Because this condition of the body cannot be measured with tape, it is always constituted the most difficult problem to evaluate with any degree of accuracy. The Charis Corsetiere alone is equipped to "measure" or appraise the body's condition accurately, through the use of her clever scientific garment selector - the Charisometer.
4th Dimensional Corsetry

All figures devided into three groups, on the basis of their 4th dimension, or degree of corset need, as follows Group 1-2 Needing Guidance and very light control. Group 3-4 Needing Control and moderate support. Group 5-6 Needing Correction and adequate support.
The Charis Line is comprised of three distinctly individual groups of products, each of which has been designed especially to meet the corset needs of one of these three Figure Groups. The First Symbol of the Charis Style Code always indicates the Figure Group - or degree of corset need - for which the individual Product has been designed. Note: Only one of the two numerals used to designate the Figure Group is included in the Code of the individual Product. Where the odd number 1,3 or 5 is used, the Product affords a lesser degree of figure influence than afforded by those Products identified by the corresponding even number 2, 4 or 6. Examples Figure Group 1-2 Figure Group 3-4 Figure Group 5-6 Lighter Control 1A4 3A5 5A5 Firmer Control 2A4 4A5 6A5
Three Hip Types

Figures of the same size or bust measurement will vary greatly in their proportions and hip development. This gives rise to difficulty in fitting the individual figure in the ordinary foundation garment, designed only for the figure with an average hip development, because it must be chosen to a size large enough to fit the most developed part of the figure, and altered, often quite extensively, where the figure is smaller. To overcome this difficulty, at the same time affording the individual customer far better results than can be achieved through the use of alterations, each size of Charis garment is made in three different hip developments to fit the three outstanding Hip types as follows Narrow Hip Average Hip Full Hip Hips large or full in relation to the size of figure at the Bust and Waist.
The Hips are Narrow in relation to the size of the figure Hips evenly proportioned or Average in relation to the at the Bust and Waist. size of the figure at the Bust and Waist.
The second Symbol of the Style Code used to identify the individual Charis product will always be the letters "N", "A" or "F", indicating the Hip Type of the figure for which the individual Product is intended. Examples- Narrow Hip: 5N5, Average Hip 5A5, Full Hip 5F5
Corset Skirt Length

The most frequently encountered of all corsetry problems is that of the garment "riding up" on the figure, yet thousands of garments are being bought by size alone, without a thought for their Skirt Length. To achieve the anchorage necessary to keep it in place throughout the day, a foundation garment must be just long enough to cup in under the full curve of the thighs and lower back, completely enclosing the fleshy development of the lower figure. Women of not only the same Size but also the same height, wil vary decidedly in their length from the waistline down. For this reason Charis Products of the same size are available in Skirt Lengths varying from 13 to 18 inches. (A special 19 inch length may be ordered at an extra charge). The Third Symbol of the Charis Style Code always indicates the Skirt length of the individual Product, taken from the waistline down, at the underarm seam - as follows3-13 Inch Skirt Length 4-14 Inch Skirt Length 5-15 Inch Skirt Length Examples 5A3: 13 inch Skirt, 5A5 15 inch Skirt, 5A7: 17 inch Skirt 6-16 Inch Skirt Length 7-17 Inch Skirt Length 8-18 Inch Skirt Length
Three Symbol Basic Corset

You can now see that the first three Symbols of the Charis Style Code ( for all Products other than Bandeaux or Brassieres) constitute a basic code, covering the three outstanding points of difference found in feminine figures of the same Size and the corresponding points of difference found in Charis Products of the same Size, as follows: 1srt Symbol - 4th Dimension (Figure Group) 2nd Symbol - Hip Type (whether N, A or F) 3rd Symbol - Skirt Length Example - A Product for which the Basic Code is 5A7 should be chosen for the customer whose figure analysis indicates "5" Figure Group No. 5 needing control and adequate support. "A" Average Hip Type "7" 17 inch Skirt Length. All Charis Products designated by the same three symbol Basic Code are designed, of course for the same figure - the figure whose analysis results in the same three symbols and it is only when a Product with a Basic Code corresponding to her individual figure analysis is chosen that our customer will enjoy the maximum comfort and figure improvements from her Charis.
Figure Analysis
Charis Figure analysis chart. There are five part of the figure that are vitally important to the beauty of the feminine silhouette. The condition of each of these five vital parts must be considered in appraising the 4th Dimension, or corset need of the individual figure. These five parts (which from now on are spoken of as Factors) are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Shoulder Blades Waist and Diaphragm Abdomen Hips and thighs Posture
Appraise the condition of each of these Factors as follows: "A" - Firm flesh. Figure line Good. "B" Moderately fleshy. Need for minor figure improvement. "C" Fleshy. Figure line needs correction. Be sure to check the condition determined upon for the individual Factor, in the box provided on the Figure Analysis Chart, as you write down the result of the nearest measurement. Be sure that the condition of all five Factors has been appraised and checked before turning to your Charisometer to add up these conditions, thereby determining your customer's Figure group.
To Determine the Figure Group

Use your Charisometer to add up the corset need indicated by the condition you determined for each of the five Factors.
The Charisometer consists of three parts which we will refer to as the "BODY" - this is the transparent outer part or jacket on which you will find the red and blue Figure Group Bar. "SLIDE" - This is the moveable inner section on which you will find the "Index Points" for the A, B or C condition of the individual Foctors. "FINDER" - This is the moveable transparent band around the Body, in the center of which you will find a red "Arrow Line".
To Operate the Charisometer

First make sure that the Body and Slide are even at the ends, and that the red arrow line is directly over the red Index Line - then note the ?condition?? for the 1st Factor, Shoulder Blades. Let us assume that this is "B". Proceed to 1st - Move the Finder to the right, until it is directly over the 1B Index Point. 2nd - Move the Slide to the right until the Index Line is again directly under the Arrow Line. Do not move either the Finder or Slide backward, but proceed to consider the condition for the next Factors in the order listed. For example Factor 2Factor 3Factor 4Factor 5Waist and Diaphragm Condition checked "B". Abdomen. Condition checked "B". -Repeat Steps1 and 2 - first moving the Finder until the Arrow is directly under the 2B Index Point - then moving the slide until the Index Line is again directly under the Arrow Line. - Move the Finder until the Arrow Line is over the 3B Index Point - then move the Slide until the Index Line is again directly under the Arrow Line.
Hips and Thighs. Condition checked -Since the Arrow Line is already at the 4A Index Point it becomes ??? that when the "A" condition has been "A". checked for any Factor, neither the Finder nor the Slide need be moved. Pass on to the next Factor. Posture. Condition checked "C". -Move the Finder until the Arrow Line is over the 5C Index Point - then move the Slide until the Index Line is directly under the Arrow Line.
When all five Factors have been considered the Arrow Line will point to your customer's correct Figure Group, which in this case is Five. Note: Occasionally the Arrow Line will reach Group 6 before all five Factors have been considered. When this happens there is no need to consider the remaining Factors, because Group 6 garments afford maximum control for all five of these.
Recognize Customer Preference

After completing your analysis you should conscientiously direct your customer's attention to the group of garments which, as indicated by your Charisometer, have been especially designed for her exact degree of corset need, or in other words, to fit her all important 4th Dimension. Note: When the Arrow Line points to a part of the Figure Group Bar which is half red, half blue, the customer's 4th Dimension places her on the borderline, between two groups. She may be fitted in a garment chosen for either group, but as a rule she will prefer a garment chosen from the group indicated by the smaller number. For example, most customer whose figure are on the borderline between Group 2-3 will prefer a Group 2 model, and those on the borderline between Group 4-5 will prefer a Group 4 model. Should your customer express a fixed preference for a type of garment other than that indicated by her analysis, you should immediately explain that this will not be as effective in its influence upon her figure because it represents a compromise between her needs and her prefere4nces, but that if it is what she likes and wants, her pleasure in wearing it may be greater than would result from the wearing of a different type of garment even though this afforded greater figure improvement.
Choosing the Garment

Choose a garment your customer will like well enough to wear daily, and buy again. There is no Good reason to be going through the sale of a garment that our customer lays away in her dresser drawer - no matter how perfectly that garment may be suited to her figure needs.
The Customer's Measurements

must be taken carefully, and at the point, or they will not be accurate.
Have Customer Disrobe

The most accurate measurements are those taken over the uncorseted figure wearing just a slip or light undergarment. 1st - Take Bust measurement straight around the figure in line with the fullest point. 2nd - Take Waist Measurement straight around at the natural waistline. 3rd - Take abdominal Measurement axactly 4 inches below the natural waistline. Note: The Bust, Waist and Abdominal Measurements are used to determine the Size of Garment (or Girdle) needed. 4th - Take Hip Measurement exactly 8 inches below the natural waistline. Note: The Hip Measurement is compared with the Size of garment needed to determine the Customer's Hip Type. 5th - Take Skirt Length measurement at the side of figure (underarm) from the exact waistline to below fleshy development of thighs and lower back.
The Charis Measuring Guide

This clever device indicates just where each measurement (except the bust) is to be taken. It serves also as a guide in keeping the Tape Measure straight around the figure, parallel with the floor. The long unprinted tape is placed around the customer's figure to mark the waistline. Then the center, or "Belt Tab", is drawn to the center front of the figure and one of the side, or "Skirt Tabs" is drawn to each side, at the underarm. The correct point for the taking of the abdominal measurement (4 inches below waistline) and also the Hip Measurement (8 inches below Waistline) is identified by a heavy line and by instructions printed right on each of the Tabs of the Guide. Each of the Skirt Lengths in which various Charis Products are available is also indicated by a line printed on each of the Skirt Length Tabs. Note: Consult Sertvice Reference Unit No. 2 for information relative to the taking of the Belt Measurement. Keep a small rubber band around the long loop of the Belt Tab, just below the Waist tape, to keep this Tab from slipping over the Skirt Tab.
Post Mark the Waistline

The customer's Waistline is a sort of measuring center which we must locate before starting to take her measurements. Place your hands around the figure from in back, with the thumbs on the spine. Ask her to bend, first to one side and then to the other. Feel for this bend. The point where it occurs is the figure's true Waistline. Place the long tape of the Measuring Guide straight around the figure in line with this bend. Pass the end of the tape through both slides of the buckle and draw it in to fit the body. To fasten, double the end of the tape to make a loop and pass this loop back over the one slide of the buckle and under the other. Draw the Belt Tab to the exact center front of the figure, and one of the Skirt Taps to each underarm, as illustrated. Do not remove the Guide until all of the measurements have been taken. To unfasten, simply pull on the end.
Taking the Bust Measurement

IMPORTANT: it is best to sit down for the taking of the measurements ( with the exception of the Waist measurement), as this brings your eye on a line with your problem. take Bust, Waist, Abdomen and Hip Measurements from the back of the figure, so the customer can help you by holding the Tape Measure in place in the front. From the side, study the silhouette of the figure to determine the point of fullest development. Normally this will be five or more inches above the waistline. Bear in mind that the Bust Measurement is never to be taken less than five inches above the waistline, as a measurement taken below that point would fail to include the wide part of the chest and shoulder blade structure, which msut be comfortable. Place the Tape Measure straight across the front of the figure right at the fullest point (but not less than 5 inches above the Waistline), with the 17 inches mark directly ??? ask the customer to assist you by ??? position over each bust. Draw the ??? back, holding it just smooth with ??? at the exact point where it laps. This ??? Bust Measurement. Do not try to re??? all the measurements have been taken, but ??? on her Figure Analysis Chart - checking, at the same time the condition of the Shoulder Blade factor.
Take the Waist Measurement with Customer Seated

Drop the Tape to your customer's Waistline. Make sure that it is straight with the floor and directly over the Waistline Tape. Stand up. Ask your customer to "Please be seated," letting the Tape Measure respond to the natural expansion of the figure as she does so. This measurement should always be taken slightly easy. Note: If you are using the Code side of the Charis Tape Measure be sure to lap this to the special point indicated for the taking of the Waist Measurement. Check the condition of the Waistline and Diaphragm Factor on the Figure Analysis Chart, as you write the Waist Measurement down.
Taking the Abdominal Measurement

The first of the heavy lines printed on the Tabs of the measuring guide indicate where the Abdominal Measurement is to be taken. Draw the Tape Measure until it covers these lines. Make sure the Tape is straight around, parallel with the floor. This measurement will come, on many figures, directly over one of the most positive??? the structure of the body, the "hip??? be careful to draw the tape just??? the flesh, not snug. ??? unduly hard, or the hip bones ??? take the Abdominal ???tly easy. ??? check the A, B or C condition of the abdominal Factor as you write the Abdominal Measurement down.
Taking the Hip Measurement

Draw the tape down until it covers the second row of heavy lines on the Tabs of your Guide, indicating where the Hip Measurement should be taken. Check to be sure the Tape is Parallel with the floor. Most customers like their foundation garment to fit snugly over the hips and thighs, so for normal flesh conditions the Tape Measure may be drawn until it dents the fleshy outline just a little, in taking this measurement. If the flesh is unduly hard or the bone structure thinly padded, do not dent, but draw the Tape Measure just smooth with the flesh. Check the condition of the Hip and Thigh factor as you write the Hip Measurement down.
Determining the Size of Garment Needed

The size of a Charis garment is indicated by its size at the Bust. Every garment (and girdle) is cut at least five inches smaller at the waist than its size, so to determine the Size of garment needed for comfort at that point, you must First add five to the waist measurement Example No. 1 Bust 39 Example No. 2 Bust 39
Waist 33 +5 38
Abdomen 39
Waist 35 +5 40
Abdomen 39
Now you can see that the size 39 garment called for by the first customer's Bust Measurement will also fit comfortably through the waistline, but the second customer must have a Size 40 garment for comfort at that point. After adding the necessary 5 to the waist measurement compare the result with the Bust and Abdominal Measurement. The the largest number resulting from these three measurements is the Size of the garment needed. Example No.1 Example No. 1 Bust 40 Example No. 2 Bust 40 Example No. 3 Bust 40
Waist 34 +5 39 Size 40 Garment needed
Abdomen 39
Abdomen 40
Abdomen 41
Determine the size of Girdle Needed

??? measurement. Compare the result with the Abdominal Measurement. The larger of the two numbers is the size of the Girdle needed. Example No. 1 Bust 40 Example No. 2 Bust 40
Waist 34 +5 39 Size 39 Girdle needed
Abdomen 38
Hip 42
Waist 34 +5 39
Abdomen 40
Hip 42
Size 40 Girdle needed
The Customer's Hip Type

is determined by the relationship of the Hip Measurement to the Size of the Garment Needed.
Here is a chart which shows very clearly the relative Hip Measurements that are best taken care of by each of the three Hip Types. Size 40 Garment Needed Hip Measurement 39-40 "N" hip Type 41 - 42 - 43 "A" Hip Type 44 - 45 "F" Hip Type
Rules for Determining the Hip Type

The Hip type is "A" - When the Hips measure one to three inches larger than the size of garment (girdle) needed. The Hip type is "N" - When the Hips measure the same or smaller than the size of Garment (Girdle) needed. The Hip type is "F" - When the Hips measure four or more inches larger than the size of Garment needed. Size Needed 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 Hip Measurement 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 (Choose outer-lacer model) Hip type N N A A A F F F
1 inch smaller than Size needed Same as Size needed 1 inch larger than size needed 2 inches larger than size needed 3 inches larger than size needed 4 inches larger than size needed 5 inches larger than size needed 6 inches larger than size needed
To Determine the Skirt Length

Take the Skirt Length measurement at the side of the figure (underarm) from the natural waistline to a point well below the fleshy development of tighs and lower back. Use a Skirt Tab of the Measuring Guide. Hold the Guide at the Waistline with one hand, and spreading the other wide, run it down the side of the figure until it stops naturally, below thge curve of the flesh. Read the measurements printed on the skirt tab tape at the point where your hand stops. This is the skirt length needed. When in doubt, it is wise to use the longer of the two lengths considered. Consult the Charis Fashion Book for information relative to the length available in your customer's correct Figure Group and Hip type, in the Skirt Length needed.
Special Skirt Lengths

???needed or outer-lacer model may be ordered made up Special in a 19 inch Skirt Length at an extra charge. Built-up shoulder lacer-control models may be ordered in a special 18 inch Length??? control girdles in a Special 20 inch Length. Dana material only. Remember, Special garments are not returnable for credit or exchange. Note: No order can be accepted for garments or girdles of the elastic control type, in any skirt length other than those listed in the Fashion Book. Check the condition of your customer's posture when writing down her Skirt Length Measurement.
The Charis Size Code

The size code of Charis Product is indicated by a number (as is, for instance, the size of a shoe.) To arrive at this ??? or Code Size, we have simply subtracted 30 inches from the regular inch size of each Product. 42 12 41 11 40 10 39 9 38 8 37 7 36 6 35 5 34 4
This Code Size will be found printed on the reverse side of your special Charis Tape Measure at the point which corresponds with the inch size needed.
Taking Code Measurements

The woman who is sensitive about her Size is apt to be sensitive about her measurements also a good reason many corsetieres, as the gain experience, prefer to use the code side of the Tape Measure for the taking of the measurements. The same rules are used to determine the Size of Garment Needed and the customer??? the measurements have been taken with the inch or code side of the Tape Measure ??? that when the Waist measurement is taken from the special point indicated on the ??? Measure automatically adds the necessary five inches to this measurement as it is taken. Bust 10 10 10 Waist 9 11 9 Abdomen 8 11 10 Size Needed 10 11 10 Hip Measure 12 10 15 Hip Type Hip larger by 2 is A Hip smaller by 1 is N Hip larger by 5 is F
Selecting the Garment

Having determined our customer's 4th Dimension, Hip Type and Skirt Length, all we have left to consider is the need for some specific feature, and her preference as to price.
Type of Inner Control

The type of inner-control featured by the models designed for your customer's correct Figure Group will afford her the best results.
Soft, Semi-Soft Top or Firm Top

This is largely a matter of individual preference. A semi-soft top affords much the same support as firm top, and it has more "eye appeal."
Built-Up Shoulder Models

Are a wise choice for the customer with heavy or pendulous busts, also the customer with faulty posture as well as when the shoulder blades are fleshy.
Long Waisted Garments

To determine the Waist Length place the end of the tape measure at the fullest point of the bust. Let your thumb carry it in under the bust following the natural outline of the figure. Read the tape at the exact waistline. A measurement of more than 8 inches is Long-Waisted. Such figures should be fitted with a girdle and separate Bra, or if in Group 5-6 with one of the long-waisted garments (5A72-L or 5F72-L).
Vari-Form Bras
Charis Bras are designed for four different Bust Developments, or Bust Types, as indicated. The first symbol of the Style Code indicates the Bust Type of the individual Bra.
Bust Types
1- Small 2- Medium 3-Full 4-Pendulous For Example1B 1- small bust B- Bandeau 2B 2- medium bust B- Bandeau 3B 3- full bust B- Bandeau
TO DETERMINE THE SIZE OF VARI-FORM BRA NEEDED, take a Rib Measurement straight around the figure, directly under the bust. Choose the size indicated by this Rib Measurement, as follows Bandeaux Rib Measurement to Size Needed Brassieres Rib Measurement 27 Size Needed 2 28 3 29 4 30 5 31 6 32 7 33 8 34 9 35 10 36 11 37 12 38 13 39 14 40 15 41 16 25 26 0 27 28 2 29 30 4 31 32 6 33 34 8 35 36 10 37 38 12
The Bust Type Needed is determined by the shape of the Bust and the relationship of the Bust Measurement to the Rib Measurement. As a rule your eye will confirm the fact that it is best to choose a ??? No. 1 Pocket when the Bust Measurement is 4 inches larger than the Rib Measurement. No. 2 Pocket when the Bust Measurement is 5 inches larger than the Rib Measurement. No. 3 Pocket when the Bust Measurement is 6 inches larger than the Rib Measurement. No. 4 Pocket when the Bust Measurement is 7 inches larger than the Rib Measurement. Bandeaux and Brassieres that are available in one Bust Type only must be chosen in the Size indicated by the customer's Bust Measurement.
Ask Yourself
What are the three important ways in which figures of the same size vary from each other? What determines the individual customer's corset need, or in other words, how much corset she needs? What is meant by the "condition" of the body? What are the five figure Factors that influence a woman's silhouette? How can the Charis Corsetiere appraise the condition of the figure, thus determining the degree of corset need? What does the individual symbol of the Charis three symbol Basic Style Code indicate? How does the Charis System of Corsetry provide for the widely varying hip development found in figures of the same bust size? What will happen if the garment chosen is too short for the figure? Should the customer's measurements be taken over her outer apparel? What must be marked before starting to take the measurements? Which measurements should be taken from the back of the figure? Which measurements should be taken with the customer seated? What measurement may be taken snugly? Which measurement do we add five to? Why? Which measurements are considered in determining the Size of Garment Needed? Which two things are compared to determine the customer's hip type? How is the Size of a Charis Product indicated? What size and Hip Type do the following measurements indicate? Bust 37 43 47 39 Waist 31 39 43 33 Abdomen 36 44 45 40 Hip 40 46 46 45 Size Hip Type
The Figesta Story
It's wonderful to know that made-to-measure corsetry is still thriving in Germany. Herr Schrter (the Director of Hakupa the orthopaedic appliance company that now owns Figesta) invited us to visit the factory in May 2006. Frau Schfer (Head Fitter) who has worked for Figesta for 15 years showed us the cutting and sewing rooms, measured me for two garments and was kind enough to answer all our questions. We recount below the history of the firm, the factory as we saw it on the tour, and the fitting and ordering process. We are extremely grateful to Herr Schrter and Frau Schfer for their courteous explanations and help.
Figesta Catalogue
History
The factory started out as the Hannoversche Korsettfabrik in 1951. A magnificent office and works were situated in Hanover itself, a city famous for fabrication and host to so many trade fairs, that a huge area south of the city is reserved for just this purpose. The business thrived until 1984, when the name was changed to Feise-Mieder, and then again to Figesta in 1996. A couple of years ago, Figesta was taken over by Hakupa, a manufacturer of orthopaedic appliances and the old establishment in the city was closed down and the remains moved to Pattensen. The present factory is situated in a typical, modern industrial estate that can be found in a hundred European towns. Quite anonymous, but new, clean and airy, the entrance to the establishment is quite unexceptional, and, on entering the offices, one could be forgiven for asking what was manufactured here, transistors or trainers ? A potted history of the Hannoversche Korsettfabrik on one wall is the sole give-away.
Once through the doors of the factory, however, there is no mistaking the purpose of this enterprise. The first room stores huge rolls of materials, brocades, coutils, sateen drill and lace facings. The table top at the end of the room is covered in corset pieces and the floor in discarded trimmings, for this is the cutting room.
Patterns hang on the wall ( above ). These are so important to a corset maker. When Spencer (amazingly) lost their brassiere patterns a few years ago, they simply had to give up making brassieres! The cutters select the pattern appropriate to the customer's requirements and layers of fabric are cut with machine scissors. Multiple fabric layers are a feature of Figesta's products, providing strength and warmth in the right places with a degree of flexibility in others. Corselettes abound (for model 100 is their best seller) both under construction, and garments returned for modification or simply copying. Figesta offer a variety of bespoke services.
Corset making isn't all sewing machines. Heavy metal jigs and dies are used to fabricate the metal parts. Figesta still have a few vintage corsets; Figesta ROYAL.
Manikins displaying Figesta's wares appear in odd locations, strangely juxtaposed with fuse boxes and complex metal jigs. Figesta historically made everything required for the corset from bones to eyelet holes, but these days, a number of parts are purchased and the old jigs and dies stand as a silent reminders of former days. Thousands of bones (left); a
fortune in dies hardly used (right)
The next room is the sewing room where the cut fabric in sown into the shape of the corset. Bone casings, eyelet strips, suspenders are added to each customers' specific requirement. The industrious lady in the picture is copying the corselette of an elderly devotee of the firm. The sewing machines are electric these days, but the layout of the floor is the same as it was 50 years before. Natural light in abundance is vital to protect the eyesight of the sewers in their meticulous and close-focus trade. The factory contains a few examples of the old foot-powered sewing machines. Below is a dedicated machine purely to produce the lacehole for corsets. Very specialised!
The factory also turns out plastic orthopaedic products, but even a casual observer would note that the space to person ratio in the factory is enormous, and that machines outnumber operators by a huge margin. I suppose the change of company name, the take-over, the re-location all spell pragmatism in a declining market. Should one doubt this, regard the images from the Figesta factory in the 1950's.
In the halcyon days of the 1950's - 70's, the shop floor boasted dozens of cutters and even more sewers frantically producing corsets both for fashion and function. Materials were available in all colours, and satins, brocades and sumptuous expensive cloths were available. But I've told this story before in the Spirella pages.
Let's be grateful that, although Figesta barely boasts a dozen staff with two cutters and two sewers, at least they still exist. Fitters like Frau Schfer still possess the skill and patience to produce a corset designed uniquely for its wearer. The previous Chief Fitter, who worked for the firm for 40 years, still stands in occasionally when demand warrants her presence. The picture below takes the fancy of everybody who sees it. It speaks of a bygone age, a busier corsetry trade and gorgeous fabrics. Unfortunately, the photographer caught the gentleman with the chalk at an inappropriate moment! The gentleman is in evidence in all the other old photographs for he was the cutting and sewing supervisor, so frequently a male job until female liberation.
The Figesta Process and the Fitting

Such is the modern world of corsetry, that virtually all clients now order their supports via a doctor in order to claim the costs from their medical insurance. Sadly, this explains the high price of these, albeit high quality, products. Normally the client visits the doctor who passes over a prescription that can be taken to a medical supplies store. A fitter, qualified by Figesta, then measures the client and passes the measurements to Figesta. The article is then cut and constructed but with unfinished seams. The garment passes back to the fitter for final adjustment on the client before being finished, either by the fitter, or back at the Figesta factory. This iterative process is a bit laborious, but it does ensure a fine, tailored fit. In our case, I had phoned in approximate measurements for a pantiegirdle (style 70), and so a half-finished product was waiting for me. This was no problem for Frau Schfer, for whom the removal of a panel and the substitution of a re-cut one is part and parcel of the job. She made some excellent recommendations on which panels might be doubled up, and which might be left single for ease of movement. It what climate would the garment be worn? Her questions revealed the depth of experience behind them. Although I have mentioned that the entry to Figesta's premises is anonymous, even anodyne, the small fitting area is utterly charming, feminine and designed to put clients at their ease. Pastel shades of magnolia abound, some models of their wares are mounted on
the wall, the whole comfortable scene set off by contrasting sunflowers. Somebody sensitive designed this area!
Figesta's main clientele reside in Germany, however, English translations of their brochures are available, as is an English translation of their website.
I have tried to describe Figesta's products dispassionately, however, their sheer quality is quite outstanding, and it is good to know that such manufacturers are still out there. Apart from displaying their wares in, what I hope is a tasteful fashion, Figesta's product line and choice of models echo sentiments that I have mentioned repeatedly throughout this whole web site As the bespoke foundation garment industry ground to a halt towards the end of the 1980's, the surviving garments were dominated by brassieres, with panty-girdles (or shapers) as a second-thought. It was, surprisingly, the corset and corselette that persisted, and kept companies like Spencer alive to this day. The girdle died a death and has never re-emerged. Figesta's products reveal just that. In an age where varicose veins are removed as a matter of course, nobody needs a girdle to hold up support stockings any more. Two models are evident in the pictures above. With due apologies to the very pretty younger model, it is Figesta's main model ( top page on the right) who surely ranks as one of the classicls in this century-old tradition of displaying the company's wares. Sufficiently mature* to display the garments realistically, this lady is imbued with such a charming expression, that I'm sure Figesta's sales have benefited as a result. I'm also sure that the vast majority of women that wear such garments are very much older than this model, nevertheless, she has a demeanour better suited to corsetry modelling than the sultry beauty (bottom right) who honestly would be better off in a fashion magazine. Possibly Figesta wished to advertise that black material was available, but black photographs poorly, and the incongruity of the model clashes with the verisimilitude that the other model projects. *When we say mature here, we mean in attitude, not age. The lady in the pictures is far younger than you think!
UNMENTIONABLES UNCOVERED
INTRODUCTION: A Quest for Realism
About ten years ago, I read an inquiry from a journalist who wanted to collect information and personal anecdotes on "the erotic aspects of women's underwear." That struck a chord with me, because it's a subject that I think is inherently imbued with eroticism. Women wearing underwear in sexual situations obviously have aspects of eroticism. However, I viewed this particular quest as something that was looking beyond an obvious, sexual context. In particular, I was thinking of those erotic aspects of women in every-day situations. There are many publications and web-sites available that cover the whole gamut of sexuality, and many of those focus on women in underwear and lingerie. I'm not against this interest. However, to write about what can be found on many Xrated sites seems rather contrived and trivial. I'm more interested in authentic, or unrehearsed human experience, which I think this is much harder to find. Virginian's "Zona", Sylvia Aster's "Bandeau Boudoir" and Zuhlcity.com/Cat_Scan are good examples of authentic information. Bust-up (Prentice Hall, 1971) by Wallace Reyburn is a cute (but fictional) spoof of the development of the brassiere. However, it does have some good early photographs from garment trade magazines. Possibly the items and layout of the ladies underwear department set in the BBC comedy series "Are You Being Served?" was better researched and is fairly authentic. Although usually displayed in ideal circumstances with relatively ideal models, nonetheless, the portrayal of women's underwear for sale in store catalogs represents a type of realism. These publications were what real women read and used to make their choices about the clothing (and underwear) that they bought and wore. Also, these images and their portrayal represented a real person's idea of what was attractive, what would sell, what represented current style, and (I suspect) some level or standard of censorship on what was acceptable for the depiction of underwear to be advertised in a family context. In that regard, the manner of portrayal of women's underwear at a particular period may indicate how the "erotic aspects of women's underwear" were controlled! Much of what follows here will focus on this last point. Therefore, I consider this as a sociological monograph as well as an exploration of the originally proposed subject. The first image I selected is from the earliest catalog in my collection. It was a celebration (in 1936) of Sears' Golden Jubilee. However, for me, it portrays an image from a time when the portrayal of women's underwear really got "interesting!" Live models were used who are attractive and posed in a variety of ways. Additionally, I noted that the outline and seams of the advertised garments appeared to be enhanced. This "highlighting" of the featured garment was a practice that continued into the 1960's, despite the technical availability of good quality photography and printing that should have been sufficient to clearly portray the garment.
This essay will document several trends in advertising images, cycles of style, and some curious anomalies. Additionally, I found about 145 patents that cover girdle and corselette design. Some of the drawings have been included to help explain various features and also because I considered some of them to be pleasingly artistic. I've tried to be very careful to present illustrations that formed the basis of my interpretations or conclusions about various advertising practices. Unfortunately, in most cases I have not found the answers to "why" things occur. I suspect that those answers were probably common knowledge at one time, and so taken for granted, that no one thought to document their actions. However, I hope that this essay may spur someone's interest and memory to come forth with the information. I deliberately slanted the selection of illustrations for this essay in favor of full-figured ladies. First, I greatly appreciate a woman with a well-rounded figure! However, beyond my personal preference, I feel it is fair to say that a large proportion of the products in this industry are focused on reshaping a woman's body - usually to make a full-figured woman look thinner, or otherwise rearrange her natural shape. I believe that most of this focus is due to the influence of culture in the USA and Western Europe. Interestingly, studies by Dr. Desmond Morris have shown that thin women are not universally admired, or necessarily considered the most desirable. However, millions of women (especially American women) for generations have suffered while they stuffed their bodies into girdles and corsets to approach this society's ideal. I think this situation was particularly sad for pregnant women who were only shown images of models with flat (or barely rounded) tummies up to the 1960's and 70's. Ironically, (perhaps deceitfully), the ladies who modeled heavily structured garments were usually not representative of women who would be most interested in buying those garments for figure shaping or reducing their figure measurements. Only in the last decade or two, have some catalogs begun to depict full-figured women realistically and in a positive light. During my research, I encountered examples of various "appurtenances" and ancillary items associated with women's underwear, e.g. girdle anchors, corset hooks, ribbon tabs, etc. Additionally, I found examples of "trolley" garters and "French" garters in the advertising copy. The archives of the US Patent office now available on the Internet represent a treasure trove of bra and girdle design information. In some cases, the accompanying patent drawings were executed in great detail. (I've included one sketch from 1873.) It was also interesting to see how women were portrayed when the patent diagrams showed how the items were intended to be worn on human figures. The evolution of these garments seen in catalog pages may be better understood in conjunction with the associated inventions. Some of my earliest memories (1949-51 - age 2 or 3) include viewing images of women modeling underwear in the Sears catalog. Later, my horizon broadened to include JC Penney, Aldens, Spiegel and Montgomery Ward. Generally, my interest has focused on images of typical, everyday items rather than the fanciful - "Frederick's" or "Victoria's Secret" type wear (although some of those garments are interesting, also). At various times in the past two decades, I preserved some of those documents. However, most of those early images live on only in my memory. As I got older, I developed an interest in antiques. While browsing through an antique shop, I saw a catalog from the 1960's - hardly an "antique", but still an artifact from the time of my growing up. Naturally, I flipped to my "favorite" part. As I looked at the images that had enchanted me years before, I realized that it was a kind of "time capsule", and I bought it. Since that time, I've acquired a small collection that covers a fair span of time. (See Appendix 1.) I wondered if parts of my collection might contain anything that could help the journalist in his quest. As I reviewed my collection chronologically, I realized that there were changes that occurred over time that didn't seem to be related to simply changes of style or materials. Of course, some changes in the images themselves were related to the quality of paper and printing process - especially the introduction of color. These changes did not represent a steady evolution. Many times catalog companies resorted to inferior paper or printing. Therefore, some images from the 1940's are superior to images in the 1980's. However, other changes seemed to have no logical origin.
The Stocking-Garter Connection

One of the first things that caught my attention in the earliest catalogs (such as the initial 1936 Sears image) was that the models wearing girdles, garter belts, corselets, etc. with garters, were shown wearing stockings! This shouldn't sound unusual. However, during a period from the late 50's through the late 80's, (depending on the catalog company) those garments with garters (that were intended for use with stockings) were mostly portrayed without the models using the garters. They were left dangling uselessly. What was happening during that period? The garments were essentially the same from the 1930's into the 1980's, but for some reason, they were not shown being worn with stockings. I haven't been able to pinpoint the exact time when portrayal of stockings with girdles ended because few catalog images are available to me from the late 40's and early 50's. (Some companies - like Montgomery Ward in the late 1940's, even quit using live models at all!).
Sears generally didn't show stockings with girdles during the period from the late 1950's into the late 1980's. However, as an exception, their "action leg" brief panty girdle (shown here from a 1982 catalog) occasionally was shown with stockings in the early 1980s. Another exception is discussed later. I suspect that the trend of not showing stockings was uneven in the industry as illustrated by continued portrayal in the following advertising used by Lane Bryant as late as their 1958 catalog. The model in the middle also appears on p. 317 of the 1960 Alden's fall catalog and on p. 284 of the fall 1960 Sear's catalog. As discussed in a later section, I suspect that catalog companies used copy and images submitted by manufacturers of various garments.
The 1960 National Bellas Hess catalog illustration also portrayed some of the models wearing stockings, but sometimes the images were mixed. The model on the right is portrayed wearing stockings (the stocking welt is barely visible at bottom of image) and the one on the left is not. The garments are similar - both are corselets with garters that typically would be worn with stockings. However, they were presented differently. Possibly, this image is a composite of two photographs taken at different times.
A similar contrast occurs in the 1960 Aldens. Both panty girdles are advertised together and have garters, but only one is shown with stockings. This is especially interesting since the image appears to be completely an artist's rendering (in contrast to the enhanced photos discussed later). Why would an artist portray these garments differently? The garter panty shown in the 1960 Sear's catalog represents one of the last time stockings were deliberately shown with garters in Sears for about 20 years.
Sometimes there were problems with depicting these garments without stockings. In 1965, the following side view of an open bottom girdle shows an example of a "dangling" garter - since there is no stocking for attachment. One way to handle such problems was illustrated in a 1982 photo supplied by an ad agency to Miller's department store. These images were 8 1/2" x 11" black & white glossy photographs with good detail. (My girlfriend at the time worked in the advertising department.)
The garter ( second left above ) appears to have been attached to the model's thigh with spirit gum to keep it from dangling loose. A slight stretching of the skin is visible in the detail image where the elastic garter is stuck to the model's thigh. It's also possible she wore stockings and that the distortion resulted from airbrushing the welt. Other times, I've noticed where the stocking appears to have been airbrushed out of the picture. The image from Sears in 1969 ( above ) was a miniature inset for the main copy and the stocking top was barely visible until enlarged. This was the only illustration in that catalog where there was any indication that a model was wearing stockings, and one must wonder if this inclusion wasn't accidental. This was also the only time I've seen the term "trochanter tabs". Trochanter refers to upper thigh. In this case, I think it refers to the two heavy bands that fasten at the side of the model's hips.
Montgomery Ward used another type of image alteration in 1972. The effect was to "fade" out the garters on the following backlacer corselette. Faded out like this, it is impossible to tell if stockings were worn. However, the hanging position of the garters in figure "E" suggests that they were not. Why then, were the garters faded out? The image from the 1981 Montgomery Ward, and the following one from JC Penny in 1980, show that the model was wearing stockings, but that most of the stocking welt was airbrushed out or otherwise altered except the slight shadow close to the garter clip. Note the faint shadow of the top of the stocking welt near the garter clips in both illustrations and in the following detail shot from 1980 JC Penny. A slight hint of stocking top is visible in illustrations from Sears in 1973 and 1982.
The model in 1980 JC Penny is wearing panties under the corselette. I have read various arguments whether a typical woman would wear panties under or over her girdle or garter belt (for convenience while using a toilet). At least, in this case, panties represent a reasonable choice as a garment - compared to the chiffon type skirts used for a couple decades earlier (discussed later).
As stated previously, Sears generally did not show stockings with girdles in the early 1980's. However, the example with the front-laced girdle appeared in 1982. It's hard to tell if the stocking image was altered, due to the low quality of the basic image. The earlier image in 1973 was definitely altered.
By the time of its summer 1983 catalog, Sears had returned to acknowledging the "connection" between stockings and garters as shown in the advertising for Clingalon hosiery. However, girdles were not shown with stockings until later in Sears. JC Penny began to display girdles, corselettes, and garter belts with stockings attached to garters, extensively in the early 1980s. Since the late eighties, I saw a general increase in the number of advertising images where stockings are shown with appropriate garments. There was a dramatic change shown by Sears between 1987 (left) and 1990 (right) as shown in the following two panels. Actually this change occurred by fall 1988.
However, it was more interesting to me to illustrate it with the ad layout from 1990 because it used almost the identical garments, grouping, and general arrangement as used in 1987. Notice that essentially the same garments are presented and in a similar format. However, I believe that the poses with hose represent a distinct and deliberate change of philosophy.
Stockings are almost never shown with a long-leg panty girdle equipped with hidden garters (the girdle leg is designed to extend over the top of the stocking). Shown here is an illustration from Sears in 1991 that is the only exception I've ever seen. The bottom of the garter clip is darker - indicating that it is partly hidden by the stocking welt. Also, a faint shadow of the stocking welt is visible under the girdle
leg. For other girdles and corsets, Sears' illustrations with stockings gradually increased each year up to the time when the catalog division closed (about 1993). Originally, I didn't "scientifically" record my count on an annual basis, but I used to jokingly refer to my rough estimate as the "Garter-Stocking" index - intending it to give me an idea on how uptight (or relaxed) society was getting to be. The measure was expressed as a ratio of the number of times stockings were shown worn by a model, divided by the number of garments shown that had visible garters where stockings would normally be worn. For example, an "index" score of 0.7 means that 70% of the garments were shown in their "proper" (to me) context. In the process of developing this monograph, I decided to actually perform this calculation using catalogs I've collected, and plot the results over time.
Mostly, I used Sear's catalogs for this analysis. The NBH catalog in 1960, JCP in 1972, and Aldens 1952 were used to interpolate gaps in my collection. Later, I realized that the NBH catalog skewed the trend of totals due to its small size - rather like a seasonal sale catalog used by the larger companies. This accounts for the discontinuity in 1960 data. For a long while, Aldens, MW and JC Penney led this index and Sears was last, until the early nineties (although Sears was better in some other areas, mentioned later). Spiegel generally was in a separate category, and today it appears to cater to a different, high fashion conscious clientele.
The following chart shows changes in the number and relative proportion of bras, girdles, corselets, and garter belts advertised in the catalogs used in the garter-stocking index trend displayed above. In most cases, the variety of bras exceeds the number of girdles. The heyday for girdles appears to extend from the mid-1950's through the 1970's.
I think it's interesting to analyze other trends in store mail-order catalogs over the last 50 years regarding photo quality, poses, image alteration, sheer fabrics, design, etc.
PHOTO QUALITY
Before the 1970's, many photos appear to have been enhanced by an artist outlining the garment that is being advertised and emphasizing the lines of seams and panels. This results in an appearance of half photo-half drawing. There is a distinct difference between the appearance of the model's face compared to the appearance of the featured garment. The detail from first image shown from the 1936 Sears catalog had this appearance as well as the three from 1960 Aldens.
Sometimes I've wondered whether an artist could create this enhancement. However, some of the patent drawings of girdles during that era show a level of skill that appears to be similar to what I've observed in catalogs. An example is patent # 3,009,464 by H. Owen.
Owen added "nubs" inside the girdle to minimize rideup. These "nubs" on the inside of girdle fabric were intended to cling to the woman's body, and be less likely to ride up. In patent drawings shown in later sections, even the texture of the fabric and the stitching on the seams is expertly executed.
At times, I wondered if this practice was related to problems of obtaining good photo quality or achieving good print transfer to catalog paper. However, this image of a roll-on corselette from 1943 Montgomery Ward shows excellent detail. - Even the weave of the fabric is clearly discernable in the original image when magnified.
Image alteration
As discussed earlier, airbrushing or other techniques were used to disguise the model's stockings. However, stockings weren't the only images being disguised. At times camouflage has obviously been used to hide the shadow of the model's nipples in transparent or lacy bras (discussed later) as well as the bulge caused by some
women's prominently projecting nipples. (An absolutely delightful subject in itself.) This has also been done to cover the shadow of pubic hair and the model's navel. (The latter was noted in the press about 1969 or 1970.) More recent illustrations have not been censored (80's JC Penny model in black corselet). Other methods of camouflage have employed inserts in a bra to hide the model's nipples. Also, body stockings and pantyhose have been used under panties and girdles (an evolutionary step from the use of chiffon as discussed later). The panties worn by these models in the 1979 Sears catalog have an open part of the design near the pubic area. This design is visible as a darker area on the smaller, inset images. However, in the main image that part of the design is colored as though it was solid fabric. I've magnified the images to highlight this and compared the images (lower right). I suspect that this was a deliberate alteration for the main image. Perhaps the darker portion was suggestive (possibly accurately) of pubic hair.
Camouflage
A chiffon material was sometimes used under an open bottom girdle or garter belt to disguise where the girdle ended on the model's body or to camouflage her thighs. This was shown with the waist cincher from the 1961 Montgomery Wards. Even the sketch that illustrates different garment lengths on the same page employs this technique. Chiffon was also used under long line bras, which resulted in a more "dressed" appearance. The "Sweet Music" bra was an example shown earlier from 1960 fall Alden's.
The model from the 52 Aldens catalog wears her garters over a slip. Some images from the 1920's show use of a similar arrangement. Michael Colmer (From Whalebone to SeeThrough, A.S. Barnes Co., New York, 1980) showed numerous images (including items from a Gossard catalog) from the 1920's where models wore their garters over an underslip or bloomers. In some cases, it appeared that the bottoms of the bloomer legs were tucked into the stocking tops, and the garters hooked unto the stockings. Therefore, these portrayals may have been a natural evolution from how the garments were actually worn in earlier years. An inset illustration from 1936 Sears was used to show the inner structure of the featured corset. The model is shown wearing a "teddy"-like garment. I have read that women at that time usually wore some kind of garment under their corsets to decrease discomfort from the stiff fabrics used in their construction. This garment may have been quite typical of the type used during that period.
In later years, I believe the practice of depicting models with an underslip, long panties, "bloomers", or other camouflage was retained for modesty purposes. In my opinion, these garments appeared in illustrations long after the time when these types of underslips were actually commonly used.
As shown by the illustration from the 1976 JC Penny catalog, (similar to the "body-briefer" from 1980 shown earlier), that practice began to disappear and the model shown here just wears panties. In recent years, some images are displayed so realistically, that the contours of the model's body are revealed in great detail. (The "camel-toe" effect.) The panty girdle illustrated by Lady Grace (1995) was worn tight against the model's crotch. In this case, the model is wearing panties under her girdle (note the visible panty seam under the crossed "vee" panels of the girdle and the top seam of the panty crotch band in the girdle crotch). Most other illustrations for long leg panty girdles are depicted in a manner that suggests there is a gap or space between the woman's crotch and the crotch panel of the garment.
Ventilated crotch inventor Harvey Williams (4,236,257 December 2, 1980) observed that:
While he is primarily addressing this problem in pantyhose, a similar situation exists for long leg panty girdles and long leg panty corselets. As the crotch of the garment is displaced down from the wearer's body, then there is more stress on the fabric, and the wearer's legs experience a binding while walking. The two models wearing "shapers" or panty girdle briefs from Sears (1990) illustrate a comparison of the two alternative conditions. More details about the problems of crotch design will be addressed later.
SHEER FABRICS
In the USA, some bras are advertised as sheer. However, the image of the modeled garment shows nothing, and it might as well have been on a plastic manikin. In some cases that alternative might even have been more appealing since modern mannequins are quite lifelike with nipples showing in contour (but usually not in color).
Alden's depiction in 1965 of the "sheer nude look", certainly leaves a lot to the imagination! Namely, a person has to really use their imagination to believe that this bra is sheer (based on the ad image). That same year, JC Penny also published an altered image of a transparent bra. Held up, it looks like a person could read a newspaper through the fabric. However, the model is modestly disguised. Interestingly, in that same catalog, JC Penny very openly showed how the "natural look" was achieved with Lycra spandex power net stretched over a very shapely derriere! 1960, Montgomery Ward had already revealed the "Tiger" panty girdle (by Peter Pan). A front garter is clearly visible on the longleg style illustrated in red, and that image indicates this garment was very sheer. Although some long-leg panty girdles in this decade appeared to have garters on the outside of the panty leg, I believe that this garter was an inside or "hidden" garter. The only other long-leg panty girdle on this page was equipped with hidden garters. Fifteen years later, the high waist panty girdle shown in Ward's catalog had a "cheeky" view similar to the previous image in 1965 used by JC Penny.
By 1978, Montgomery Ward revealed that once again, women's breasts had nipples.
However a year later, Sears was still involved in a "cover-up". Its very interesting to see that a lady's hand is clearly visible through the bra fabric (inset), but the part of the body where it's usually worn, is completely concealed. The sharp color printing used by Montgomery Ward in 1981 leaves no doubt in my mind about this model's nipples and large areola! Often, the emphasis in European ads is on transparency. As shown here, there is no question about the sheerness of the bra portion of this Barbara all-in-one. The garments by Susa were similarly revealing.
In general, foreign women's magazines offer interesting variety for this subject. As might be expected under the commonly held impression of a more open attitude about nudity in Europe, ads for women's underwear in magazines such as Elle (French edition), and Brigitte (German) are often more revealing than their US counterparts. The Susa all-in-one and panty corselette illustrate that modern stretch fabrics are likely much more sheer than usually depicted in US catalogs. Also, in that regard, some French ads for sanitary napkins make a point of showing a model wearing panties or a girdle where the outline of the pad is visible (Elle ~1972-73). The Internet web page for the Museum of Menstruation included a similar illustration that appeared in Sweden in 1970.
Quelle (meaning "source" or "spring") was a German department store catalog similar to Sears or JC Penney in variety and size. I saw a catalog in 1977, and the section on women's underwear was attractive and very revealing of the models as well as their bras and girdles. The bra shown here from the 1971 catalog clearly reveals the model's nipple.
Although I only have been able to collect one example from Latin America, this advertisement from a TV schedule magazine (Aug. 1998) from Guayaquil, Ecuador illustrates a similar open (in more ways than one) attitude.
Before the Sear's catalog folded (about 1993), many people were not aware that they published different catalogs in different parts of the country. Some indication of this may be observed from the alphanumeric codes at the bottom of most pages. Sometimes the entry says, "All". (I suspect that other catalog companies followed this practice, too.) I had relatives in New Jersey and was able to compare catalogs. I found that items offered and how they were displayed would differ, depending on location. While that was easy to understand for some products (like not offering snow blowers in Florida), it is harder for me to understand why types and styles of bras and girdles should vary and also how they were displayed. Was there really a consideration of more prudishness in the South? Advertising in newspapers seemed to vary widely, also. Possibly, this depended on region and urban or rural areas. I recall some of the artist's sketches for department stores in Jacksonville, FL were excellent (and some were erotic).
Background
In the early 1990's catalogs changed the type of background used for pictures. Image background went from sterile white to more natural (like the inside of a home) as color was used. When images were primarily black and white, I suspect that a plain background was used to insure that the garment stood out. The example from Lane Bryant in 1991 illustrates this trend. I didn't see Sear's ever adopt this before the catalog folded. However, Just My Size and JC Penny used this technique.
POSES and PRESENTATION

The talent and skills of the models and photographers combine in the poses used for various garments. Front or side (or back/ turning) shots were sometimes used to emphasize or disguise breast shape and projection such as with the Bandlette bra in Sears (1957). Sometimes the image is just an anonymous torso. The "high kick" used for the long-leg panty girdle in Roamans (82-83) emphasizes flexibility. The lady from Sears (1969) projects an interesting "come-hither" look.
The kneeling pose used by Montgomery Ward demonstrates the features of the "Action Back" panty girdle.
Black & white (or sepia toned) photos were universal in early catalogs. Later, more expensive color drawings or photos began to be used. The earliest color images I've found date from the early 1950's. The red stockings and pink bra and panty girdle set is a knockout combination to me.
This image used by Lane Bryant in 1991 approaches an atmosphere of seduction as well as using a home type background.
Montgomery Wards catalogs showed an interesting evolution through the late 1940s and early 50s. Their spring/summer 1943 catalog used live models extensively for women's underwear. One of the models in this 1943 illustration wore a "panty work garment" which was another evolutionary step. This garment along with the design of the "leg-band girdle" appears to
have been the forerunner of the panty girdle (brief). The image of a woman in a defense plant (appears to be working on an aircraft landing gear) underscores the necessity of more practical garments for women during that time of war. In this presentation, the woman's face is almost completely visible. Unfortunately, that was an exception in this catalog. Most of the images were cropped through the middle of the woman's face when underwear was displayed.
Four years later the Montgomery Ward catalog didn't use live models or drawings of models at all in the main women's underwear section. The fall/winter 1947 catalog (75th Anniversary) primarily used torso forms. The only exception occurred on page 188 where several young women modeled slips, and one in a half slip wore a bra. Spiegel in 1946 sometimes used a mix of garments shown on torso forms with live models. In some cases the forms were made as a stylized "mono-torso" (no indication of separation to represent the wearer's legs. This was used in 1946 by Spiegel (right) for the open-bottom girdle to the left of the more conventional, "realistic" form used to display the panty girdle.
Live models for women's underwear were not used for MW catalogs in 1948 and 1950, either. In the 1950 catalog, the garments simply
"floated" in air (similar to the illustration
from 1983 Sear s/s) or were displayed on forms. Sometimes the model wore the garment over a black leotard that resulted in somewhat the same effect as the ghostly floating image. Mostly, I thought these type images were very boring. However, the front and back images used by JC Penny in 1976 for three styles of "Subtle Shaper" were exceptional. I don't know the exact years when these policy changes occurred, but as illustrated elsewhere, by 1960 the MW catalog had returned to using live models. Later Montgomery Ward catalogs had good illustrations until they went bankrupt in 2001.
By their construction, some garments lend themselves to a particular manner of display despite the era when offered for sale. The heavily structured corset from JC Penney in the 1980s (left) is displayed in essentially the same manner as used by Sears in 1936. The main difference appears to be the elastic leg
bloomers worn by the model in 1936.
Many people (including me) would probably rather not think about breast cancer and the effects on a woman and her body. However, it is a fact of life. Therefore, I am including one example of a mastectomy bra. I included it in this section since Montgomery Ward went to some effort to depict a kind of "x-ray" view of how a breast form would be positioned in a bra. Also, I was interested to see that the form appeared to have a definite nipple shape. In the 1990's, JC Penny used the Jodee brand name for mastectomy specialty items. There was also a Jodee specialty catalog.
Revealing poses and images

By 1979, Sears displayed tight form fitting garments like the body briefer.
Rarely, the mainline catalogs used somewhat suggestive displays. The "Lady Godiva" image posed by the model using her hair as a bra was an interesting ad in Sears in 1969. Aldens showed Jezebel's Double Exposure bra in 1980 with the "turn-down" section for maximum exposure. Most catalogs previously
showed this bra with the movable panel covering more of the model's breasts. I suspect that this image has been airbrushed to hide her areola. A 38-D model would really have been spectacular in this.
The high cut Gitano briefs shown in Sears in 1990 barely cover "the essentials" - a long step from the figure camouflage of the 1950s and 60's.
Models
Carmen Berg (identified as a former Playboy Bunny on the Internet) modeled a "Timeless Comfort" brief for Sears in 1988. Playtex used the identical image earlier in an ad. A footnote by Sears stated that "Timeless Comfort" and "Spanette" were registered trademarks used by SRC under license (I suppose to Playtex). One popular underwear model was used extensively by RedBook magazine - in an article entitled "Underpinnings" late 1964 or early 1965. The
photography for that article was rather unique. The photographer had the model jump on a trampoline and caught her image in "free-fall".
The idea must have been interesting to the magazine editors, because they also included a picture of the photographer (male) with this lady. Although this image from Sears in 1969 is fuzzy due to enlargement, her face and hairstyle are so distinctive, that I recognized her immediately. (She certainly must have left an indelible impression on my young mind for me to have instantly recognized her 35 years later.) She was introduced in that article and I hope that a reader may be willing to share copies of those images.
Miller's department store used photography submitted by its suppliers for their store mail-outs. The original of this black and white photo was an 8x10 glossy photograph. The background was a typical curved matte sheet (to minimize shadows or reflection). This notice appeared in the Sears 1990 catalog. I don't know if this was the practice by all of the large catalog companies, but at least it is a definitive statement for Sears at that time.
Ethnic models
Into the 1970's, I only saw white women models in the major
catalogs. However, representatives of different ethnic groups began to appear after that time. Some examples (but not necessarily the first) are Black (1977 JC Penney), Hispanic (1988 Sears), and Asian (1990s - JC Penney).
FULL-FIGURED and MATURE WOMEN
I feel that a large proportion of the control garments illustrated in catalogs reviewed in this study are intended for full-figured women (and/or women who feel that some parts of their bodies may be more generously endowed than what suits their taste or idea of style). If this assumption is true, then I find it puzzling and disappointing that the vast majority of models used to display such garments are not representative of the size and shape of many of the ladies intended as buyers. I think this is a sad kind of censorship - to ignore full-figured ladies and opportunities to present them in a favorable, positive light.
Thankfully, there have been exceptions. I've tried to select some of the more attractive and representative images spanning from 1936 into the 1990's. Several full-figured models were depicted in Sears (1936), Montgomery Ward (1943), and in the Charis trade catalog (1943). Images with the model's face being partly obscured or cut off (as in 1943 Montgomery Ward) was an all too common occurrence.
Two large busted models are shown in Sears (1958), and National Bellas Hess (1960). Models with large busts do not automatically have proportionately larger figures. However, these models generally appeared to have generous figures although they were not really large women, overall.
A smaller model in the fall edition replaced the full-figure model wearing the midriff waist cincher shown by Montgomery Ward (spring-summer 1960, lower right). However, the model used in the spring catalog was certainly a better representative for a customer for this product. It appears that Sears and Lane Bryant may have used the same model in 1958.
Lane Bryant sold stockings sized for full figured ladies as early as 1958. (The idea of "extra outsize" may not have been especially attractive to a prospective buyer! However, the image used here seems like the essence of voluptuousness.)
Sears (1971) showed a mature full-figured model. Montgomery Ward exhibited a more broadminded attitude in 1978 with the introduction of "Big Mama" queen size pantyhose. The brand name wasn't exactly flattering to full-figured ladies, unfortunately! However, the image of the three ladies was certainly intriguing, since they were shown topless - covering their breasts by their crossed arms. Additionally, the two ladies on the left and middle represent a broadening of the range of models seen heretofore. Sears (1986) had special advertising for BBW hosiery for several years. This idea may have been picked up several years later in a TV sit-com called "Babes". I think it wasn't very successful and may not have run a complete season. A couple of the shows revolved around one of the sisters trying out to be a model for "Hefty-Hose". I watched a couple episodes and enjoyed seeing the full figured actresses, but making the ladies the butt of "fat" jokes disgusted me.
Catherine's (earlier "Catherine's Stout Shop") used full-figured models in their store catalogs - including an example illustration to represent the range of girdles and bras in their inventory for full-figured ladies.
Aldens and Roamans carried the Exquisite Form "Big Gals" line for extra large size ladies. The lady pictured on the package (image from catalog) was the largest I've ever seen in a regular catalog. However, neither she (nor any similarly sized model) was ever shown actually modeling this line of underwear. The combination of her picture and the image of the girdle on a smaller woman seemed strange to me. I'd have liked to have seen how this panty girdle looked on her.
Montgomery Ward in 1981included a section in their main catalog for larger sizes. However, I think the largest size model was primarily selected based on her full bust size. The panties were offered in sizes up to 58 and certainly were intended for full-figured women. I
would love to have seen those modeled!
JC Penny published a "Fashion Plus" catalog that included somewhat full-figured ladies. In the mid1980's, it was called "Women's and Half Sizes". This catalog was later renamed as "Liz Baker" - for their house brand.
Some specialty mail order catalogs focused on full-figured garments. One was Lady Annabelle (Boston, MA) in the early 1980's. Another was Big Beautiful Girl in 1991. Most of the items in those catalogs fall into the fancy lingerie category, (rather than every-day bras and girdles). However, I couldn't resist including the lovely lady featured on the cover of the BBG catalog. In the mid-1990's, JC Penny changed the name of its specialty catalog again, to "Sizes 16w & Up". The body briefer shown below is from that catalog.
In the late 1980's and early 1990's the premier (my opinion) catalog in this specialty category was published by "Just
My Size". The model shown in the example from 1992 is almost the epitome of my ideal full-figured model. More examples will be shown in following sections. However, in my mind, Just My Size exhibited the most positive and healthy self-image for full figured ladies found in any advertising I've ever seen.
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GARTERS
Four or Six Garters:
Garters are a characteristic of garments from the "Golden-Age" of girdles that seems to exert a special fascination. An example of that fascination was attributed to the young protagonist in Philip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint (1969).
When intended for use with stockings, girdles (and corselets) in mainline catalogs are equipped with 4 or 6 garters. Some specialty or fetish catalogs may advertise garments with more than 6 garters, and that concept also occurs in fantasy literature. However, I have never seen a store-type catalog image with more than 6 garters. Some typical arrangements are illustrated as follows. The two open bottom girdles from Sears in 1958 are equipped with 6 and 4 garters respectively. The panty-girdle illustrated on the same page is one of few that I've seen with 6 garters. Also, note that these garters are exposed and attached to the bottom of the panty legs. In later years, a more common arrangement with 4 hidden garters is illustrated by the image from Montgomery Ward in 1964.
I've had various theories to account for differences between garments offered with 4 or 6 garters. Does having 6 garters, rather than 4 imply higher quality? Perhaps, but then "higher quality" would likely be reflected in price. I have not been able to discern a distinct relationship between number of garters and price. In fact, that is why I selected the earlier illustration (Sears 1958, p286), because it showed two open bottom girdles with 6 and 4 garters, respectively, in the same illustration and at nearly the same price. From an engineering perspective, six garters would provide a more even distribution of attachment for stockings (and decreased stress). On page 316, Montgomery Ward stated in its 1966 fall catalog that its Carol Brent "panty and girdle" represented "outstanding value" because those garments used "6 garters to prevent stocking sag." However, more garters also require additional time and fuss for attachment for the wearer. Lacking any additional definitive indications, I'm left with the idea that the number of garters is primarily a matter of user preference! This is certainly a question that needs further input from corsetiers and women accustomed to wearing stockings and girdles.
"Trolley" Garters:
Sometimes, I've encountered the term "trolley garter" in advertising copy from Sears, Montgomery Ward and JC Penny. When it is used, it appears to refer to a garter that can slide along a loop of fixed length, where the ends of the loop are generally attached to the garment at separate locations (or some times the same location). The image for a double front, side-hook girdle in Sears 1936 identified trolley garters and clearly illustrate this feature. This would allow for some flexibility while still holding the stocking at about the same height on the woman's leg. I've only seen trolley garters used with open bottom girdles, garter girdles, garter belts, and corselets. Interestingly, I've observed that a garment with garters (that appear to be identical with the ones labeled as trolley garters on another garment) may be shown on the same page of a catalog but it is not
likewise identified. I strongly suspect the use of "trolley" garters helped give more flexibility to stiff girdle-to-stocking attachments. However, it did not allow much adjustment for stockings of varying length. (Hence, the practice by many women of folding the welt for overlong stockings.) In 1936, Sears also referred to "loop" garters on p 125, which seems to be fairly descriptive. New garments with trolley garters are advertised on the Internet as well as replacement trolley garters for repair of garments. The following examples covering a span of several decades were specifically labeled in the advertising copy as using trolley garters.
The ends of the garter loop are clearly separated in the waist whittler (Sears 1958), the waist nipper (Sears 1961), and the 1966 Montgomery Ward "cross-over" girdle. This arrangement makes it easier to visualize how the garter clip can slide along different parts of the loop to
respond to the wearer's various body positions. The long front garter loops associated with a typical open front corset function as trolley garters. The two boned, all-in-ones shown in the 1960 National Bellas Hess catalog probably provided very firm support and the additional flexibility with the trolley garter-stocking attachment would be a significant benefit. The high waist girdle (Montgomery Ward 1980's) and firm control corselette show examples of trolley garters (as identified in the copy) used in the early 1980's.
French Garters:
I've seen modern garments advertised with "French garters". However, that description seems to refer to fancy decorations like sequins - for show purposes. Sears lists the "Uplift Charmer" as having French garters in 1936. However, it has the appearance of a trolley garter as shown elsewhere in the same catalog. This is the only example I've seen of a "French garter" in a standard catalog.
Garter - Stocking Flexibility:

Ripped stockings were a concern of inventor Emma Bettinger. In 1920, (Pat. # 1,362,556) she developed improvements for a garter belt so that garter tension was better distributed whether the wearer was sitting or standing. Inventor Samuel Fry took a different approach to provide flexibility in the garterstocking connection in 1944. (Keep in mind that the high quality, sheer stockings of that time did not have much stretch). His invention used an elastic insert in the stockings themselves that would allow the welt to remain in a relatively stable position with respect to the girdle garters, but allow stretch near the wearer's knees. Inventor Sallyann Zanka (Pat. #3,130,730) developed a system of panels to modify the standard design for panty girdles in 1964. These panels provided additional flexibility to and maintain a more uniform tension between stockings and garters and reduce excess stress at connections.
Movable Garters:
In 1962, Benjamin Murdock proposed a modification to panty girdle legs to include multiple slots in a reinforced hem. Then the wearer could move the garter-tabs almost anywhere on her panty girdle to suit her convenience. Also, she could select the number of garters she wished to use. Garments incorporating this invention were sold by
Sears in 1966 and described as "No-Tab leg elastics."
I infer from Murdock's patent description (following) that he feels that designers have failed to consider functionality or user needs when designing garter attachments for girdles and panty girdles.
Garter Placement vs. Stocking Length:

The concept of a girdle, garters and stockings working as a dynamic system will be discussed in detail in a later section. However, it should be apparent to the reader that the whole process of selection of the right combination of foundation and stockings was somewhat haphazard (unless the woman's measurements were close to the "average" used by manufacturers). I am forced to conclude that each woman worked out what she could wear on the basis of trial-and-error. Depending on the length of the girdle and stocking length, adjustable garters had to accommodate this variation to fit smoothly. Shorter stocking lengths would be required when garters extended from the bottom of the leg of a panty girdle. However, the hidden garters used with later panty girdles appeared to be attached at varying heights along the thigh. Garments provided some allowance for length adjustment like the panty girdle sold by Sears in 1961. However, the relocation of the garters was probably to achieve the hidden effect and minimize "garter bumps" as much as any other reason. In some cases, hidden garters didn't always mean that the edge of the stocking was also hidden! Inventor
Mildred Bell developed improvements for panty girdle design to prevent rideup. Unrelated to her design, the drawing she used happened to illustrate a typical problem of "garter gap" between the girdle and stocking welt. (This was later addressed by an invention promoted by Burlington.) However, this image prompted my memory of a few times when I saw women (two neighbors and an aunt) in unguarded moments wearing shorts over a panty girdle where "garter gap" revealed the tops of their stockings.
"Goodbye Garters"
To me, this ad in the 1971 Sear's catalog is the harbinger of the ending of the "Golden Age" of girdles. Pantyhose had arrived! While some foundation garments with garters are still available, those items are definitely on the fringe of fashion today. The "Be-Slim" briefer in the mid-1990s still includes four tabs for attaching garters, but the copy doesn't bother to mention this. (Note that when they were used, the garters would have been located relatively high. This would have required stockings that were longer than usual.)
There were still some interesting
transitional developments in the last couple decades. Russell invented "Hiplets" in 1969. Later, Bozzini (1999), and Jones (2000) made modifications for pantyhose.
In 2002, Bronwyn Rice patented a new garter system (Pat. #6,393,622). It bears a resemblance to earlier "garter panties". However, her intent was to invent a system that would have no outwardly discernable bumps or seams when the garters were not in use. They are designed to be completely detachable. This provides convenience for the woman to wear stockings during the day and still wear the same garment later with sports wear and without stockings. I'm glad to know that some women still prefer stockings rather than pantyhose.
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DESCRIPTIONS and TERMINOLOGY

I have observed the distinctive use of, or avoidance of various words in item descriptions. An example of this is "crotch" being described as gusset, panty panel, shield, open bottom, etc. The words breast and especially "nipple" are also avoided. (Recently, the term "apex" was used for nipple.) Even descriptions that advertise breast enhancement bra inserts (with obvious prominent nipple projections) only mention the "natural" look.
Some terms may be colloquial, such as use of the term "suspender" in British areas compared to our term, garter. Another tem that I found puzzling was a "domed" crotch. (A corrupt mind like mine shouldn't be exposed to such situations that may lead to wild speculation.) The following two examples from Eatons (Canada) catalogs 1966 & 1969 state that the garments have a "domed" crotch.
Robert Shustack patented a drop-
crotch band with three front snaps in 1966 that looks similar to the Eaton's images. Several other examples were observed in the 1970 Eaton's catalog. The only common characteristic that I could see in the images was that each used snap closures. Therefore, I conclude that "domed" is a Canadian (and/or British) colloquial term for snap.
Innovations:
Most people today think this is a recent innovation; (reference "Slip" type Girdles: newspaper article in the early 90's). The "slip" girdle or "shape-slip" is However, the example from National basically an open bottom girdle Bellas Hess (1960) shows a garment without garters. They have also that could fit right into today's been offered with an attached crotch catalogs (except for garters). This and a snap open crotch. The crotch idea appears similar to the invention band is sewn through the front of by E. Rockwell in 1950 on behalf of the garment so that it is not visible the La Resista Corset Co. in patent # below the hem of the girdle. JC 2,503, 636. Penny shows an example of this arrangement in 1992.
Combinations with Slips: In 1970, Montgomery Ward offered a garment with full panty girdle attached under slip. Earlier, in 1957 Sears advertised a bra-slip with attached garters under the slip. This would be like a corselet with an attached slip. Aldens showed a waist cincher with attached petticoat and garters underneath on page 259 in their Fall 1960 catalog. An inset sketch shows a woman hooking the garters to her stockings.
Interestingly, the record of patents shows that the idea of combination garments extends back at least to 1927. That year, Gertrude Nickerson received a patent (# 1,624,558 assigned to Warner's) for a combination slip and top (not really a brassiere) that included a loose fitting crotch band in the slip. (A forerunner of the "shape-slip"?) This was one of the few times I found a patent for clothing that used an image with a face. Unlike one I included in a later section, this model appears "unusual" to my late 20th century eyes. .
Terminology:
Open bottom girdles: What is the dividing line between a firm control brief and a girdle? - and the term "shapers"? I vote for including control briefs and other garments with panel construction in the category of girdles. The following four headings represent garments that I think represent the general category of girdles.
Doyle patented the "Vee" design for the panels in 1957. The Girdelette from Lady Grace appears to fall into a subcategory of "garter girdle". The term "garter girdle" seems to generally apply to a girdle type garment (in contrast to a narrow garter "belt") where the hem of the girdle is above the wearer's crotch. Long-leg Panty-girdles:
Most long leg panty girdles have tube shaped legs. However, the "Sarong" design was intended to give more flexibility in walking. The other garments shown here
were selected to illustrate a variety of fabrics, panel arrangement, and garter placement. Note the difference in garter height among these garments. The girdle from JC Penny with the garters at the ends of the leg would use the shortest stockings. The green panty girdle from Sears appears to need very long stockings - unless the customer was able to buy long adjustable garters to use with the tabs sewn into the garment.
"Brief":
This type girdle is also referred to as a "panty girdle brief". I don't believe that "garter panties" should fall into this category because the basic panty garment doesn't appear to be designed for figure shaping. This lovely, full-figured model is wearing a moderate control brief (93-Just-My-Size) that I feel also should be considered on the fringe of the girdle category. In fact, inventor Fox developed a similar style (Pat. # 2,651,777) in 1953 and called it a panty girdle. M. Shibusawa described this type garment as a "short girdle" in 1984 for patent #4,476,895.
"Pants-liners": The two examples of "pants-liners" below seem to exhibit many of the characteristics of girdle construction for the portion from waist to crotch.
I noticed that there was a
lively debate on the Internet several years ago whether ankle-length "girdles" ever existed. Perhaps in the "trade" such a garment description doesn't exist. However, copywriters working for different stores over a period of 44 years (latest was Grenier in 2002) applied the term "girdle" for this type of garment. From a practical standpoint, I believe that these represent examples of girdlelike garments because of the multiple panel structure.
This is an illustration from the 1960 National Bellas Hess catalog, which specifically identifies the long-leg garment as a girdle. Lane Bryant advertised a similar, Fortuna "Panti-girdle" on page 79 of their fall 1958 catalog. Montgomery Ward offered a maternity version ("knee-length maternity panty girdle") on page 307 of their 1963 summer catalog.
DESIGN
Girdle design: This seems to be a field of constant innovation. A classic girdle (open-bottom) essentially has a tubular shape. As soon as a connection is made between the legs, many additional points of stress must be considered (as well as hygiene and convenience). Numerous US Patents have been issued which address these design problems especially the problem that women face when having to use the toilet while wearing a tight girdle and/or one with stiff bones or other supports. I found over 35 patents that covered crotch design. This problem was well described from a woman's perspective (albeit in patent attorney "legaleze") in 1976 by inventor Aileen S. Carlson in her patent application #3,974,836:
Using a toilet is a problem even for women wearing an open bottom girdle or corset. In 1948, H. Karcher proposed a back slit for a classic open-bottom girdle that provided a sufficient opening for sanitary functions without removing the garment.
In my opinion, when panty girdles (and other firm, tight fitting control garments) were made with a crotch band, then the problem of stress on the garment was amplified. Inventor Zoma Stephens (Pat. #2,344,374) addressed this problem with her 1943 design to add stretch panels in the back of a panty girdle to allow for expansion when the wearer bent or
Marion Chubby (Pat. # 2,705,801) designed a separate crotch piece with sufficient stretch so that it became a smooth surface when the garment was worn. She noted that the diagram (shown here) was drawn from an actual model. sat. The 1960 design by Rockwell of a crotch band integrated with the front and back panels of a long leg panty girdle illustrates the complexity of this style garment. This model is also a classic example of a long leg panty girdle with garters at the bottom of the leg openings. Inventors analyzed and planned for strain using various combinations of panels with different directions of stretch.
I found at least 90 patents for design of girdles, panty girdles and corselettes. In 1985, B. Pundyk illustrated the direction and zones of stress as part of his patent.
Crotch Design and Crotch Openings: Various solutions have been proposed for crotch openings; split crotches (recently called a "ventilated gusset"); buttons, snaps, hooks, zipper or Velcro openings; drop crotches, and combinations. In some patents, a crotch opening was also referred to as a "fenestra" (Cape 1964), and Shustack (1966) and Herbener (1942) referred to a crotch "strap". A removable crotch was illustrated in 1936 by Sears for "Sna-Panties" (This was not called a pantie girdle.) This arrangement and illustration is almost identical to the patent application by Edward Miller in 1935.
Later, in 1942 Evelyn Bulluch proposed using a zipper to completely open the crotch area from front to back. The stylized illustration is interesting due to the exaggerated hip proportions. I never saw this used in an actual garment. However, some potential problems may suggest themselves to any man having had an experience of getting something "hung" in a zip fly.
The 1946 sports brief with button crotch was advertised by Spiegel. This appears to be based on the patent by David Blair (#2,397,641).
A version of this garment was illustrated earlier as a "panty work garment" on page 247 of the 1943 Montgomery Ward catalog. The button crotch arrangement lasted until 1960 as shown by the ad by Montgomery Ward that year. Although originally intended for use with shorts or slacks, this model featured detachable garters.
George Diebold asserted in 1949 that previous inventions were improperly designed. Sometimes the fasteners were poorly placed without consideration of the points of stress in the garment and would pop open during use. Additionally, the shape of the crotch piece In 1948, inventor Frank Cohen characterized one style was poor since it would bunch up or become displaced of pantie girdles with a detachable crotch as being of the and cause discomfort. He addressed this with a carefully "fig-leaf" type. He was working on the development of a shaped snap-in crotch piece design.
simplified detachable crotch with a smooth attachment to the body of the garment.
The design of panty girdles with detachable crotches had proceeded to the point by 1964, that Manny Farkas (Pat. # 3,140,718) was considering the nitty-gritty details of drop crotch applications. He stated that his design was "for fully exposing the urethra, vaginal and anal orifices of the wearer downwardly, while maintaining the mons veneris area of the wearer comfortably covered while the wearer is standing." He also pointed out that a good design would facilitate the changing of sanitary napkins. To make this absolutely clear, he even included a drawing that related the crotch opening to the woman's anatomy. I found it interesting that only the anus was identified with a number (#51) while the other orifices were not identified. I've not seen any other patent in this field which included an anatomical drawing like this.
The illustration for the Carol Brent long leg panty in 1964 appears to incorporate this improvement.
Some garments had removable crotches that were designed to be inner liners (or shield) for the structural crotch of
the garment. As noted earlier, detachable or drop crotches didn't always remain secure. In 1958, Sears assured women that the crotch on this Charmode panty girdle would not "pop" open! Bathing suits have many design similarities with foundation garments (and some of the same problems). Other inventors referenced this patent by Gerald Finn in 1958 as they developed ideas for panty girdles. Despite many inventions, the Tantaline Hi-Waister in 1960 was using a detachable crotch that resembles the one shown by Sears in 1936.
The following diagram is from the US Patent application by Ms Carlson (her discussion about problems with sanitary needs was quoted at the beginning of this section).
The design used for the 1960 "Touch'N'Close" panty girdle from Aldens appears to incorporate the main features by Carlson. Possibly the production of the garment occurred at the time of the patent application which was finally granted in 1976. In 1950, Beatrice Wohlman wanted to make improvements to the more traditional split crotch design. In her patent she refers to the need for "protection". I assume that this was referring to some aspect of sanitation (not the other kind of protection afforded by a stout panty girdle!). She also addresses ideas for sanitary pads.
Some Other Types:
The design features of a panty girdle crotch were difficult to discern in most catalog images. Partly this was due to the location and to the poor quality of printing. In some cases, I suspect that the junction of the split crotch panels was camouflaged (for modesty?). There certainly is little indication of any split seam in the image of the 1961 Charmode LongLeg. Magnification revealed a thicker seam on the right indicating that there may be an opening on that side.
The seam of the "sit-open" crotch for the 1967 maternity girdle is slightly visible. By the mid-1990s, the printing improvements combined with color photography shows a very clear image of a split crotch for the long-leg girdle advertised by JC Penny.
The 1969 drawing for Patent # 3,486,507 by Robert Bregenzer and Amy Arnold clearly illustrated how this was typically arranged. A key point discussed in this patent was that the split crotch increased the overall flexibility of the garment for the wearer (as well as for sanitary purposes). The two crotch panels would slide over each other as needed.
These images from Montgomery Ward in 1964 and Eaton's in 1966 illustrate some other approaches to the split crotch design. The Sarong pantie girdle is interesting because it uses an open bottom girdle design to achieve tummy control. However, I have a hard time visualizing that the split crotch is practical with this design. Possibly, one side of the cross-over panel detaches to allow access and leg freedom. Some catalogs sold spare crotch inserts. Some were even disposable!
Some crotch inserts were for replaceable inner linings, and some for replacement of the "structural" part of the garment. (In the late 1960's, while conducting field surveys in a small community, I noticed one of these fully detachable crotch bands hanging on a clothesline with the rest of the laundry to dry.) Copy for a panty girdle on p 289 Sears assured the reader that the detachable crotch would not "pop open"! The "panty-corsellette" (79 sr s p186) utilizes a front hook drop-crotch band.
Concetta Cuozzi (Pat #3,746,009) in 1973 described a front hook crotch band to provide cover over a panty girdle or panty-corselette crotch opening. This is somewhat similar to the invention described by Ms Carlson. When I've seen this type of garment worn, I've noticed that the design of the width of the drop-crotch band was critical - to be wide enough to provide coverage but not too wide to chaff. One lady complained that the unhooked band could drag into the toilet if not held. The front hook arrangement may be seen more clearly in the next illustration and following detail.
As noted by "Virginian", such appurtenances could also have more than a "utilitarian" purpose. In 2002, inventor Jaynie M. Frazier developed "easy convenience pantyhose" (with an open crotch) so that "the wearer may perform bodily functions, such as urinating, defecating and engaging in sexual activities through the opening . . ." (Patent #6,457,185). This feature was also mentioned in the 1971 novel: A Garden of Sand by Earl Thompson.
Herbener in 1973 and Ewing in 1991 patented two other approaches for one-piece garments with a conveniently opening crotch. These designs were also applicable for bathing suits. Both employed a type of attached panty that made a second, outer layer of the garment.
continued ...
Conclusion:
In the course of researching and producing this essay, I've reviewed thousands of images and scanned over 400 pages from catalogs in my collection (the scans represent perhaps about 20% of all the pages). My intent was to focus on minutia (many people would say "trivia") that have not been researched and written up, previously. The reader will see that I've given a lot of emphasis to images of full-figured women - whenever I could find appropriate examples for the subject under consideration. In my opinion, girdles and corsets - any of the garments that may be characterized as "structured" - were strongly influenced by the needs and/or wishes of full-figured ladies. In that sense, I consider my work in preserving these images, researching, collecting, and writing this essay as a tribute to all full-figured ladies. I also dedicate it to the many ladies who have shared intimate - yet innocent images of themselves with us through catalog pages over the years. I realize that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". In my mind, the images of the full-figured and mature models scattered throughout this essay depict some of the most beautiful women I've seen anywhere (and I've had the good fortune to have met some beautiful women). I enjoy women in a wide range of sizes, shapes, colors, cultural origin, etc. I'm making this judgement not because they have a full-figure, and not in spite of that fact - they are just lovely ladies in their own right!
Cartoon from "Cathy" 1 June 1995 p 6D. The 1995 cartoon "Cathy" by Cathy Guisewite seems to express some of the conflicting feelings between satisfying the requirements of "fashion" and the feelings of modern women. It also parallels my own observations about (and enjoyment of) some women in bathing suits. This essay grew from a two-page letter into an extensive research paper. The additional images collected over the past 8 years enabled me to document some of the trends that I only previously suspected. However, in many respects, more questions have been raised than answered. The models, photographers, buyers, artists, and (most important) the women consumers from the "Golden-age" of girdles and structured foundations are fading into past generations. I truly hope that the questions I've highlighted may pique someone's curiosity, or prompt a memory that might fill in a gap about this era. None of this information will ever be earth shaking. However, for me it has been like a window into the daily lives of very human people. There is a scene in the Swedish movie, "My Life as a Dog", where the young protagonist has been assigned the task of sitting with a bed-ridden, elderly boarder in his family's home. The man asks the boy to read to him, and the boarder's choice of literature was the women's underwear section from a store catalog! Deja vue, all over again? - Who knows! I realize that this is a somewhat offbeat subject for a guy to write about who considers himself "normal" in most ways. However, I have thoroughly enjoyed this project. I have tried to treat it in a kindly manner, and I hope that the reader will not judge me harshly.
This account requires editing - 8th November 2008
III: TWO YEARS OF DESPAIR

INTRODUCTION The last instalment of this Odyssey ended on a black note in November 1980. I had just come off the telephone with Mrs. Norris who was about to retire from Gardners. We had been discussing my final order for a high top corset and a deep boned suspender belt. In giving this account of my Odyssey, as readers will probably have surmised, I kept a diary to record all my activities as well as my feelings. In the beginning I tried to compose this part of the Odyssey using them as notes without great success. In the end I transcribed them all the notes and by cut and paste create a narrative. I found this better, and I hope readers will indulge me if there is still a little repetition - there was obviously very much more in my diaries. Now having completed this part I would like to think that, through the wonderful medium of the internet, and Ivy Leaf's generosity as a host to contributors such as myself, the current generation will gain and understand what sort of difficulties a person such as myself faced, when my apparel of choice was gradually becoming unavailable in the sizes I wanted, between the late 1960s and the mid - 1980s. Today as I pen this introduction, I am wearing a G78 casual corset, 12 inches long one of many made for me between eight and fifteen years ago by Mrs. Norris, who I was to come to know as Iris. It is double boned. It has a pair of wide back steels on each side and a 10-inch wedge busk. It is laced just under two-inches open. I'm wearing a pair of Albert's "Waking Sheers" stockings made in the late 1970s, in black with seams and cuban or square cut heels so reminiscent of the late 1940s. Teach is held up by five suspenders, made up with 1-inch wide black elastic and chrome plated metal suspender clips. My back suspenders have buttons with central chromed steel rivets and were made before 1975 and were supplied to me more than twenty-five years ago by Mrs. Norris while still at Gardners. Later I will fit a high top to help keep warm when I go out as it's a cold day. I appreciate wearing them as much as I first did in 1978. A GLIMMER OF HOPE After sending her the money for my final order, I thought I would phone Mrs. Norris one last time to check that it was received as by now it was early December and she had only a few weeks left at Gardners. As ever, she answered giving Gardner's number 607-2001. During this conversation with Mrs. Norris, for what I thought would be the last time, I again asked her if she'd changed her mind about retiring but she said she was sorry but she had not although she did volunteer that many of her clients had asked her to do so. So I simply asked her to tell me if she did change your mind I'd like to know. I asked if she knew of anyone else and she said she didn't know anyone who could do it for men. At that I had the presence of mind to ask her if she could send me five yards of wide black suspender elastic, and 20 yards of corset lacing, and some black ends for wide suspenders with chrome plated clips and the ones with the button rivets. She said she'd see what she could find in the store for the ends which were no longer made. As to how much extra I should send her she said it was in the price I'd paid. I then asked if she had ever thought to work from her home. At that point, I don't know if it was the fact that I'd been a client for three years or, that the medium of the phone gave me confidence that seemed to ebb when we met face to face, but I told her how much I'd come to like being corseted and felt very discouraged, not by her decision which she was entitled to, but by the fact that fashion had changed and that corsetires were out of demand. At this comment she too was quite expansive and said she knew how I felt. She said she herself would never give up wearing the corsets and stockings, (which were fully fashioned and hard to get), as she had worn them for too long to change now.
I thanked her for all she had done for me and for how much I had learned from her. At that I think she must have detected a sense of despair and disappointment in my voice for in the end she said, that I was not the only one to say those things and that she'd thought about it but she felt she couldn't work from home. She would not have the machines like those at Gardner's to let her do the job properly. She said that others were asking her too and I sensed there were other clients who saw how bleak a future there was out there for not serious corset wearers. Her next remark after all these years still amazes me. As her l closing remark she said words to the effect "Well goodbye, but I'll tell you what. I'll put my address and phone number in the parcel with your order, just in case I might think again". At this idea I felt almost overjoyed. It had been the first break in the despair I had felt over the previous months. Although it was scant hope, my spirits were uplifted for several days, but as the weeks passed I sank back to what had become my usual despondent self. MY LAST GARDNER'S CORSET ARRIVES In due course, what would prove to be the last parcel from Gardners arrived. I'd had it mailed to my work to be sure of it being delivered to me. The long brown paper packet - looked almost like a roll of drawings and raised no comment as it was put on my desk by the office mail boy. I got home and opened out the brown paper wrapping of the parcel carefully and expectantly. It had been carefully wrapped by someone well used to parcelling corsets, which had to be Mrs. Norris herself, for she seemed to do everything at Gardners. I again recalled that I had seen a parcel of similar length on lying on the cutting room table during one of my first visits to 28 Barnsbury Square in 1977. Once open there was the brand new high top G72, my second. It was long and faced in black satin and inside it was wrapped the boned suspender belt, made to my exact demand was made with the gold spot facing. Whilst the new high top was of no greater length than my first miss-guided purchase in 1977, it extended fully 10 inches above the waist at the back. As ever I was struck by the stiffness and weight compared to what I had first encountered in corsets like the Contessa years before. When I saw each garment with its own set of four pairs of suspenders all of wide elastic of several lengths, complete with glinting chrome plated clips and length adjusters fell and hung below with every detail as I wanted I experienced mixed emotions. On the one hand I felt gratitude for being able to get them made to measure with every detail, as I wanted it and not to have to compromise or crudely alter it, as I would have to have done with what was offered in the mass market. On the other hand I felt renewed despair that the very source of the things I wanted was being snatched away by father time. I realised I was far, far better off in fulfilling my desires than if than I had ever been, but if the corseted life was to continue for the rest of my life I had to find a new source. Without touching the suspenders I could see from the way that, despite having been wrapped up for several days, each of the elastics sprung up to assume the curve it had assumed when first would on the roll from which all had been cut. It confirmed that they had been made with stronger elastic than I had ever had on a corset before. Also in the parcel was the coil of suspender elastic, a hank of corset lacing, and about 30 ends for wide suspenders. All had chrome plated clips and the much prized traditional button rivets. About half were black; a few were white and the rest pink. I hadn't thought about it but thoughtful as ever she had included the length adjuster clips. WEARING A HIGH TOP Part of the being propelled to higher corsets was the fact that as a man I was and of course, still am, not restrained anatomically as are women by the need to accommodate a pair of breasts. Any high corsets for a woman must have either a "flared front", or be an "over-the-bust" style with cups. The flared design does of course, does wonders for the winsome "pushed up look" and the attendant cleavage. It provided so much part of the appeal of wealthy ladies,
from the Middle Ages in the Edwardian era, before the advent of the ubiquitous bra. In the 1950s of course, the bra, in its Along line" manifestation, was designed to complement the girdle, but was happily espoused by many tight-lacers of that era, including Mrs. Norris, my corsetire. You will recall that I would pore over the images of the Copere flared front models - the Margarita and Isabella styles. I would wonder how it must feel to "live" while so fully corseted. I had to experience it. Looking at them I got a strong sense of feeling that these were corsets that a man could easily wear as his anatomy was more suited to their height above the waist. When I tried on the newest new high top, I knew what to expect as I had been wearing its partner off and on for three months at weekends, but hadn't ventured out, except to run errands to a local shop. I could just about sit in it for up to two hours to watch television. It was very unforgiving, if its wearer chose to sit in a low armchair, so I had resorted to sitting on a dining room chair instead. The chair actually had side arms - a carving chair,.- which allowed me to raise and lower myself or change position. The strong elastic in the suspenders was an additional form of personal satisfaction about my chosen lifestyle. Indeed, I made a point of shortening my suspenders as much as I felt my stockings could tolerate when "settling down" and like that, I came close to realizing the tactile sensations that until that time I had only dreamed to be possible. To paraphrase the words of Alison Adburgham from a decade earlier "I felt trimmer when corseted by a corset and tightly suspendered". After close to 10 years, my dream was all but fulfilled but now. The danger was, it would now be snatched away by father time, leaving me stranded on the shore, after the tide of fashion had ebbed for the last time. Having come to experience the reality of what it felt like to be in a real boned corset. I also had achieved my most earnest wish which was to have my suspenders secured to something totally rigid, so that - length adjusters and stocking clips being equal to the task, I could put as much tension in both the elastic of my suspenders and hence enough pull into my stockings with the knowledge that so long as the elastic in the suspenders didn't fray, they would stay taut all day long and I would not be disappointed as I had during the first years of my Odyssey wearing just a suspender belt. RESOLVING MY PARADOX Those of my readers, who have persevered in reading this far in my Odyssey, will I'm sure ask "If you had such a problem in coming to terms with your urge to wear "forbidden" items, when the things you desired were becoming hard to get why didn't you just give up? I can explain it like this. Having taken so many years and so much trouble to find a corsetire who was ready to make for men, to have it snatched away by father time just as I had come close to the ideal I sought was more than I could take. While I could, within reason, "stockpile" what I wanted in stockings because they were still being made, with corsets I'd had next to no warning to build up a similar stockpile. Had I had a warning I could in theory I could have done it with corsets, but it seemed it was not to be as in truth I lacked the money to do so. While corsets lasted longer than stockings they were costly items each year. THE CONTRADICTION OF REALITY AND IMAGINATION Ironically just before Mrs. Norris's bombshell was dropped in July 1980, I had run across back issues of "Reflections" magazine published in the USA by Versatile Foundations. In it were two articles on a woman tight lacer. I had never heard of her until that time. It was none other than Ethel Granger, who died in 1982. I purchased the two issues which serialised her life story. I could hardly believe what I read. Here were a married couple and Ethel had been persuaded to wear strong corsets and train her waist since about 1930 and 50 years later was
apparently still doing so in 1979. I wasn't at all impressed Ethel's figure or her waist size, it fact I thought it ugly and excessive. But I marvelled at the images of the corsets she wore. It told me again that "out there" were still people - many no doubt some of them clients of Gardners - for whom corsets were important. The question in my mind was how were they responding to the ravages of time and loss of essential components and material for corsets. As for the other, and usual, content of Reflections magazine, it covered a broad spectrum of subjects designed no doubt to offer a little of each of a broad cross section of readers' interests. It was the typical strategy publishers adopted to maximize sales. In consequence it was quite heavily into the bondage end of the spectrum as well as having photo sequences or stories on transvestism. What really "hooked" me as to be a short term subscriber was the fact that in its early years at least it did feature models, including the owner/editrix, who all posed in the late 1970s, in busk-fronted back-lacing corsets and always wore them with exactly the same black stockings. Not just any stockings but Alberts 30 D Favourite or "Walking Sheers" seamed stockings that I liked to wear. The same stockings I had seen worn by pin us in US magazines in the 1960s. So smitten had I been with their appeal that, since 1974, I had been buying them, a box at a time, direct from the USA for ten years. THE CONTRADICTIONS OF LIBERATED TIMES I will never forget how I would dwell on the irony of what had happened. Corsets in the mainstream were going out of style in the real world yet in the ever relaxing climate of sexual liberation - Mrs. Mary Whitehouse not withstanding - the amount being written about the wearing of corsets each year have exceeded what had been produced in more than 20 years period by the correspondents like "Wilf" the author of Corsetology in "Fads and Fancies" in the 1920s, and by "Magnificent Marianne" in "London Life " in the 1930 ad early 1940s, when proper corsets were still widely worn. It was not lost on me to read Arthur Marshall, the septuagenarian, humorous columnist of the New Statesman, write of his boarding school life in the 1920s. He recalled what a pleasant surprise it had been to discover the bones of a very firm corset when he danced with his headmasters wife. About the same time, Ronald Reagan had been elected president of the USA. The ever irreverent Guardian, in its New Years 1981 parody of Old Moore, made its forecast of changes in the White House as it swung to the right. Mindful of Nancy Reagans pretensions to elegance declared that the new dress code would declare stockings will be worn and seams to be straight. In the realms of journalism there were clearly people with interests like mine. The late 1970s had seen a revival of corsets on the high fashion fringe by Vivienne Westwood. In the pop music business, female singers like Cindi Lauper wore corsets and stockings on stage and such images appeared on covers of vinyl records, which all but died at the same time as corsets in the mainstream. In her show "Girls just wanna have fun" Cindi wore suspenders and stockings and even took the thigh (ring) garter off her leg and tossed it in the crowd. Likewise Debbie Harry of Blondie wore similar attire on her show and record covers in the late 70s. At the other end of the music spectrum punks, who predated Marilyn Manson by a decade, appeared on stage in corsets with suspenders clipped to ripped fishnet tights - what would Tim Currie who wore in similar but perfect attire in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" have thought? This was years before Madonna and Cher and the latest emulator Gwen Stefani and her troupe of Japanese girls and not much before the film version of "Little Shop of Horrors", in which I was pleased to see seams on the legs the daffy heroine Audrey, played by Ellen Green. Much as I liked to see this, what I held in truly high regard were the minority of women who were not famous, did not have pretensions to glamour, but still willingly subjected themselves to strict corseting and kept their seams straight. TRAINING FOR REGULAR WEAR
In that bleak winter of 1980 I tried to live as if all was normal but in my heart I believed I had bought my last corset from Gardners. As it was, I decided to wear them as much as a could for as long as they didn't wear out or become unwearable on account of bones irreparably popping out at either hem or top edge. Wearing them more regularly had taught me many things of the kind of things that were included in books on corsets such as "Corset Fitting in a Retail Store" and what I have learned from everyone's very own e-corsetire Ivy Leaf's and her correspondent friends. With the new style I had again adopted the approach of a "gradual regime", which Mrs. Norris and other corsetires I was to know later always counselled, which meant wearing it for two hours, then three, and so on. My test always was to wear it indoors for as long as the period I intended to wear it with no possibility of slackening off for relief of discomfort when out. I still had the problem of being able to wear the corset for the hours in circumstances where adjustment was precluded, which is what it would mean if I wore it to work. I used the weekends to build up "tightness stamina". It wasn't easy. The first real test was wearing it to the cinema which meant three to four hours without adjustment, including driving the car or going on the bus and train before and after. On occasion I would venture out after dark for a walk wearing the high top laced as tight as I could bear it. Regretfully for several months those walks didn't last long The amazing thing was when I slackened off the relief was instant and I was left wondering what had motivated me to slacken it off. Sometimes I took everything off and within a few minutes was left wanting to put things on again. In time I leaned to resist the temptation to lace too tightly and slowly built up tolerance. However, when I began lacing in I tended to lose all commonsense and proportion. I always wanted to experience "just a bit tighter" and of course I quickly regretted it. Eventually I hit on the idea of wearing the long corset to the cinema where I would be able to resist the urge to slacken off against the desire to see the end of the film. I also learned to be less immoderate in how tightly I laced myself. Since I felt unable to wear the high top to work, I began putting it on as soon as I came home from work. As every book of advice will tell you that it is probably the worst time of day. As Mrs. Norris would say "you have to lace it on before your figure starts to spread". Mine had not only spread it was fairly full stomach and still had to eat supper. I persisted but found that it had to be kept quite widely open, as my evening meal would certainly make itself felt by raising my level of discomfort. I also started watching the television in an upright chair. (The elegant lady on the right (1948) is unmistakably wearing a corset. The erect posture, the tubular shape of the hips are all giveaways to what probably is the style of foundation garment that she has worn since her teenage years. I did however notice that everything felt more comfortable when I went to bed, so I tried going to sleep in the corset, which gave me the most fitful night 's sleep I had experienced to that time. By the middle of the night it was quite loose on my form and I woke up and tightened it only to wake up within the hour feeling hot, uncomfortable and tight. Just turning over in bed wasn't easy and I must have woken up trying to do so. Again I not only succumbed to my instinct and took the corsets off. I now know putting a corset on at night is the worst time as ones stomach is then at its fullest. I slowly tried to get up and fit it on a Saturday morning before going shopping, taking care not to lace too tight. Again after being out an hour I was glad to come home and slacken it off. As the weeks went by it got easier and I then tried doing it in the high-top leatherette, which had shoulder straps. The big advantage of the style, as I had hoped, was that the top didn't make such an obvious spare tire as a shorter corset. It ended higher than the spare tire could be pushed. However to be comfortable it had to be open about four inches. In my ignorant ambition of earlier times, I had asked for it to be cut too small, and as Mrs. Norris often said of clients alteration requests, I can always make a corset smaller, but I can't make them bigger. Its easier and cheaper to get a bigger one made! Still, the idea of shoulder straps and a high top had appeal and I vowed to go in that direction as soon as I was able to find a new personal corsetire. The most rewarding thing was that corsets were far and away the best item of attire to attach suspenders to and the problems I had with suspender belts cutting into my waist and sagging became a thing of the past.
DAILY ROUTINE 1980 STYLE I made a point of checking the lacings on my Casual G78 that I was now wearing regularly to work. Unlike Simon, I did not work with a woman like Elsie, who would have recognised me as a fellow corset wearer and no one ever knew my secret. However, before finally putting on my collar and tie for work and I made a point of un-knotting and pulling in the lace a little more, which always acted like a pick-me-up when I did. That done I never forgot to open my waistband and lower it to expose my stocking tops so that I could check and adjust my suspender lengths for the day - not too taut and not too slack. For a mere man I have to marvel that I have developed such dexterity for what after all was a peculiarly female chore and one that not one in a thousand women can practise today. That is, with both hands I would take an individual pair of suspenders, use my middle fingers to open that pair's length adjuster flaps and pull up on the flaps to shorten the elastics. In doing so I had to hope that the stockings were sufficiently snag-free enough not to ladder - not so much to the extra pull but when I bent my knees! I would deal with each pair of suspenders in turn, except for the rivetted buttons which need two hands to slide just one out of its clip. To this day it never ceases to surprise me how much a stocking top knitted of non-stretch yarn will stretch during a day wear. Likewise it never ceases to surprise me how much satisfaction I get from shortening some pairs of suspenders in response to that, not to say how rewarding is the total experience of setting out on one's journey fully conscious of the tightness of the corset and the tautly suspendered stockings. Again I remember the words of Alison Adburgham (Link) and through my Odyssey so far my appreciation of them never fades. Each day brings its rewards after close to 40 years. LESSONS LEARNED Strangely, what one might think would become a "love-hate" relationship with the corset never developed. This was because, in the early years, I had given in to temptation to take it off when it became irksome, only to find within minutes that I "regretted" having done so. However given the time of day when I fitted it, lacing-in was not so easy because my figure, to use one of Mrs. Norris's frequently used words, had "spread". As I write the word spread I recall how when she said it, she always caused her to chuckle in her imitable way, because she clearly knew the price of either delaying the fitting of it in the morning, or trying to tighten up after loosening off. Until I took matters in hand and acted on the basis of what I had learned, my approach was over-influenced by what I read. Much of which, I now know was, exaggeration and written in a moment of fantasy by male writers who never corseted, but fantasised about doing so. I do hope that those who read what I write will understand that all of what I relate here is true and written in the spirit of giving future generations an idea of the motivations, pleasures, trials and tribulations for a man like myself. I had first tried on women's stockings as a teenager in the 1950s. I'd bought my first suspender belts in 1967, a waspie in 1969 and a flimsy corset in 1971 all before the modern age of tolerance. I remain grateful that social mores have changed but now, in 2007, I am a dinosaur. The items I choose to wear are heavily imprinted on my subconscious and few women, other than photo models wear them. Certainly women in the mainstream do not wear them and most would not know how to fit a corset with its busk and lacings nor how to suspender stockings. So what were the lessons I had learned? In summary they say; listen to what body of opinion is out there; do not slavishly follow any dictate; do what suits you best and what allows you to fulfil the inexplicable urge that, in my case at least compels me to lace in and suspender up as I do. This is what I learned: 1 2 3 4 5 I soon found out that fitting it before eating breakfast meant it was better. For work, I was sure to wear a vest or T-shirt under it and after lacing in to pull the hem of the vest to smooth it out under the corset and if possible make sure it is longer than the hem of the corset. I'd roll my stockings to my knees before fitting the corset. For me there was no debate about "under or over". Exertion when tightly corseted is never easy
6 7
Final lacing in after breakfast when the corset has warmed to the body. I had now worn the G72 High Top style enough at weekends to think I might wear it to work. Under sustained suspender tension, stockings lengthen and suspender straps need periodic shortening though the day - it's normal.
As things stood in 1980-81 I was in danger of losing all that I'd learned - stolen by father time and "progress" and the wheel of fashion. THE QUEST FOR A NEW CORSETIRE I was 40. I had experienced the service of a corsetire and I had lost that service. I was selfish, I was greedy, and I wanted nothing less than a new personal corsetire, not mail order. Like a headless chicken I didn't know which direction to go. I was about to get in touch with Diana Medeq when I received a form letter, which shed sent to all her names on her books Id never been her client, advising of what came to be a move to work from home. In my new conversation with her, she said that apart from the prevailing high inflation that the difficulty of getting parts and materials and machinists meant that she wasnt anxious to take on new clients but clearly she did not worry that I was a man. I thought of writing to one of the many magazines which had appeared like "Forum" and "Variations", but for that I would have to divulge my address, which I was not prepared to do. I thought of placing an advert with a box number but again I sensed a concern. I wrote to my first outfitter of and asked her about Mrs. Norris who used to make corsets for her shop. Her reply only confirmed what I new to be true but she added that was now getting corsets made in Ireland I contacted a new outfitter, "Stage Door", where I met its owner Diana Marks. When I saw her face-to-face I realised I had previously met her in the late 1970s when I still patronised my first outfitter. I offered to write her advice leaflets on corsets and left her a sample of my writing but she proved not to be interested. As corsets declined it seemed the interest in cross-dressing increased but corsets were a very marginal part of that "scene" it seemed. I was further discouraged when my letter to Wilbro was returned. The store had closed. I wrote to "Corsetry and Underwear" magazine and the publisher replied that it too had closed not long before. I even wrote to the USA and got the Finecraft and Caprice catalogues. The former had an attractive catalogue of models posing in real corsets. In the end I bought every set of the corset pin up photos, each set of which was actually a sequence of photos of a model posing in a glamorous way - not dispassionately like in Fanny Copere's catalogue and each of the styles they sold was modelled. The idea of buying at such long range, and with the prospect of customs duty not to mention the high prices they charged, it seemed imprudent, so I abandoned that the idea. I even resorted to contacting the rapidly diminishing number of retailers of corsets that were still listed in the 1982 Yellow Pages that should be contrasted with that of 1971 which appears earlier in the Odyssey . My request was simple. I had been the client of a personal corsetire as a man and simply sought the same and my old one would give references. Some phone numbers were unobtainable - as my mother's and grandmothers generations were dying out and corset demand was plummeting the attrition was going on. One or two of those who answered were hostile. More kindly ones recommended someone ease but those referrals had either given up or said they weren't taking any new clients because assistants were hard to find. No one said yes nor gave a lead that helped me in making contact.
1971
1982
In the end I concluded that for made to measure and even for serious off the shelf corsets, to paraphrase the timeless words "all roads led to the Rome" of corsetry - Gardners" and to Mrs. Norris, who they had all relied upon, be it Wilbro, Fanny Copere, Cutler/Cover girl, Stage Door. Some time later when I showed Mrs. Norris the Finecraft catalogue, she immediately said. "Gardners made corsets for them". As she looked at the photos of the styles in the Finecraft and Copere catalogues she would brighten up and say "that's one of ours" and "that's
another"... The irony of such a situation was at times the cause of anguish but it was also the cause of being a strong motivation for me to rack my brains as to what to do for myself. I took to examining the busk and realized that to make one buy hand was all but impossible it required sophisticated machinery and - economies of scale and demand to make them available at a reasonable price. With the attendant punching, rivetting not to mention tempering and burnishing of the spring steel, the bifid busk was and is by far the most complex item ever used in clothing of any kind. I later found out that the minimum order in any size was 1,000. Spiral bones had to be cut from long lengths and I assumed would still be used in long line bras and orthopaedic corsets, but sellers of small quantities were had to find in the UK. Today, things are different. AN ALLIANCE OF NECESSITY I have to admit having always been fascinated by the pin-up image, which left a strong imprint on me. At first I simply sought out images of models posing in stockings, especially those in black with seams in the "small mens magazines". Even then I remember being particularly fascinated by poses when they wore a merry widow or Basque as well as being pleased to see the interplay between the suspender of a girdle and its captive stocking top. It was those images that were the impetus for my starting to buy my own stockings. As I graduated to a corset, my search was refined to include photos of models posing in "real" corsets that were evident from the glint of the telltale slotted plates of its busk. As the bounds of permissiveness widened throughout the 1970s, the magazines all flourished as did "Accord", the one I particularly liked because it specialised in included correspondence from real corset wearers of both genders. This really frustrated me because the general wearing of corsets was declining so fast. Occasionally I would see photos of women in corsets and letters from men, or their wives who claimed to wear real corsets, became more common. There was slowly increasing number of photos of men wearing little more than a "corset" (sic), stockings and high heels and while I was in principle, pleased to see them, they appeared in magazines catering to what, in 2007, is lumped together as, "fetishism". Again I was not one of those people, but if they wore what I liked to see worn, I would look at those details in the photos and try to block out the circumstances in which they were being worn. I am not prudish and regard myself as fairly tolerant but I was not personally happy about it, though eventually rationalized it by paraphrasing the old adage that sometimes the devil does have some good tunes. That said it is ironic that much of the impetus that has led to the rescue, albeit in very specialised form, in the making of real corsets and fully-fashioned stockings has, tended to come from persons of such persuasion. In times past, men who wanted corsets were lumped with such people and had to seek out and then rely on understanding corsetires, as Simon did with Mary, and I did when I found Iris Norris of Gardners. Today a novitiate corset wearer can piggy back his needs on stores by patronising stores catering for the Goth and Fetish cultures. As the bounds of acceptability were tested in time photos appeared, initially of men alone and then in the company of similarly attired women, who were helping them to make up and look like women. I have to confess to being fascinated by them. If nothing else, it was a form of proof that, whilst I was alone with my secret, "out there in the world at large, were others who felt the same compulsions as I did. It was then I started to dream of what life would be like with an understanding woman to share my secret. Many of these thoughts rose when I patronised Gardner's but the bombshell of Mrs. N's retirement was something else. Most of the new magazines ran contact personal adverts and at first I all but recoiled at the idea of using such a service. I worried about being found out and at worst being blackmailed but, in another part of my mind, desperation was at work on my thoughts. I had to use the medium to contact others with my interest, but which magazine was it to be? By the 1980s, again in response to the new liberal publishing climate the magazines were in turn replaced by those meeting interests in highly specific subjects. Not surprisingly, whole magazines devoted exclusively to each of the many "isms" emerged. At the time of the loss of Gardners, in early 1981 I identified those magazines nearest to my interests. The one I settled on catered for correspondence on transvestism, and the publisher was one and the same
as that of the defunct "Accord". Necessity was forcing me to come to terms with what I was. I also realise that most would even in 2007 label me as a transvestite or cross dresser. I now know I am not. I have met some and they are not like me. That said, I have to admit that until I met Mrs. Norris, over the first ten years of my Odyssey, there were many times that I felt I might be one. But as permissive times increased I read more and more of the "candid" letters in which men said how much they liked to wear women's underwear in the company of their wives or a girl friend. In time such letters were accompanied by pen and ink drawings of men usually in just a corset with suspenders and stockings. There had to be other men like me and with my needs and tried to live their lives as men. As to why the magazines were tolerated at a time when there had been a latter day crackdown on all kinds of magazines that had appeared, thanks to Mrs. Mary Whitehouse, I do not know. I could only conclude that while the idea of a man wearing women's clothes was still the subject of ridicule or in the case of pantomime dame amusement, it no longer lead to jail. In fact the letters and photos in these magazines could give little offence compared to what was depicted of Mrs. Whitehouse's bogey woman - Mary Millington. So I decided to buy them as part of my quest to perhaps getting information that might lead to finding a new corsetire. As ever, such magazines were sealed in clear plastic in the shop. They werent't cheap, so one was reluctant to buy all the back issues, especially as one was buying a pig in a poke, but I was already used to doing so and being disappointed at the content. Contrary to the old adage - "never judge a book by the colour of its cover" one was forced to do just that. I looked at the photos and words on the front and back covers and picked two back issues, which showed black, seamed stockings being worn.
My judgement or strategy wasn't bad, for when I opened the first of them I was not disappointed, quite the reverse in fact. I found an entire article on corsets penned by the "Berks. Corsetier". It was accompanied by what I regard as some of the most amazing pictures of corsetry modelling that I had ever seen. What particularly amazed me was the incredible detail devoted to the lacings and to the design and number of suspenders used. THE BERKS CORSETIER Instantly I saw the photos submitted by Berks. Corsetier, I felt they were similar to those that I had seen in 1977 captioned "The Appeal of the Well Corseted Figure" submitted by a Berkshire reader. These were the photos, which first inspired me to go to Gardners. I had shown them to Mrs. Norris to illustrate what kind of corset I wanted. The fact that the result of that effort was my over ambitious leatherette corset does not matter now. It was Mrs. Norris's sincere effort to interpret the needs of a new ignorant client, who
could only explain his needs with photos.
So, I went to my "Corset" file of articles and photos and compared the corsets worn in the 1981 photos with those of 1977. I concluded, given the Berkshire connection and the very complicated designs of corsets worn in both cases, that they had been submitted by one and the same person. It was unclear whether one or several persons had modelled the corsets but it was clear that the corsetier was certainly the same person. I concluded that the Berks. Corsetier had: 1) Admired the styles when worn by others. 2 Liked complicated fan lacing or under-belted corsets and many pairs of suspenders. Indeed these new studies featured corsets of the most complicated construction - more complex even than Camp or Jenyns that I had ever seen or was doing it for themselves.
3) Not being able to buy designs equal to those in his imagination he had resorted to making them for himself or for women friends to wear. 4 In his mind's eye he designed his "dream corsets". These incorporated individual elements found in a range of corset styles he had seen in catalogues and he had made his fantasies real.
As to the gender and the label "corsetier", not "corsetire", and given the subject of the magazine in which it appeared I had to assume of the two models, one appeared to been a man, and might be a transvestite, but as it turned out I was not entirely correct. To see such complicated corsets being modelled amazed me as much as I had been when I first read of the corset wearing couple who claimed to wear extremely strongly boned corsets and who used eight pairs of suspenders back in 1972. In that regard, having been sceptical of its veracity in 1972, by 1984 based on what I learned of others, I was in no doubt it was true in that detail. MY REACTION TO THE MAGAZINES After the initial elation of finding such photos I read the rest of the two magazines I had bought. Almost the entire book was devoted to readers letters, stories, drawings and photos. The images had been submitted by
readers of themselves. Too many of them were very unconvincing "women" and I found them to border on the pathetic. On a positive note it reinforced what I had concluded of myself and my motivation to wear what I did that I had no desire to dress or behave like a woman and given my own physique I would look very strange if not preposterous or laughable I also realised that, while the photos were all of men wearing women's underwear or dresses, only about a third of them wore seamed stockings. In the twelve or so issues I read however there were very few letters or photos, which referred to, or depicted real corsets such as I wore. Clearly the readership regarded girdles and seam-free stockings as quite acceptable. I did not. Of the photos of seamed stockings I could tell by the ladder stop pattern in the after-welts that many were wearing and hence still buying Aristoc "Harmony as they were the only brand s still available. On that shared detail I did feel I shared a common bond with the wearer I saw in the photo. This also manifested itself as a form of reassurance I was far from being the only man going into stores to buy stockings for himself. There were tens, if not hundreds of us who did the same. Being hard to please, I had mixed feelings. On the one hand I was relieved that there were others in the world who felt like me about suspenders and stockings, but I was disappointed that so few of the readers liked to wear the real corsets I liked and I still felt uncomfortable reading the magazine since it essentially catered for transvestites. Only my compulsion to wear corsets seamed stockings and suspenders drove me to read it. My preferences differed from theirs. I was satisfied to wear just those items. They needed the total effect. I liked to see read letters and look at drawings of other men wearing corsets, suspenders and black stockings, so I subscribed to it for a while. That said, much of what was written quickly degenerated to the level of much of what is today posted in "Girdles and More" and I didn't renew my subscription. Added to which I came to realise that very few transvestites shared or even today share my deep interest in busk-fronted, back- lacing corsets and fully fashioned seamed stockings. SIMON'S EMULATORS? During the time I subscribed, I read several real accounts and other fanciful stories related to the readers having a real life tolerant and understanding woman friend who would allow them to meet her and she would help them to dress up like a woman. A series of drawings accompanying the narrative depicted a central "Auntie" character wearing a corselette, French or the Directoire knickers, favoured by Simon, (Link )and stockings helping a man friend to dress up as woman at least as far as the underwear. I had a mixed reaction to this. On the one hand it struck a chord as in my fantasy like many of the readers I too cherished the idea of being able to appear, in my chosen items of attire, in the company of a woman similarly attired. As I now know from
"Simon's Story", he made it reality with his corsetire Mary. As far as I was concerned such a woman could even be fully dressed as long as she accepted seeing me in my corsets, etc. I was hardly to know that within months this would happen to me. On the other hand, I was repulsed by some readers' accounts or stories of several men, so dressed and in company of such an Auntie, because of homosexual overtones. That offended my belief that male wearers of women's underclothes were most commonly heterosexual. Having experienced the sensation of being laced in by Mrs. Norris at Gardners and knowing what she said, I did at least have proof that "out there somewhere" were individuals like myself. The problem was how to find them. If and when I did do so, I resolved that my goal was to find the company of others persons, ideally women, but men if need be, who would appreciate meeting another man such as myself, when we were both dressed only in our corsets and stockings. It would most expressly not be for sex, it would be platonic and we would discuss those items of attire and enjoy the mutual lacing-in of our corsets and the suspendering of our stockings. In respect for Mrs. Norriss memory I have to say that, while I was well aware that she wore the same items of clothes, never in the four years I knew her at Gardners, nor the following 19 years, that she accorded me the privilege of being a client in her home, did it ever once enter my head to think of see her wearing them. It was a sufficient and continuing source of comfort to me to simply know that, at each and every one of my 50 or so appointments, both she and I were wearing real busked, boned and back-laced corsets as well as tautly suspendered, seamed stockings. I also valued the fact that we both knew that we were both wearing them and that, if she regarded wearing them as something important to her, there was no reason why I, though I was a man, I should not do so too. EMBOLDENED BY DESPERATION However, back to 1981 and the quest at hand. With Mrs. Norris out of the picture as far as my future corsets were concerned I knew I had to contact the contributor of the "Berks. Corsetier" article and photos to know if he or she would use his or her skills to make corsets for me. I had noted in the contact adverts of the magazine that a person from Brighton had placed an advertisement wishing to meet others for "mutual fitting of corsets". So, I threw caution to the winds wrote my own advert and sent my money for it to appear in the next issue. I was quite precise. I asked if the "Berks. Corsetier", to contact me, c/o the magazine box number, and invited any others interested in tight lacing corsets to do the same. I got just three replies. The first, as I had hoped, was from Berks. Corsetier, who proved to be a man who went on to found his own business as a very innovative corsetier and who became a lifelong acquaintance. The second was an elderly man who liked to wear front lacing Spirella type pink or white corsets and stockings under his male attire. It turned out had worked as a young man as an English teacher in pre-war Japan. He wrote of his lifetime of corset wearing and even of Japanese corsets! The third from Norfolk wrote to say he liked Victorian Fashions. I began serious correspondence with the first two respondents. Do remember, all this happened 15 or so years before the advent of the Internet which has so revolutionised such things. However, I fear it is too late for the last generation of old style corsetires and the wearers of corsets with "real" suspenders and the correct stockings to pass on their knowledge and experience to the new generation. Fortunately however we all have the chance though the generosity of Ivy Leaf our e-Corsetire. CORSET ADVICE FALLS ON STONY GROUND Since the magazine didn't have much about corsets, I wrote to the editor. I explained my idea of writing articles with the aim of "rescuing" the art of making tight lacing corsets, and stimulating an interest in the wearing of them. He accepted my offer and published my articles followed by a Question and Answer column though all was actually written by myself. He even included my theory of how and why fetishism grades into transvestism based on the number of items of apparel worn.
All my contributions were published over a two-year period but my effort generated almost no response. I was forced to conclude that basically the average reader did not have a deep interest in corsetry. There were a few exceptions. In one issue appeared two, quarter page size sketches of a French maid lacing a person of indeterminate sex into very long corsets. It had short notes on the text. I was truly fascinated that someone was actually producing sketches like this and years later discovered they had been prepared by a French couple who were friends of Cora a German woman who had cultivated a very small waist in the 1960s and 70s and had been a client of Hella Knabe a corsetire in Berlin and a Swiss known as "Corset Hans". My conclusion after two years was that the majority of TVs have so many aspects of attire to consider that they regard corsets and stockings as props - essential props - but of no special interest to them and most important, I lacked the motivation to ever be one of their "fraternity"- only an interested bystander. By happy coincidence I had just read David Kunzle's book. DAVID KUNZLE'S BOOK One unexpected benefit of subscribing to Reflections was that I was put on the mailing list and I was notified of and they sent me a flyer about a new book "Fashion and Fetishism" by David Kunzle. I instantly ordered a first edition and have cherished it ever since. It was devoted to the wearing of tight corsets from mid-Victorian items to the present day. In 2004 it was updated as a second edition and has the status of being a seminal work on the subject. It was amazingly illuminating and well illustrated and named about 20 persons Kunzle had consulted, including the renowned historian Basil Liddell-Hart, who is now known to have been a regular corset wearer, a historian of corsets and aficionado. Likewise I deduced that "Sir W" was almost certainly a conservative MP for close to 50 years representing a Scottish constituency, and who always made certain he wore corsets to make speeches in the House of Commons. Others named by Kunzle had died in the five or seven years that lapsed between the time he interviewed them and the time the book was published. They included Basil Costin, who died in about 1980 and whose vast collection of material on corsets was bought by one of Mrs. Norris's clients. In later years I met the buyer and he lent me many of them to copy. Costin and his wife had lived in North London while another Col Wintle, was a writer of the 1950s and 1960s. Others acknowledged by Kunzle were clients of my corsetire and had been referred by her to him when he met her at Gardners. Eventually met most of them through her good offices Included in the illustrations was a reproduction of an advertisement from 1908 placed by one Madame Dowding who made Edwardian straight fronted corsets for women and several styles for men. I was truly inspired by the Carlton style, which was so similar to the high tops I had started to wear more regularly, though they lacked the shoulder straps I was starting to value as an essential element of the high top style. In fact for a number of years I knew what I ultimately wanted. I was held back by the fact that I was not ready, or able, to tolerate wearing one on a long-term basis so that they remained not a fantasy or dream, but the possibility, for which I was still not ready. As a man I did not have the essential spur of the waistband of a skirt or dress that was so tailored as to dictate the waist size to which the wearer's corset had to be reduced by lacing of the corset in order for it to close. 1980-2: A TIME FOR REFLECTION THE IMPERATIVES I took the opportunity to take stock of what is was that I wanted out of the corseted and stockinged life if it was to continue. Close to a year had passed without my having a corsetire and despite the multitude of thoughts that entered my head as a result of the ideas and subjects raised by the new liberalism it was time to take stock. I had to think what I really wanted. It had taken a decade and more of trial and error. A mail order, or off-the-peg corset is no substitute. One feature was paramount - the colour of all the items I wore had to be black. It was de rigueur. On that detail I could not compromise, my psyche was imprinted with black as the colour, be it for corsets, stockings or suspenders. indeed I felt very uncomfortable wearing any other colour including pink and white and which paradoxically I perceived to be too feminine. Quite what a psychologist would say of my choice I can only but speculate, but I think it was related to the fact that to like pink one needed many more transvestite tendencies than I
had, and I recognised that Mrs. Norris as a corsetire, knew and understood this. It was ironic that it was her wise counsel and services that I was losing. During the lean year or so, I had the time and peace to reflect on how I had progressed. I realise I might have gone into a depression but in truth I wanted to plan the future as best I could but to do so implied that I "knew what I wanted". I will summarise my thoughts for each item below. While no individual item is unusual, what I was losing was a corsetire, who could bring all my very specific requirements identified as they were by a decade of by trial and error - all together in one corset. I am sure any reader who has had the benefit of the services of a corsetire with an encyclopaedic memory like Mrs. Norris, who seemed to remember each of her customers preferences, will understand. I also hope that those who might think I have gone in for too much detail will indulge me as I hope the information will provide present and future generation of corset wearers some insight as to what motivated me when seeking my ideal corset. What is more, wearing corsets which had the exact details I wanted made me more self-confident and wearing the G78 casual style to work was becoming second nature IMPERATIVES - CORSETS My corsets had to be made to measure and this was the very cause of my taking stock. It looked as if I would be left high and dry. I had spent too long trying to shoehorn myself into off the shelf corsets and suspender belts. In made to measure I was still learning. There were the things I liked and things did not need. On the corset, I was now familiar with their construction and this was what I liked. Busk First and foremost I needed my busk to suit the length of corset and a matching under-busk. I would accept a wedge busk. By now I had hooked up busks of several lengths and kinds. First thered been the 4-point, 8-inch busks in the first red corset I ever had, as well as in the under-belted pink one. In the four point 10-inch length I had worn both wedge and standard designs in my G78s. Thered been an 11-inch for pointer in the white Wilbro corset and all four of my high tops had 14 inch busks with five points. I was not to know that within two years in my quest for the highest of high top, high back corset designs that Mrs. Norris would introduce me to the piece de la resistance of all busks, the 16 inch, 7 point design, for which the rules of hooking relating to the key stud and to the order of hooking and Mrs. Norris helpful demonstration were of no use. Was it fate that decreed that some 20 years later I would have chosen to wear one of those corsets fitted with such a busk on the day I attended a showing of the film Moulin Rouge in 2001? Why fate? you ask. Well, who could be entranced by the sight of no less than seven, yes seven, hook plates flashing like cats eyes, (http://www.staylace.com/films/moulinrogue/index.html) to a 28 second clip from the film on her busk, which is fitted into the magnificent, black, satin-faced corset worn by the seductive female lead, Nicole Kidman, who exploits its allure to the maximum? Could the costume designers inspiration have been the memorable scene of Sophia Loren disrobing for Peter Sellers 35 years earlier? As for the spoon busk I had seen one and I knew they that men were anatomically precluded from even attempting to wear such a thing Bones After trying flat steels I knew that or -inch width spirals were for me. After two years with single boning I tried double bones and for my last three years at Gardners all my corsets were boned with double spirals. The only worry was their availability in lengths above 14 inches. I liked a pair of back steels by my lacing eyelets. Having had an eyelet or two fail and struggled with a hand eyeletter to replace it I remembered Mrs. Norris advice when I tired to 'salvage' the
Back Steels
ripped out rings on my first leatherette and had brass not chromed steel reinforcing rings on every new one she made. Again finding lengths above 14 inches was not easy. Panels I noted that Gardners patterns were based on either five or six panels in each half of their corsets, compared to four I had noted were used on all the off-the-peg ones I had in my drawer. I would take what the corsetire judge the most appropriate pattern for the length. As a man Id never need a fluted hip style of which Mrs. Norris was such an acknowledged expert in creating. All panels had to be lined and interlined, terms I had noted in Copere's catalogue descriptions in 1977 and must have been given to Coperes owner by Mr Gardner of Mrs. Norris. Pick up such a corset and it feels sumptuous in comparison to an unlined model or even a lined one that lacks interlining. In any corset the most important item is its pattern or cut of the corset and as I related in Part 2 of this Odyssey, after trial and error Mrs. Norris it was well worked out for the 12-inch G78 casual but I could not lace it as tight as I'd like to go to work because try as I did to avoid it a spare tyre always formed at the top - hence the high top. Even the high top created too firm a ridge in my shirt at the top and I had to think - if there was a future in wearing one, ideally with a high back - to work and it would certainly mean shoulder straps.
Cut
At home at weekends I would indulge in what might best be described as "excursions in tight-lacing. Typically it would begin when I would take advantage of my privacy and close down the G78 casual corset I habitually wore and laced it the limit and I would then shorten all the suspenders to the limit. Within a short while I felt the need to experience the sensation over a greater length of my torso and would change into one of my high tops and repeat the procedure. On occasion I even tried the leatherette one with the shoulder strap and subject to the fact that the leatherette facing would rip a little more each time I wore it, I found I could even close it down. When laced so tight I found that my focus on the world narrowed as if one had taken a drug, but in time it became irksome and ultimately I had to admit defeat and loosen off the lacings and get back into a G78, which almost felt loose. Yet these excursions sowed the seed for my future corseting plans, which meant being contained - arm pit to lower hip - as I dreamed of since seeing the photos of the model wearing Copere's "Isabella". From the outset with Gardners I realised that after taking a client's measurements, the true skill of the corsetire lay in deciding, based on her assessment of the customers experience, the cut and sewing up the panels that would suit him or her. I found that, as Copere related in their instructions, producing a corset cut to leave the back lacings two inches open, when correctly fitted was wise. The wisdom of this lay in their understanding of anatomy, which, in all but the most obese, results in a depression in the thorax at the line of the spine. In so doing, the laces and eyelets are not in contact with the skin at all, so obviating the need for the lace protector, which is so often advocated today. That said, I also noted that, if I laced down beyond this point, the corset edges would "push" subcutaneous fat "ahead of them so that it bulged into the corset lacing. Lace the corset closed and all gets compressed behind the steels on each side of the eyelets and the lacing would keep the skin clear of the metal of the eyelets, which in any case was smooth because the crimping - sources as it is of abrasion and wear of any corset lacing - is done on the outside As for measuring, I noted that Mrs. Norris only took measurements to the inch. As I found out later, she pointed out there are always times when you want to close it a little more and its best if you keep a little "in reserve" should you wish to do so. Apart from the fact that the wearer may lose a little weight on the basis of the revised regimen of tightness, because that helps reduce the intake of food at any meal to an amount compatible with limiting discomfort. That said, some years into the future of my being her client, Mrs. Norris was to introduce me to several women with very small waists. Several had surprisingly large appetites but in each case that may because they had really known no other life that to be corseted day and night for 30 and even 40 years. I investigated why my high top corsets got rid of my spare tire at the top but that a ridge still showed. I concluded that the top edge was extending to a point on the torso where the body started to curve away from the corset towards the shoulder. All that was needed was to fit a pair of shoulder straps , which would gently pull it sufficiently flat against the body. If the high top was stopped too low, one got the spare tire It was this detail that Mrs. Norris helped me with very much. All that said corsetires are individuals and at times have to improvise. I never knew whether I would get one wide back steel or a pair of equivalent narrow ones in my
new corsets. Likewise, depending on the busk lengths available Mrs. N would be forced to provide one or more corset-grade hooks and eyes above or below the busk. I valued the fact that she had thought about it and about what I might like and she would always take the time when showing me the details of a new corset. She never suggested that I might change what I wanted. She had so many years of experience and knew what the range of preferences her clients had, to be reasonably sure she was doing the right thing. IMPERATIVES - STOCKINGS Stockings had been my first interest and as readers of previous parts I've written will know were what had in fact had set me on my Odyssey. The stockings I wore had to be seamed, fully fashioned - and black. If the portents for corsets were bad, the portents for the stockings I liked to wear were not good. Both in the USA and UK the styles of fully-fashioned stockings were getting fewer and fewer. Aristoc still produced "Harmony" and I used all my spare cash apart from that needed for corsets to build up a large stock of them fearing that any moment as at happened to Charnos "Commonsense" and Aristoc "Oxfords in the late 1960s would be discontinued before I knew. Unlike women my potential for gaining the ear of a friendly store owner or sales clerk was effectively denied me for I am sure such people advised customers before their preferred brand or style was discontinued giving them the chance to build up a reserve. Top details. I liked to see labels embossed on the tops/welts. I still had some stockings by post from the USA which had the kormograph or maker's label, embossed on the tops. It had always fascinated me to see the detail in the pin-up photos. I pored over in my youth. From time to time in my early purchases I bought a style, which had them and was amazed at how fragile. By the late 70s only one brand still added them and that was Alberts in the USA and I was pleased to pen them up and found I had bought some. That was in the era when a box of six contained individual pairs folded in tissue paper, and not individually packed in plastic bags.
Over the years the length of sheer leg had increased and the depth of stocking top had decreased from what was the norm in the golden age after World War 2, in recognition of the mini skirts hem, and before the advent of tights. Happily 30 D styles continued to be made with deeper tops , as they were worn by older women who, favoured more modest hem lengths and so could tolerate deeper stocking tops without fear of them accidentally showing. Now, in 2007, stocking tops as a glamour detail often in fancy lace with stay-us have been rediscovered Afterwelts I liked to have a pattern in the after-welt and for me, the one I encountered on the first pair of stockings I ever bought in 1967 - Charnos "Moonbeams" - was still the sine qua non of all designs. Those who revere pattern in "Harmony Points", now available again from "Gio", or that found in those made by Eleganti, have clearly never seen the "Moonbeams" design. They had to be plain knit and they had to be fully fashioned - with seams, heel and sole reinforcements, narrowing marks and the finishing loop. Periodically, I had tried seam-free RHT, and even Charnos stretch yarn fully-fashioned stockings, to see if I had revised my negative opinion of them, but I had not. In part, the imprinting of my youth was too strong but I will challenge anyone who tries to deny that there isn't a difference in tactile sensation between the styles.
Knit
Heels I preferred the square cut, Cuban heels I knew from by youth, and which I could still buy in the USA, though, I often chose to wear point, or French, heels because they were still being made and easily available and as I laddered them they could be replaced. Yarn Yarn had to be non-stretch, twisted or monofilament, and I preferred 30 denier but by 1979 I could only get them in the USA. Otherwise I wore Aristoc 222, renamed "Harmony" and finally before their 1993/4 demise "Harmony Points", which from the first had seemed more forgiving of my clumsiness and lack of good manicuring than the classic 15 denier because their yarn was actually at 20 denier, an all important one-third stronger. I made a point of checking the sizing of every batch of purchases as I had found that they were not
Length
very consisted. As I now had more spare cash, I took to buying a box of six at a time and graded them into those best to wear with corsets with different levels of hemline. I had tried tights - pantyhose - and did not like them except, as I will reveal later, I wore them "underall" to ensue I was modest when occasion demanded it. Flights of fantasy had on occasion driven me to try lingerie and even long gloves, but unlike others, I found my experience of wearing them was such that those times would not be part of even my occasional attire. The irony was not lost on me that out there in the real world was a minority of the generation of women - which included Mrs. Norris - who still wwore the kind of stockings I liked, rarely in black usually dark brown or blue and almost al with point heels. They were well-dressed women, and the seams on their legs were almost always straight. I noted that they were usually drawn from the better off classes and imagine that they were the type of woman Ms. Adburgham was thinking of when she wrote her memorable phrase back in 1971. Generally, they were half a generation older than me - in their 50s at least - and it was now the early 1980s. Elementary maths would tell me that these women had "graduated" into adulthood in the "age of seams" when they were generally worn by any woman with pretensions to being well dressed which also mandated that they kept those seams straight which, suspenders sewn to good a girdle, corselette or corsets would ensure. After noticing their seams I would look for a hint of the wonderful gait and deportment of my corsetire Mrs. Norris, but sadly never did I detect this. With the availability of corsets in steep decline, only a few styles of fully-fashioned stockings still produced, there was a whole, smaller world of women for which the wearing of such clothes was clearly a key part of their dress. The paradox was, the bulk of the younger generation of women would have regarded stockings and seams as being beyond countenance. I also noticed that, even if it was set in the present, and a film or television program wanted to convey elegance, the camera would focus on the seams displayed by an older women. Sometime later, in about 1990, I can recall the navy blue seams and point heels, surely Aristoc Harmony, besported by Gemma Jones, (who had been the corseted Duchess of Duke Street in the 1970s), when she played the middle-aged wife of an aristocrat in the Television series "Chelworth". The costume designer clearly thought it appropriate that even in the late 1980s, the character of her age and standing would wear fully-fashioned stockings. IMPERATIVES - SUSPENDERS As for suspenders, I liked the classic width that was traditional with real corsets which is now called wide, or 1 inch on all my corsets and deep suspender belts. I had however found that it was no longer readily available in the strength I liked. In contrast the inch width, which had become the new standard for suspenders on belts girdles and basques. was easily found. Number Attachment As for the number of pairs I had now moved up to four pairs and was contemplating a fifth pair for everyday wear. The hardest task was the change an over-stretched elastic and the time it took me to due to my limited ability trying to push a needle through the multitude of layers of material near the hem of a corset. Doing so taught we the value of a steel thimble, I had all but speared my finger when a plastic one broke. Then I was reminded of how as a youth I has seen an old seaman sewing sailcloth with a leather patch he wore below his thumb to give full pressure behind what was more like a bodkin. There had to be a better way though my experience with detachables on the off the peg waspies and basques in the early 1970s was entirely discouraging. Back on my early suspender belts the length adjusters did not have the sharp triangular teeth rather they had raised dots embossed on a semi cylindrical piece that pressed into the elastic when the length was judged right and the adjuster clip or regulator was closed down. As long as the tension in the elastic was low they were fine but they quickly slipped down the length of elastic under the kind of tension that is created in back suspenders when the wearer sits down.
Adjusters
Width Stocking Clips Frame
Fortunately I had never seen this detail on wide suspenders, only on the ones used with the narrower elastic that was usual on suspenders sewn on basques, waspies and suspender belts.
The frames had to metal and chrome plated, not enamel painted. I didnt have a chrome allergy and Id tried and rejected the plastic ones Id found on some suspender belts. I preferred the frames to be shaped from wire with the articulated link between the frame and the strap link rather than the all in one design which came into vogue which was stamped pit of flat plate, but beggars cant be choosers. I am sure I can blame the sudden appearance of holes in my stocking tops to the fact that the sides of the flat frame design, if not perfectly burnished prior top plating can cut into yarn of a stocking top, especially if a stocking shrouded button with a rivetted centre is being slid home into a slightly tighter than usual frame. By 1983 Mrs. Norris complained that the yarn used to knit the Aristoc Harmony she wore had become too shiny and as a result her stocking tops were slipping off her suspender clips. As I found out what was really the cause was the thin flexible buttons in the suspender clips, which were inadequate for the task. She solved the problem by bulking them with tissue paper. Another womens husband glued discs of rubber on top of the wives suspender buttons. The real answer remained the discontinued central rivet button if one could find any, on either wire frame or stamped flat clips
Buttons
THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PLUSES AND MINUSES OF CORSETING On the plus side my backache was cured and driving a car even in a high top became second nature. I had bucket seats and they were not adjustable but I made an arrangement with blocks of wood screwed on a plank which placed under the rear of the frame raised the seat more upright. Even then until the bottom edge was cut higher, I found the hem and spiral bones would dig into my groin. I found that the strong back steels helped though Mrs. Norris said she sometimes put extra ones in her corsets to cure the backache she sometimes got from hours sitting and machining. Bones pressed against my lowest front rib bones but that was unavoidable. It took getting used to. I imagined callouses forming on my rib bones at the areas of contact until I got used to it. That said I came to welcome the modest discomfort associated with prolonged corset wearing. I took it as challenge directly caused by my choice of under apparel and in time I came to welcome the sensation of touching the warm corset and the hard steels through my shirt at any time of day or directly if I partially disrobed to watch television. Sometimes I would forget what I had on but was soon made aware when I stood up and felt suspenders pulling the bagging in the knees of my stockings taut. Walking the alternating pull of front, and then the back, suspenders was a constant reminder of their presence while walking along. The only time I would forget was when I was distracted by company on a bus or train or in a store it is only on emerging that one is alone and again becomes aware that one was corseted. Since it was cut to wear two inches open, I found that at home I could indulge my curiosity and see what it felt like to be laced closed. Slowly the time I could tolerate it increased and I identified with those I read of who followed training regimes. The problem for me as a man was, when I was laced tight, the waistband of my trousers would slide down and I needed trousers with shorter legs! This was crazy, as I couldn't go to work like that or afford a tailor to do what was wanted, without again revealing my secret. I came to realize that regular wearing was very different from the idealistic images of posed women. Seams strayed off line and needed straightening and comfort overrode the theory. I was hirsute and body hair interacts badly with the harder spots on a wearer's corset leading to abrasion and even breakdown of the skin. Wearing a tee shirt under the corset for every day totally eliminated the problem. At first the very difficulty of putting or hooking on a corset left me feeling at a disadvantage and to a feeling that the corset was in control of me. As I got more used to wearing it, I came to realize that it should all be the other
way round and that one didn't need to suffer from things that might be avoided. Nevertheless I also realized that the use of a corset by a man as a means of exerting control over his female partner has existed and may still exist. Over time Mrs. Norris introduced me to one such couple, where the woman, for whom the man had left and divorced his wife, was prepared to let him take charge of her corset lacing and training to cultivate a waist and hip spring that he admired. In effect he visited on his new wife a regime that his first wife would not tolerate. Whilst he did wear a corset and stockings every day, he did lace his corset with the severity he imposed on his compliant new wife. When I was last in touch with her after Iris's death in 2000 she was in her late 60s and had been the victim of a mild stroke but she told me she was still as well corseted after close to 50 years. For many years she wore corsets with exclusively flat steels. She did have to what the Victorians would have termed embonpoint - but such was her lacing regime that over time the revision to her breathing pattern had slowly subtly but permanently moulded her sternum so that it had a distinct outward curve between base of neck and bosom. This was the result of her having her waist so tightly held that she could only breathe thoracically for all those years - day and night - and ended up with this anomalous by product of what was regarded by her husband and like-minded friends as an attractive physical and skeletal change. I hoped that for me things were different. I was always in charge of what I did. However I felt I had an imaginary contract with the corset. Initially it was simply to give me an immovable hem to which suspenders could be anchored. Gradually the scope of my "contract" broadened from meeting my initial need to feel a modest element of tightness all day. Sometimes I would continue to wear it over night. What was more the cut was such that it close even more and so offered me the capability for short "excursions" into the realm of real tightness, should l I feel inclined. On such excursions I would be transported into a different world where my mind was focused on what I was experiencing and time stood still. This may be hard to understand for someone who wears a corset just to contain excess flesh - as many women did - but I could pass and do many hours simply sitting and reading and stopping periodically just to savouring the joy of being corseted with my suspenders shortened to their limit so as to pull my stockings so tight that I feel that merely flexing my legs would induce a ladder! What is interesting is that, over a period of about seven years, from 1977 to 1984 the degree of tightness I tolerated grew and so did the length of the torso over which I wished to be contained climatic temperature permitting. That is, what was extreme in 1977 became the norm by 1984. After that, to use modern sports parlance, I "plateaued". THE SEARCH GOES ON In December 1981 I wrote two final letters. The first was one last pleading time to Mrs. Norris. The second was to Rigby and Peller, holders of the Royal Appointment as Corsetires. I had many times seen their advert in the "Corset Personals" of Vogue in years past but I couldn't remember their name. So, as ever in this Odyssey, detective work came into play. Given the year and the accelerating demise of corsets to my great fortune, the advert was still in Vogue in late 1981, located on South Molton Street, in the upper end of Mayfair, just south of Oxford Street. Other corsetires had or recently operated not far away. In Hanover Square, until 1962 was Mr Overett and on Duke Street was Madame Medeq, until just a few months earlier. Mindful of what status the company had, I wrote very carefully. I explained I was not asking to become or presume to become a client; I simply sought to know if they could advise if they knew of a firm or person which would make bespoke
corsets for men by personal appointment. Early in the year I got a reply dated, Jan 4, 1982, signed by Mrs. Tessa Seiden who suggested I contact a Mrs. R Koppel of Porchester Terrace in Paddington who she said could copy any corset I sent. Later in the year I saw an interview in the Guardian with Mrs. Tessa Seiden. She was the owner of the Rigby and Peller and was lamenting the decline in corseting. The firm intended to continue but, within two years, I read that Mrs. Seiden had sold out and the business had moved to an address near Harrods. Before I could write to Mrs. Koppel, I received a small envelope in unfamiliar handwriting and there was no place on the stamp franking. I guessed it was from Mrs. Norris and I feared what it might contain.
IV: MY EFFORTS ARE REWARDED - THE FUTURE IS ASSURED

By now I was used to disappointment so, somewhat to my surprise, Mrs.. Norris had written a short letter to tell me she'd changed her mind. She had decided to start up on her own account, working from her home. In doing so she earned my life long gratitude. I phoned her up to talk and she did caution that it wouldnt be the same as at Gardners. She did not have an eyeletting machine and would have to take the corsets to be finished to a person in the town to have the holes punched and to have the eyelets and reinforcing rings set in place. Pleased as I was, I had initiated quite a lot of inquiries, and as I did not want to put all my eggs in one basket, so to speak, it was many months before I gave up searching elsewhere. I had been given a shock and wanted to be ready for the worst just in case things didnt work out for Mrs. Norris, and she became discouraged again. An account of her concerns after retirement is contained in my biography of her. PLANS ARE MADE Even though I hadn't had my first appointment with her, I sensed the future was fairly assured. My mind turned to thoughts of where my life in corsets should go and I was full of plans. I also realised I had sometimes come away from appointments at Gardners having forgotten something important to ask or tell her. Now it would be different. I began preparing a list of things to remember to discuss and order on my next visit - a sort of wish list
In Part 2 of this Odyssey, I wrote a section "the Ever Present Lure of the High Top". Now that I was wearing high tops more regularly I noted that they could be higher in both front and much higher in the back. Mrs. Norris herself had talked of what she called a "hi back" design that one of her lady clients liked it. I had also seen the style in several photographs. Also, I had taken a first step with shoulder straps. In time I would get her to add them to the other two high tops from the Gardner days. TRAVELLING TO MY FIRST PERSONAL APPOINTMENT I kept in touch with Mrs. Norris and in June she said she was ready. She could do everything except make eyelets and was using an industrial sewing machine she had at home. We finally agreed on a day on which she could see me but it was in mid-week when her husband was at work, which meant I would have to take time off from work. We arranged to meet at 11 am. The day before I phoned and she gave me directions and reassured me that it would be fine. It had been close to two years since Id last seen her and shed given me the bad news and 18 months since shed left Gardners. On the appointed morning I got up and immediately put on the last high top she had made me. It would have been the farthest Id been wearing it. Hence in order to get as comfortable as I could, before I set out, I was careful to do a final lacing in and final suspendering. I was also glad of the cut in front to permit sitting without it digging into the thighs. In making my decision to go wearing a high top I decided that I wanted more than anything for Mrs. Norris to accept e as a serious client. By arriving wearing it and being able to wear it to drive the car for such a long time I wanted to demonstrate that I was used to it. I Realised that if it had been a fine day I was risking the possible of being over-hot in the car -it had happened before and I'd had to go either go home, take it off with difficulty in the car or other confined space. Mindful of the need to patronise her I would get a new corset ordered and have it with shoulder straps and I would leave. her to add shoulder straps to the one I had on. I carried along the white Wilbro PCRW 2 she had altered for me back in 1978 to wear to leave. She gave me good instructions of how to get to her house. It will soon be 10 years since I last did a journey I made close to50 times and I remember it well. I went round the A 412, which predated the M25, through Rickmansworth and along to the M1 and took the exit 13 just north of a service area. All the roads signs pointed to the new town Milton Keynes or Bedford, but I wanted Old Bletchley. Along a mix of roads I meandered through quaintly named villages such as Aspley Guise and Woburn Sands, heading for the A5 - a road I had travelled on many times in pre-M1 days. I was aware that some of the road numbers had changed over the years and after one wrong turn at a giant new roundabout near Bow Brickhill I somehow managed to get onto what is no longer numbered as the A5 road. It was all but unrecognisable from the busy road of pre-M1 times. I turned left at a sign for Bletchley station. On that first visit I recall I passed it on my left, but with new road layouts, it was later on my right. I found myself passing a long curving brick wall on my right, which I later found out enclosed Bletchley Park, where the Enigma code was cracked. Subsequently I found a more direct way to get there and over the years I learned all the possible ways and could home in on No. 114 from any direction. I spotted the Six Bells pub she had mentioned almost, straight ahead at a fork in the road. I took the right fork and was quickly in Church Green Road itself. I was intending to go but at the last moment noted the old school she mentioned and saw that Church Green Road took a sharp left turn. I slowly followed the road as it curved slightly right up a gentle slope, past single storey bungalows and noted the street numbers reached the 100s and quickly worked out that No 114 had to be the nearest of a pair of taller, semi-detached, red-brick houses. Though the road wasn't too wide there was room to park right outside. I got my briefcase containing several corsets that needed running repairs beyond my ability. After nearly two hours I had stiffened me up and I got out of the car with difficulty. It was the furthest I had driven wearing a high top corset and was glad that, in wearing something so high and warm in June, it was a wet if not cloudy day. I felt very conscious of being watched and wondered if the neighbours were aware of Mrs. Norris's business and were looking to judge what sort of man might wear corsets, much as I felt in Barnsbury Square I walked along and knocked on the door of No 28.
AT 114 CHURCH GREEN ROAD However, now that my search was over I was not going to be put off and, as instructed I avoided the front door went along the side alley and at an opening in a low brick wall approached the door As instructed, I knocked hard. At the time she had told me that she couldn't hear the doorbell above the noise of her sewing machine. Only later did she relax her pride and confide in me that she was hard of hearing and had hearing aids in her glasses. Writing this years later and after watching the video of her machining, I have wondered of perhaps more than 40 years of bending over her sewing machine close to such a constant noise had gradually compromised her hearing as surely as is that of the youth of today, who are exposed to too much over-loud music. The door opened and the woman I had imagined I would never see again stood there smiling warmly, her figure with its belt-cinched waist as attractive as ever. She backed into a narrow kitchen and invited me to sit at the kitchen table. She was as natural and matter of fact as ever and I quickly lost my feeling of embarrassment about what had been my secret was now share with her. I accepted her offer of a cup of tea at which she turned to put the kettle on. It may sound silly, but I breathed a silent sigh of relief, since I need not have feared that she'd relax her fashion sense. Id seen her waist and now I saw the seams of the same dark brown stockings as she usually wore at Gardners. I was again amazed how far up her calves her point heels reached and I again noted the ridge of her seams showing she deliberately wore them "wrong side" out. It was first seeing those ridges that made me decide to do the same and as Ive said, I liked to touch my trousers as I sat behind the privacy afforded by my desk at work and feel the presence of my warm suspender clips. Wearing stockings like that, allowed me to feel the seams and finishing loops in the tops as well. I also found that one was less prone to snag the sheer fabric when running ones hand inside them, against the correct side out, the knit of which was smoother, prior to putting them on - but it was to be several years before I felt I knew Mrs. Norris well enough to discuss why she did so. I thanked her profusely for agreeing to see me and I gathered that she had not been able to get as much "outwork" she'd expected. She also confirmed that many of her old customers had urged her to work from home. She again said she had a problem with the eyelets and I gathered that Mr Gardner had found no one to replace her and that he had hoped she would return and hence would not lend her an eyelet machine which she needed, not only for the eyelets but to rivet the corset strength hooks and eyes in place. She was very casual and almost dismissed my thanks for her starting again and for being willing to see me and have me as a client. Since my thanks were deeply felt and I was careful not to be over-profuse and alarm her. Later I contrasted her understanding with that of the corsetires I had phoned and who had rebuffed me. Reading of such rebuffs to men in the early years of "Girdles and More 1999-2001, reminded me of them. We discussed what I wanted and said it was the same high top as I was wearing but with shoulder straps. I said I was still conscious of a ridge showing through my shirt even if as she had suggested years before at Gardners I deliberately wore shirts of striped or patterned material and avoided plain shirt material. I really felt that straps would pull the upper edge flatter. I said I wanted to leave the one I was wearing and get her to add the shoulder straps too. DECIDING ON SUSPENDER LENGTHS Out of my briefcase I took the G78 Casual for repair. Feeling slightly embarrassed I told her I would like to have five pairs of suspenders on all my corsets and deep boned suspender belts and over time I'd bring old corsets and belts in for her to change. Mrs. Norris said she would unpick the eight existing suspenders, sew on five pairs of loops on corset hem. As for the suspenders she would replace any stretched and make up two sets of five pairs, all with loops on the top ends of the straps. She'd do the same for the new corset. That meant thirty rings in all. Amazingly she never wrote anything down except the elastic lengths I wanted which on most of my corsets which usually ended even inches below my waist were as follows
At front close to busk (No 1), thigh front (No2 and mid Side (No3), all 42 inch. Seam (No 4) 7 inches. Back, near lacing eyelets 12 inches Suspender loop Nos 2,3 and 4 would be positioned to divide up the space between loops No 1 and No 5 equally. We'd start with the new corset and one of my old ones. INTO HER "SALON" She then asked me to go into the dining room and take off your shirt and I'll have a look. She pushed open a white sliding door and I walked into a small heavily furnished room. She followed me, slid the kitchen door shut. She put on the light, which I found odd, but at once she went to draw the curtains explaining that the window overlooked the side passage, which was a public footpath. She watched me take off my shirt and moved to examine the corset lacings. She asked me to untie the knot and took over the lacing and I felt her pull the top much tighter and the top hem came much closer to my form. She all but chided me for not lacing it in enough but agreed that shoulder straps would help. She said that right there and then she could add a pair of shoulder straps. If I took my shirt off, she'd pin them in place if I took the corset off she'd make them right there and then. As for the new high top she'd make it two inches higher with shoulder straps. Somewhat shy I said I'd take off the high top and give it her and at that she left me alone. I too off my trousers to unclip my suspenders and with difficulty reached up to unlace what after her ministrations had become a very tightly laced corset - at least by the standards I could achieve lacing alone. I had worn it for close to five hours. In its stead I took my white Wilbro PCRW2 still single boned but which I had selected as I found the car hot in summer and that it would prove cooler to wear because on account of it not being lined was lighter in weight. I now had a chance to take in my surroundings. There was a mirror hanging at an angle above the mantelpiece. In it I could see myself hooking up my busk in Mrs. Norris 's dining room cum salon, with black stockings hanging around my knees waiting to be suspendered again. The sight of photos of children and grandchildren added to the air of unreality. What would they think of me, I thought? Once I'd completed my chores, I redressed, slid back the door and, carrying the high top rejoined Mrs. Norris in the kitchen. While I was there, she'd made me another cup of tea and a salmon sandwich as she thought I "looked tired". At this my heart leapt, for I felt she had really accepted me as a client and, for what I was, and the future suddenly looked much brighter. My year of turmoil was over. I guessed she was 60 and could go on for 15-20 years buy which time I would be her age with enough corsets to last me out. The only concern would be the availability of those metal parts that were unique to corsets - busks, long spiral and flat steels and wide suspender clips. WE CONCLUDE MY FIRST APPOINTMENT Having competed our transaction - new corsets, more suspenders and tabs on suspender clips she asked me Awhat corset are you wearing now? Do you want to put this one (meaning the G&* casual now with five pairs of suspenders) do you?" I told her I was wearing the ready-made white one, which she'd added the bones to while at Gardners. (That being the Wilbro PCRW2 corset, which at the time already had ten suspenders, three pairs of which I had added myself). She said to go in the dining room and said that if I was keeping it she'd check to see that I was laced in right. Clearly she didn't have much of an opinion of my skill at self-lacing. I returned to the dining room one last time and raised my shirt and she looked at it and told me to untie the lacing and she worked over the crosses of lace at which point I said, don't lace me too tight as I was driving a long way to see my family. She laughed and finished the job and I straightened up my clothes. She asked if I wanted more tea and I gratefully declined. Carrying my brief case I returned to the car, and that was the end of my first day as a
client when she was working on her own account. THE CASE FOR FIVE SUSPENDERS Before concluding my narrative on my first day at Mrs. Norris's home I must digress and explain why I wanted the extra pair of suspenders and how I settled on having all my suspenders detachable. I wanted to do so because now that I had found in Mrs. Norris the perfect source from making corsets for years to come, I felt I could indulge my desires and make my dream of having perfect corsets but perfect suspenders come true. My plan for suspenders would be done in stages and I would alter them each and every one of the corsets and deep suspender belts in my drawer like this: 1 2 3 4 I would have five instead of four pairs of suspenders. All my suspenders would be detachable. I would try out ribbon tabs on the suspender clips on one set of suspenders. I would use old style clips with central rivets on all back suspenders and that meant all the light suspender belts that on occasion I wore.
My decision to switch from four to five pairs of suspenders per stocking was not taken lightly. In going for a fourth pair in 1978, as I noted in part two, the number was already more than Mrs. Norris had recommended, or in fact used herself, but I was so captivated, not by a need for straight seams - no one could ever see mine - but by the sensation of taut suspenders that I gave in to my desires and wanted four pairs. Having used four pairs for four years, I had for some time I had felt that they were not enough. My concern was where to add an extra pair. In the end I solved my dilemma with geometry and concluded that the positions of suspenders on the corset hem left a lot of stocking un-gripped between the fourth, or back, suspender, at the back of my thigh and the front suspender on the inside front of my leg. The only way the un-gripped length could be reduced was to have an additional -fifth suspender clipped "beyond" the seam, towards the inside of the leg. At first I feared that such a location would result in the strap migrating uncomfortable towards the cleft in my buttocks. How could I test it? I did so by using corset clips to fit a whole set on a casual corset. Finding out which to clip on and which to leave off was taxing but the experiment - give or take a corset clip slipping off the hem once or twice - really worked. The fifth pair of suspenders had 12 inches of elastic and I attached the corset clips very close to the eyelets on my corset. CLIPPING FIVE SUSPENDERS If doing up my back suspenders had been difficult with four pairs, the fifth pair made it close to impossible. I thought hard. There had to be a way and there was. I had been doing it with my corset laced tight so I tried with it simply hooked on. That was easier, but still not easy. The answer proved to be simple. I would clip the back pair on with only the top stud hooked on, so that I was free to twist and turn to access the side of my thigh. Doing this and then rotating the stocking top brought it far enough to the side to allow me to clip it on the top "beyond the seam". I liked the result but when I sat down one of the corset clips of a back suspender pulled off the hem. If it did not pull off the hem then the stocking top slid off the button because I was using a modern all- in-one suspender clip with a flexible rubber button I realise many may question or criticise my decision to use what are usually regarded as too many suspenders and in the future some did. Even the woman who would become my dear friend and confidante, Mrs. Norris would often remark when helping me with my suspenders during a fitting "I don't know how you manage with so many suspenders", or "I don't know how you have the patience to have so many suspenders" or even "Don't you find it takes time with so many to clip on?" Yet, in all the time I knew her, Mrs. Norris was always the perfect professional. Her memory, for what to her were the details of what the customer liked,, was phenomenal. She would always do what the customer wanted if they
insisted. In this regard she was honourable to the dictate of the corsetire, which was to explain the choices the client and drawings on her wide knowledge of clients preferences would say phrases such as: . "Some like a lacing up the front as well as the back, but I'd never recommend it" or "Some like to use window cord for lacing but I think it's too hard and if its nylon it stretches." She understood the adage the "The customer is always right" and, once I had settled on my ten suspenders she always provided them without question. If there were any doubt about a choice she would provide what she thought right and it was often what she would use for her own corsets. On the point about suspender lengths she would say "You've got to have them (the suspender elastics) in the right lengths otherwise they'll be pulling off when you don't want them to" and she would chuckle. In reflecting on my experience later, I realised that what I had read about the matter was influenced by the concerns of women for seam straightness. In my teens, a girl friend had told me that clipping a suspender on the seam kept the seam straight. That advice was given to the general body of womanhood for whom two pairs of suspenders on a suspender belt, a girdle, of even a corset, was more than enough and this usually solved the straightness problem. The third pair, found on more expensive foundations was considered give the more affluent and elegant woman added insurance that her seams would not twist as well as giving them the tautness that helped them to feel trimmer.
THE PERFECT DETACHABLE SUSPENDER My capitation with feeling of taut suspenders and stockings on my legs was the root cause of more and more gradual elastic failures due to over-stretching in some of my sewn-on suspenders. What had happened was that with more and more regular corseting I was able to satisfy my desire for tautly suspendered stockings all day long with no problem of pulling down the waist band of my suspender belt which was the reason I had been propelled to the first outfitter back in 1972 in a search for the solution. I might be thought to be greedy for tension and but the increase tension I liked had a consequence - frayed elastic. But there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to why some failed and not others. Examination revealed that not all elastic was the same and my needs generally called for strong elastic, which even Mrs. Norris found hard to get at times. I dreaded this happening but give the choice I would change them to always get the pull in them that I liked, but sewing was not my forte. As I wrote in Part 2, '"Making My Own Suspenders" it that required the needle and thread on the hem to fix them every time as well as the trial of unpicking the stitching, with the risk of damaging the hemming tape. Detachable suspenders seemed like the answer but I had the experience of the waspie and Basque I had bought from Kesman in the early 70s. (See Part 1 "Desire for a corset grows") but what was suitable method given that the bra hook was so prone to pull off? I thought and thought and hit on the idea of simple chromed mild steel rings, which had the advantage of lacking bulk. Since I used the wide elastic I hit on the idea of using a matching diameter and bought a packet to try out. I would sew one pair of loops for the side suspenders onto the hem of a G78 corset. I did so painstakingly and thimble or no thimble I pricked my fingers several times trying to sew the Petersham tape loop on the corset hem and then sewed a loop on the end elastic of a pair of new suspenders. In doing so to my surprise I discovered that the Mrs. Norris used the style of length adjusters that did not rely on crimping steel onto elastic but with which it was possible to form a loop of elastic and sew it to the "fixed" (not flap) side of the length adjuster. I felt confident that I had hit on the answer but was surprised to find that the rings proved to be as unreliable as bra hooks. Under tension the elastic always seemed to find the gap where the two ends of the steel that formed the ring butted up to one another. The elastic could somehow strain it open enough or manoeuvre itself during my movements when as anyone who had watched a person's suspenders when they are walking will see that they move significantly back and forth across the wearer's thighs. I watched what happened on myself. The loops on the straps
moved enough to let the tiniest a smidgen of the edge of the elastic into that gap and in a trice the loop on the elastic end would break free of the ring. I tried to put the gap inside the corset loop and the same thing happened. If the gap was away from the loops during wear, the ring seemed to turn itself to the "fatal" position. Simple rings were no better than bra hooks. I was a loss until suddenly when one day I was adding a key to my set I hit on the solution - key rings or as they are correctly known - split rings. If I had thought, I would have remembered that back in 1977 on my leatherette corset Mrs. Norris had used a split ring to connect the top edge of the corset to the shoulder straps. But it was an enormous split (key) ring such as a 19th C jailer in Pentonville Jail, nearby to Gardners, might have hung his keys from. I had failed to think of it as being part of the answer to my problem! Threading the ring through the loop in the elastic and then in the loop in the hem of the corset proved more difficulty than I could have ever imagined. The cause of this lay in the fact that the utility of a split ring lies in the fact that is made of spring steel and not mild steel. Used as a key ring it holds keys securely. Thus, it could safely connect a corset loop to a loop on the elastic of a suspender. Prising them open was hard on fingernails and was easier with dextrous use of a tiny screwdriver. In the end I found the small item in a manicure set that is used to push back an advancing cuticle worked best of all! Even then one had to pay careful attention to the task at hand first to do the final connection with the clip button facing out and, in the early days of using them, I still suffered pull offs at inopportune moments until I realised that was due to careless threading of the loops. They had to be completely threaded on and the spring end had to close flat on its "other side". Yet again as they say today "the devil was in the details" and I found that some foreign made split rings used lower grade steel that was less springy and would not close flat and stayed gaping. Therein lay its own problem. Suffice to say, I needed rings made with good quality spring steel and apart from reducing to 3/4-inch rings I have used them with extremely infrequent slippages for close to 25 years. The only times an elastic slips off its ring occurs if I have been careless and failed to checked that both loops were fully threaded into each and every ring. Finding rings of good steel wasn't always easy but in the end noticed an ironmonger in Bletchley not far from Iris's home and they stocked them. Before collecting a new corset I would stop and buy a new set. Together we would do all the necessary threading of rings in the suspender loops and across her kitchen table we would both thread them into the loops. Mrs. Norris would set about the job with gusto - she had done it before no doubt - and she used an old blunt table knife from her kitchen drawer as if to the manner born. It would be happy to report that this was the end of the detachable story but the choice of loop material on the corset hem mattered. The edges of the split rings cut into some fabrics. In the end 1 inch wide, black Petersham tape proved best I was proud of my new system. It meant that if ever any elastic failed prematurely, I could simply detach its loop from the key ring and install a spare. In this regard I had got Mrs. Norris to make an extra set of suspenders as well as spares in different RIBBON SUSPENDER TABS I had always been fascinated by the sight of the tab ribbons on the ends of the suspenders of luxury class corselettes that I had seen advertised on the cover of Observer in the 50s. Back in the mid-1960s while travelling on the tube to work I recall being aware - I rarely rode the tube and had never looked for such a thing - that I could see the outline off her suspender buttons on the front of the thighs of a girl in a tight orange skirt. Clearly I thought she could not be wearing a girdle or corselette with the tabbed ribbons and it made me aware for the first time of why they were provided. I kept this memory because in addition to my concern about leaving imprints of buttons on the seats of buses I did sometimes notice as I sat that if lighter weight and pale coloured trousers stretched taut on my thighs I could see
the bumps of my front suspenders and worried whether others could to. Ironically now in 2007 I doubt if many women under 50 could make the connection, let alone men who a generation earlier were s fascinated by such things. Now I was back with Mrs.. Norris I resolved to fit ribbon tabs on all my suspenders to see how they worked. To return to 1982, I thought the ribbon tabs might reduce visibility of bumps. Iris' never commented and accepted my motivation. Over tea and sandwiches we chatted a little more. She was getting a few orders from old clients not only in England but from the USA and Germany too. Her only worry was the delay in getting her eyeletting done, but the owner of the machine lived quite near by so it wasn't too bad. She had got Devines to supply her from Southend so she could get the fabrics for facing, lining and interlining as well as tape and elastic. The reality of the ribbons was that they made clipping more difficult rather like wearing gloves to put on and suspender, very hard to get used to. The ribbon got caught up in the clip as did gloves materials at times, and one couldn't sense if one had got a crossed thread. SHOCK AND PANIC During the summer I was walking along the beach with friends and passed a couple, and the woman looked like Mrs. Norris. I knew she visited her daughter and family in that area. I was seized with panic in case she spoke to me, as I would be forced to explain who she was and how I knew her to my friends. Nothing was said but for over an hour my head spun for what I thought was a close shave with the truth. I was wearing a deep suspender belt and stockings and I could not wait to get to somewhere where I could take them off. It took me weeks to recover and I was even reluctant to contact Mrs. Norris. In the end I did several months later. When I finally did, I asked her if we had seen one another on that beach and she said that she hadn't been away to the beach that summer. My panic had been in vain. FULL ACCEPTANCE AS A CLIENT I will never forget my second visit to No 114 Church Green Road in December 1982. On the basis of what had passed the previous time, I realised that Mrs. Norris had implied that if I took off not just my shirt but my trousers as well, that she would be quite ready to help me with lacing on my corset with me dressed like that. I also realised that this would be the ultimate acceptance a woman corsetire could accord to a male client. I realised too, that to be offered such a service, was the ultimate privilege a man such as myself could expect and that it was crucially important to behave decorously. I also knew it was one where any departure from the utmost in propriety on my part would mean not only the instant withdrawal of the privilege I was being accorded and my dismissal as a client -something which had taken me four years to gain plus a year in turmoil. I knew I was fortunate and I thought of every preparation I might make to maintain the decorum of the minutes it might take. To that end I concluded that if she did come into the fitting room to help me, I should on my part in addition to my normal briefs wear a pair of white, support weight tights "under all" to demonstrate positively to her of my sense of propriety and of course of my respect for her. In addition to my shock and panic noted above I had also delayed visiting to collect the new corset and the suspenders because it had taken longer to realise from by modest income the ,55 for the new high top. Inflation was high this was the time of the Falklands war, corsets were expensive and stockings laddered too often and were getting close to 2 a pair - ironically more than twice the price of tights and for times what Id paid in 1972. On the appointed day I laced myself into the last high top she had made me, Cinched in the waist nicely and felt really under control of the corset. In my brief case I had also brought with me my pink under-belted BLBU4 corset from Wilbro, to see if Mrs. Norris could alter it to fit a little better, I then drove to 114 and on the way stopped to buy some spilt rings at the ironmonger. I bought 40. He must have thought I was a landlord's agent. On the phone, Mrs. Norris had said she already had my new high top and the
shoulder straps partially finished. I felt a little more confident now and called at the side door to the kitchen and she asked me in to sit at the kitchen table. At this risk of boring my readers with detail I will quote from my 25-year diary It was a delight to see her walk around - tight, cinched waist, full hips and straight stocking seams. She had a cup of tea ready and after a few casual comments I pointed at the two brown paper packages one long, which contained the new corset. This is what I transcribed from my diary: "It was surprising how natural and relaxed I felt with her. She knows my secret - she knows many men wear corsets - and stockings too. Once she said, "Some people think it odd with men wearing corsets but it doesn't bother me, a lot of men did years ago" So we were together talking about corsetry and suspenders too because she had made me a mass of beautiful suspenders of no fewer than six different lengths. Each with the black satin ribbon tabs covering the clips and of course, all were of the wide type. As usual she teased me about how particular I was about the lengths of my suspenders. But she is always very helpful in making sure she does what a want. She can never resist a jibe about the extra pairs that I use compared to her - I found out she used three suspenders per stocking. I said, " I hope you don't think I'm odd to like five pairs and she said, "Not at all, its what you are comfortable with that matters." Anyway, she opened out the new high top corset for me to examine and I ran my fingers up and down some of the double spiral boning and the back steels. The hank of lacing looked plenty for the 30 rows of eyelets and then I produced my key rings to secure the suspenders to the loops she sewn on its hem. Together we paired off the suspenders by length and as she watched and sipped her tea, I began to thread the rings through the loops on the suspender elastics. She said she thought the rings were a good idea and said she didn't like the ordinary hook-ons or corset clips. We both tension our suspenders so much that they would pull off in course of normal wear and I feel so uncomfortable walking with a complete suspender clipped to a stocking hanging on and against my thigh all loose. She said she was having trouble with her stockings slipping out of their suspender clips and said to counter the problem she was putting tissue paper on the buttons before shrouding the button with her stocking and sliding the button into its metal frame. All the time I was doing this we talked about corsets and wearing then. She talked of her forty years of making them. She said she loved making them and wearing them and I said how much more contented I felt tight-laced and tautly suspendered. She said "Oh yes it's a pity more people didn't realise it" I finally got all the suspenders hung from the hem loops on the corset and she said '"Do you want to try it on? I said "yes", trying not to appear too keen, but determined to let her help. She motioned me to go into her dining room and promptly jammed the chair under the doorknob explaining that her husband was home. She pulled the curtains and put on the light. When I saw them, I remembered the mirror and family pictures. She slid the door shut and set let me know if you need some help. I had already planned what to do. I would ask her. I was wearing the high top and took off my shirt. Just in trousers, I showed it to her how I wanted her to alter the top so that it fitted more snugly on my chest with shoulder straps. I handed it to her to add the straps and noticed it still retained some of my body warmth and I flushed as I noticed the trailing suspenders. She then left me alone to fit the new one. I had come prepared to take her up on her offer if she said she would help me fit the corset. As I did not want to embarrass her so, when I stripped off, I put on first a pair off brief white pants, white support tights and another pair of black pants. I then put on a new un-snagged pair of black 30 denier stockings, pulled them to my knees and
finally hung the corset by its straps from my shoulders. Before handing it to me Mrs. Norris had opened up the lacings about 5 inches all the way to make it easy to fit. It was a delight to see a professional do it so quickly. I learned the same technique and could not do it as quickly as a person with 40 years experience. INTO THE FITTING ROOM I just managed to wrap it around myself and to slot up the busk with some difficulty I made a poor attempt at the lacings, and knew that was the moment to call for help. I slid back the door slightly and poked just my head out so that she couldn't see me in just corsets and stockings and said words to the effect, "Mrs. Norris, I am having a bit of trouble with the lacing, do you mind helping me, please?" She was working at putting the straps on the high top I'd arrived in and stopped what she was doing and came in. I was afraid of what she might say. This was the first time anyone had seen me in women's clothes. She would also be able to see I was wearing black nylons. At least she knew I wore stockings, as I always had suspenders fitted on all the corsets she'd made me. SUSPENDERED BY MY CORSETIRE I need not have worried. The idea that I was a man in stockings clearly never entered her head for as soon as she came close she moved to roll my stockings over my knees and instantly started to help me suspender my stockings from the back. She started to put my very back suspender on the seam, and I noticed and asked her to put it 3 inches towards the thigh, and she said "so that's why you need the extra suspender." I had expected her to help with corset lacing but not with my suspendering too. I hope readers can share my feeling of amazement and imagine that here was I, a man in corsetry having his suspenders attached to his stockings by his lady corsetire. As she helped with my suspendering she seemed to chuckle nervously. I glanced at our reflections in the mirror to my right and I was fascinated to see her bending so low and concentrating on the action of clipping the suspenders. She was clearly well used to doing so for her clients. What really surprised me was how firmly she tugged at my stocking top to get enough room for the clip button. I instantly imagined that she must do exactly the same when she was doing up her own suspenders, and it made me feel warm inside that a woman could share what she privately did for herself, with a male client. She was very quick at it and I was still doing the front suspender on one leg, when she came around the front and started to do the other leg. LACED IN BY MY CORSETIRE I mumbled something about the lace loops and she stepped behind me and quickly found them. She was quite casual about it. I was amazed by how hard and quickly she pulled on the lacings. At times I was on the point of calling out for her to slow the rate of pulling as the friction of the staylace against my skin caused a sharp burning sensation. I again glanced at our reflection and I was able to look up at us both as this was being done. Her pulling me in and me standing there in corset, suspenders and black stockings! . I felt like Alice in wonderland. As she closed down the lacings it seemed the most natural thing in the world to flex my torso to ensure it was fitting right. She said "Raise your arms above your head that's how it's done you know" and she chuckled and as I complied she really started tightening it and closing the gap. I experienced feelings I had never had felt before. Until then I had thought that statements like "I felt I was being crushed by the corset" were the stuff of fantasy. They were not, but not wishing to appear a novice I said something like "That feels good, Mrs. Norris". I again flexed myself and said I thought the waist was laced a bit high so we checked the position at my armpits and she declared herself satisfied. I was relieved when she stopped pulling, and she said "that's about an inch open now". I was sure I was closed
down. I felt more tightly laced over a greater length than I had ever been. She didn't wait for an answer and started to pull in again. Now it was all much slower and harder. In the end she stopped and said very matter-of-factly "That's just over half an inch open. Plenty of room to lace it tighter if you want, do you feel all right? I said yes. To complete the task she pulled me in really tightly on my waist. Without saying another word she moved her arms around me to deftly pass the lace around the front and back again maintaining a hard pull as she did so before tying a bow knot at the back. She had clearly done it many times before. It also instantly struck me that what she had done was what she expected her customer wanted. There was no doubt that Mrs. Norris understood what it meant to lace and wear a tight corset and for me it was much tighter than anything I had ever experienced felt before. I thrilled to be accepted by a woman who tight laced and I hoped that eventually I would become as serious a tightlacer as she clearly was I next became aware that she had started shortening the suspenders. So I made as if to bend to do my front ones but found I was now so stiffly corseted that I could bend very little and had to adjust the front suspenders do it by touch, which thanks to close to 20 years of handling suspenders had become second nature to me. I could hardly believe how hard she pulled on the length adjuster clips and could only conclude that was how she shortened her own suspenders. No wonder her seams were always straight with neer a wrinkle in the ankles, and how she lamented laddering them. Ivy Leaf writes of a recently widowed elderly lady commenting on how much she missed her husband's help to do up her back suspenders. Over twenty years ago in Mrs. Norriss dining room I first learned the truth of the lady's comment. In amongst all the activity as she pulled down on the elastic of the suspender I was surprised to notice that she had laced me so tight that the corset was so rigid on my form and because it was I got absolutely no sense that the down-pull of the suspender strap on my corset hem was pulling the corset down. This was exactly as I had dreamed it might be when I sought my first real corset a decade earlier. CHECKING THE FIT Once she had finished she stood back as if to admire her handiwork. There was me a man in corset and stockings standing in the room and her smiling at me and saying "that looks very nice on you" That was the zenith of my corseted life to that point. The incredible thing is I didn't feel shy or awkward and neither did she. The fact that she went ahead and automatically attached my suspenders to my stockings and shortened them was because she clearly considered it to be part of her job as my corsetire. I walked around in my corset imagining my suspender straps swaying and she watched. I didn't feel embarrassed. Somehow now she knew my secret I felt absolutely comfortable and confident in my corsets suspenders and stockings, completely contained and discreet inside my tights. I test what it was like to sit down in a low armchair feeling my suspenders tension as I did so. It then became clear that the shoulder straps were too long and we agreed she would alter them there and then and when I stood up again she pinned them as I stood there. By now I felt quite comfortable to be in her presence in corset and stockings and obviously to her it was a completely normal situation. So she left me to take it off, slid the door shut and returned to her machine. I reflected that being laced in while wearing just corsets was very different from just lifting one's shirt as I had done with her in the past and many times better than having it laced over a shirt as had been done when I had first been laced in by someone else for the very first time by my first outfitter in 1972. Mrs. Norris did it so professionally and being a tight-lacer herself she can make a much better judgment of the degree of tightness her client might like or aspire to, than a non-tight-lacer. I almost had to pinch myself to believe it was true. Yet I wasn't embarrassed and neither was she because after five years of knowing her I have to assume she trusted me to be discreet and sensed that I respect her and be decorous. Indeed I gradually felt relaxed and calm which is how it should be if one approaches the thing rationally. I was the client, I had to wear the corset and I wanted it and it was only right that it should fit.
This is a passage from my diary The corset proved to be very good. nice high back with 2" steels. I love the lower front with three hooks and eyes below the busk. In time I think I can wear it regularly. I'll try and have it on when I call to see her. I came to appreciate the high back and back steels more and more over the years. Combined with the shoulder straps I felt reassured whenever I leaned back that a pair of unseen hands were caressing and supporting my shoulders. I also appreciated the utility value of shoulder straps which allowed me to hang the corset off my shoulder and let me wait and get my back two pairs of suspenders on my stocking tops even before I hooked up the busk and have enjoyed this unexpected benefit now for more than 20 years. By now Mrs. Norris knew this and hence was quite confident in my presence too. It is nice to think in this world where the idea of men in corsets and stockings is thought strange at least one person accepts me as normal and reasonable. As I've said before it is because she enjoyed tight lacing herself. She said she loved making corsets and does it so well -a real art. She knows just how to bone them and always introduces something extra because she knows one has "advanced" in one experience to the point one would appreciate it. I believed we had reached the point where we had become friends, whose friendship is cemented by the fact that we both like wearing corsets and seamed stockings and talking about them. On reflection I realise that her willingness to deal with me in this way was that she was a good judge of character. If ever advantage were taken she would cut off the privilege instantly. THE GRANNY PINK CORSET IS CONDEMNED I took off the high top, slid open the door and walked into the kitchen in my white tights with black stockings around my knees and handed it to her to sew up the pinned and shortened to shorten the shoulder straps. She said to wait as she'd almost finished altering the shoulder strap of the high top I'd arrived in for me to put back on. But I had other ideas and told her I'd like her opinion on another old corset and that I'd go back to put it on. It was the Under-belted Granny Pink corset Wilbro BLBU 4 type corset in pink which I wanted altered, so I returned to the room and started to put it on. This was so low on my hips that first I changed into a very short pair of stockings whose length I found matched the suspenders and which I rolled up with it whenever I put it away. When I had done this, I asked her to come in the room again and watch or help me fit it. What she thought as she watched me dealing with the hooks and eyes of the under-belt while the two halves of the outer belt with its short busk ends flapped around as I did so I will never know. She sat and watched my clumsy technique I don't know but throughout we talked all the time. To my surprise I didn't feel embarrassed and she chuckled, sayings word to the effect that with a figure like mine I had no need to be bothering with an under-belt. When I got to hooking up the 8 inch four point bask she said, "that's not much of a busk is it? and Where did you get this? I told her Wilbro and she said that Gardners used to make their specials for them. Even if Wilbro had still been in business I could not have got what I wanted. She watched me starting to clip on the six suspenders and as I twisted around to do up my back suspenders she got up and said she help. After she'd clipped the first one I noted that in her professionalism had clipped it on the seam above the finishing loop. After telling me to do up the other clips, she got working at the lacing. With the best will in the world she could not reduce the fact that it was gaping between the edge steels at the top was meeting half way down wile in the hip section, the unlined fabric wasn't even taut. I sensed she was quite amused by the sight but I asked her if she could do something about it and she said it really wasn't worth it and that knowing what I liked she doubted if I wouldn't be happy with the result. o I said that she might as well take it and remove and reuse whatever bits she could for spares. So I bade farewell to the Granny pink, which had lain in the drawer for almost five years. Yet I had no regrets, its purchase had not been in vain. I had learned a lot from fitting it. I'd bought it years ago when experimenting with
different styles and preferences so I said to her that's one I'll put down to experience and she said one needed lots of experience to enjoy tight lacing corsetry. She was 61 and was a corset wearer since 14 and had always tight laced. She left me to take it off and went back to finish the shoulder straps on my new high top. l was left to take of my short stockings and white "modesty" tights, get back into the stockings I'd arrived in, and put on the older high top - now with shoulder straps added - that I'd been wearing when I arrived. By now we'd been fitting and unfitting corsets for the best art of an hour, yet Mrs. Norris remained cheerful through it all. As had become our salon routine I called her back and laced me tight and again helped me with my suspendering for my return journey. It was half past twelve I'd been there two hours. I now had a notion of what it felt like to be a fashion mannequin. Mrs. Norris had laced me in four times and I changed my stockings three times because of the different levels of the corset hems. That was the zenith of my corsetry life so far. The incredible thing is I didn't feel shy or awkward and neither did she. In fact she went ahead and attached my suspenders to my stockings automatically! She clearly considered it to be part of her duty as a corsetire. I must reiterate that everything I have set out in these paragraphs is the absolutely truth of what happened on 2nd December 1982. LIVING WITH TEN SUSPENDERS Away from the salon and assistance of Mrs. Norris, not surprisingly, my first experiences with ten suspenders added to what I had found was one of the more difficult physical activities and that was the problem of doing up one's back suspenders by oneself. Years later I was to find that it had been a problem for many women in that read in Ivy Leaf's site the words an old recently widowed lady who lamented that among the many things she missed about her ex-husband was that she missed him because she now had no one to help her do up her back suspenders. Until I was to meet some of the persons I was put in contact with by Mrs. Norris the only time I ever got such help was at the time of the corset fitting when Mrs. Norris helped me. I was thus ill prepared for the first time I commenced to fit the 10 suspenders to my stockings at home alone. I experimented with a number of ways of doing it and eventually I learned the best way to do it, but like all else with corsets finding out was a matter of trial and error. My order of securing my suspenders to my stocking top is to begin with the back suspender, which had the longest elastic, which I clip three inches from the seam towards the inside of my thigh. I then clip the one next to it right on the seam. The very front one by my busk is the next to be secured and before I do so I rotate my stocking top around my thigh until I can just see the knob of my back suspender. If this was done right it is about six inches from the back one. I next clip up the fourth suspender in the centre front of my thigh as close to vertical as possible. Finally I clip on the fifth and last one directly on the side of my thigh close to the knob of my thighbone, again vertical. While I know few would be interested in arguing such intricacies, but believe the result I had settled upon offers the wearer as near to suspendering perfection as it was possible to achieve. It is ironic that this should be long after anyone else is interested in such detail - but in some things I am a perfectionist. Add to which was the misery of having a clip slip off the top art an inconvenient time and as all who wear corsets know it is the suspenders under the most strain as a result of bending or sitting that are most at risk of slipping off. This was especially true in the early 80s when rivetted centre buttons were phased out in favour of all rubber and it mattered not whether they were the So-Lo, beloved of Marks and Spencer on their girdles, or thicker "knobs", the stockings always pulled off. In the end I solved the mystery and it related to the central rivet in the button, which prevented its distortion by the stocking top. Some may ask "Why did you stop at five pairs of suspenders?" and Why not more as can be seen on occasion in the pin-up photos in the Internet. Well, yes, I did try more, but reality trumps fantasy. The weight of yarn used to
knit the tops of 30 and 20 denier stockings is such that if any more buttons are clipped on those tops, they will make them act like tourniquets on the thighs. In addition, the top would already be stretched to the point where it is all but impossible to clip another suspender on to it in any case. It appears that it can only be done with stockings knitted from stretch yarn or 15 Denier monofilament yarn too. There is certainly enough evidence in glamour images where Gio or Eleganti, 15 Denier stockings are worn satisfactorily with no less six suspenders per stocking. On that point my thoughts also turn to the correspondent to Janus back in 1972, whose accounts of his and his wife's experiences in corsets had inspired me to pursue my dream. I had marvelled at his eight suspenders per stocking and on the basis of my experience I can only conclude the couple wore stretch stockings. However I also recalled him say how he when he was tightly laced into long corsets he couldn't bend enough to reach and clip his suspenders to his stockings. That was something that I came to experience wearing a high top and I thought and still think how fortunate he was to have, a wife, who understood "his needs" and how nice it would be to find someone to do the same for me and me reciprocate the activity for her, but I feared even in 1980 that that generation of woman in no more. A PERIOD OF TRANQUILLITY Now that Mrs. Norris had accepted me as a client I sometimes had to pinch myself to realise that my original quest was over. The days of altering items made to fit a woman's height and girth of hip waist and my discovery of "hip spring" were over. The days of pulling at the largest standard size of suspender belt just to get in hook on and cut into my waist were over. The trials and tribulations with suspenders were over. No more nervous purchases and semi-anonymity of serving myself at the 60s style counters of Woolworths, or running the gauntlet of the quizzical looks in the haberdashery section ladies of department stores like DH Evans. The days of enamelled suspenders were over. Mrs. Norris could always get me chromed clips. The problems of the knurled adjuster grips were over. Mrs. Norris fitted ones with real teeth to grip the elastic adjusters. I thought the days of variability of suspender elastic strength were over, but they were not as she couldn't always get the strength of elastic she wanted for her customers. I could not believe how familiar I had become with the finer points of corset design, the busk, the provision and weights of flat and spiral steels, the elasticity of suspender elastic, the problems of clips slipping off suspenders when they shouldn't. Yet though I was wearing items of apparel that were identified with women, I wore them as a man. For me they were simply items of attire that gave me an inner feeling of "comfort" if I wore them and a feeling of "missing" a part of what had become my life when I was not wearing them. It had become second nature to have my movements restricted by the stiffness of my corsets, and to be aware of my stockings being pulled by suspenders with every step I took. I remain obsessed with checking whether the upper ridge was visible over a range of movements. Mrs. Norris never seemed to tire of my earnest requests for confirmation that the ridge was not discernible. She would offer calming comments, like, well because you know you've got it on your looking for a ridge and maybe you're not seeing it but it's in your imagination. Again the crazy thing was it never ever occurred to me to imagine that any other man was actually wearing a corset. In fact I recall a colleague had a fusion of vertebrae and returned to work wearing a lumbar brace. I was unaware of why he'd left and he explained and then said, "Punch me there and feel what I'm wearing". I did so and at the time was astounded at the rigidity of what he had on. If anyone were to do that to me now in the front or back they would get the same reaction, though of course all the corsets are much softer where boned with spiral steels. For this reason one of the few concerns I had was be sure to avoid anyones hands making contact with me and either looking quizzically or asking for an explanation though I cultivated an identity as a choric back suffer, which had the merit of being true. It is one reason I came to value the utility of the deep boned suspender belts I had worn off and on since 1972. I had of course discovered them back in 1970. I had bought several off-the-peg and had made first made by Gardners in 1979 and regularly made by Mrs. Norris after 1982. I wore such a belt for visits to close relatives, who might embrace me and accidentally discover that I was wearing a corset. The suggestion, which would pass at work, that it was an orthopaedic corset, would have opened up a whole new discussion that was best avoided. Such belts were so tight on my hips that they barely moved down under the pull of suspenders, yet allowed me to keep my stockings as securely held up as I liked them to be.
I can hear people say with all the trials and tribulations "Why did you persist?" The simple answer is a paraphrase a modern bumper sticker message "I'd rather be corseted" Moreover, almost form the outset of corset wearing I have had a feeling of "regret" when I took off the corset, even if I was doing so because it was uncomfortable. I came to find that within minute of taking the corset off, I found I missed it. On balance, I had subconsciously decided that the advantages and satisfaction from being in a properly sized corset, properly, that is not to ambitiously aced in, outweighs the short periods of discomfort, which usually. I found that most discomfort would arose when sitting at one's desk for a long time and was usually alleviated by the simple action of standing up and walking around the office for a minute or two and sitting again. I have heard that being corseted is like a "lover's embrace". I agree with that and like to lean back and feel my shoulders "held" by the supporting palms and fingers of the hands that are the pair of spring steels at the back in my high-top high back styles. Some call it masochistic, but what about millions who positively liked it; the old ladies to whom Ivy Leaf often refers in her commentary? As regards the irksomeness of dealing with no fewer than 25 buckles and suspenders clips when fitting some of these creations, remember the wearer tolerated this because the alternative involved chronic discomfort or pain. I cannot speak for the Jenyns fan lacer but I am sure, based on what I found myself, that anyone who is experienced in fitting and adjusting one as required during the day would attest that once the way of dealing with the "lappet" straps is understood it is better to trust oneself to it than not to wear it. Cumbersome it may appear to the uninitiated, but to the habitual wearer the rewards far outweigh its disadvantages. ENVOI My story would not be complete if I didn't tell how my meeting went with the Berks Corsetier but that's another part of my Odyssey. It would not be betraying a confidence to say that when I met him he said his ambition was to make for ladies, not for the likes of me, and he succeeded. He went on to become an internationally acclaimed corsetier for more than 15 years. He made corsets for many well-known possessors of small waists and assisted a protge in establishing a successful personal and e-internet bespoke corsetires business, which trades today.
Frangard 2
V: A MEETING OF THE OTHER SIDE

1 BACKGROUND As I drove from Mrs Norriss home, I almost had to pinch myself to confirm that what I had experienced in the previous two hours had really happened. I reflected on it for most of the journey and wondered if was written in the stars. The dark years of my Odyssey were over. Those years had begun in the Callaghan governments cold winter of discontent in 1978-79, which was followed by the harsh economic years of early Thatcherism. During that period, the cost of a G78 casual corset went from 25 to 30 and then 35, fully-fashioned stockings rose from less than a pound to over two pounds and Gardners finally foundered at the end of 1980. Known for so long as The Iron Maiden, it was not lost on me that Mrs Thatchers appellation was also the name of the type of metal corset, which had been Gardners letterhead logo. It was often regarded as an instrument of torture in medieval times and many thought that if not metaphorically torturing them she was at least tight lacing her public into an economic corset! Yet, on the very day that her mettle and steely resolve was proven by the ultimate success of the forces in the Falklands I got the good news of Mrs Norris resuming work on her own account and of her accepting me as a client. About the day the fleet was being exultantly welcomed back at Plymouth, I had met Mrs Norris for my very first appointment at her home. After much anguish, suddenly the future looked much brighter. In the first 15 years of my Odyssey I had met set-back after set-back, brought on largely by the relentlessness of the grim reaper in harvesting the last generation of women who had entrusted their figures, deportment and style to real busked corsets. Women for whom the attendant elegance of the straight seams of fully-fashioned stockings properly reined in place by strong, trusty suspenders, of whom, Mrs Norris herself was a worthy representative. But first I must go back to that memorable day in December 1982. Not only had Mrs Norris taken me as personal client, she had given me the greatest confidence she could offer by allowing me to appear in her presence in just corsets and stockings. Id had a long anxious time regarding the future and though my corsetire was now operating independently it seemed that aspects of her future were a little too depended on others and on the availability of essential components which were only used in corsets and relied on long production runs to achieve the economy of scale that allowed them to be sold at low prices. For that reason I continued to feel I should identify new sources and this was one reason that I followed up on my contact with the Berks Corsetier. 2 MEETING THE BERKS CORSETIER What I now write about has proven to be the hardest part of my Odyssey to adapt from my diary of the time, even in todays more liberated times. It would be easy to say that today I have no need to been so inhibited and should be able to readily put my thoughts on paper. However that is because I am a member of a dying generation imprinted when women almost universally wore skirts, displayed the seams of stockings and used suspenders hung from corsets, belts or girdles. These are items of attire that only a few members of the generations which became teenagers after the 1960s will ever have seem, and in todays liberated moral climate the majority will certainly never understand why men wearing such things could ever be the cause of inhibition. . As a prelude to meeting the Berks Corsetier, over the previous eight months I had entered into a copious correspondence and had a good idea of who he was. After several postponements, it was unfortunate that the only suitable day I could meet him was one and the same as that on which I had arranged to visit Mrs Norris. If I had known what had transpired with Mrs Norris, and which I have related at the end of Part 4 of my Odyssey, and was to transpire with him that day, I would not have made such an arrangement. In the event what should have been simply a red-letter day became a double red-letter day. I left Mrs Norris in the early afternoon and stopped at the first phone box en route to confirm that I was on my way and to day what time I expected to arrive. For much of the journey, driving in as tightly laced a condition as Id ever been, I reflected on what I had just experienced. I had been actually been seen by someone else while wearing just a corset and stockings, and I had been helped to lace the corset on. As I neared my destination, my thoughts turned to what I might expect at my next stop with a novitiate in the art corsetry. . In anticipation, for several days I had mulled over in my mind ideas of how I would like our meeting to evolve. My main hope was that it should be a decorous, and platonic occasion, as had been the experience I had just had with my accomplished corsetire. I reflected on how I and got myself into such a situation. From the moment I bought my first suspender belt and stockings in 1967 I had thought and read widely about my condition. I had done something that was generally considered to be taboo. I had read as many books on the subject as a could, which in the more-accepting climate had meant that being gay was
no longer criminal but I shill worried about the wretch who ran foul of the law because he was denounced by someone who contrived to detect on a bus that he was wearing womens nylons. Such was the climate when back in early 1967 I had first ventured to buy my first suspender belt and black nylons. Things had got better and safer and if nothing else my experience, worries and subsequent reading had made me more tolerant from being decidedly in the anti-gay camp. As recently as a few years earlier, I would have said that any man who met with another man to talk about, let alone wear any item of, womens clothing, as I was now about to do, would class me as a gay man. In those times, any sign of anything other than strong masculinity was viewed with suspicion. I now had great empathy for those people for I knew, that like them, I would be equally open to ridicule, if no longer liable to prosecution, if my secret was ever exposed. Although I knew I was not gay, I knew that I would be unable to convince the still bigoted public at large - probably not even my mother, let alone my father and certainly not other family members, nor colleagues at work. Acceptance on the part of my corsetire, Mrs Norris and the mix of understanding comments and casual asides she had made during my Gardner visits, had helped me immeasurably in coming to realise that I was not alone. But here, on the next logical step of my Odyssey, I was still breaking new ground and was filled with anxiety. For every advance, for every Rocky Horror Show, for every groundbreaking magazine like Oz there was Mrs Whitehouse and a clamp down on sleaze in Soho and there had been the derisive Lumberjacks Song, lustily sung by Michael Palin and his mounties. Mainstream opinion was rooted in former times. I was caught straddling the two cultures of probity and permissiveness. I find it ironic that compelled to act on my imprinting by black nylons in the 1950s, along the way I get a taste for taut suspendering and that, in my search for suspendering perfection, I end up finding the only way to achieve it is to wear corsets. I am truly the dinosaur. I cannot but wonder at the way in which young women, who must never have worn fully-fashioned nylons, nor suspender belts let alone corsets, in their day-to-day life, now don them, with varying degrees of rigour as regards fit and size, and proceed to pose in them for images placed on websites that old fogies such as myself, pore over and lament what had been lost since the advent of the permissive 1960s. 3 IN DEEPEST BERKSHIRE I travelled by way of Aylesbury and High Wycombe and, thanks to his excellent travel instructions, I reached the Berks Corsetiers home in the Royal County of Berkshire, an hour or so west of London just as it was getting dark. Parked in the driveway was the brown car he had mentioned. The number on the door confirmed that I was at the right house, for this was no time to make a mistake. I drew up in front of the car and as I stiffly stepped out of mine. Though the day was now turning into the December twilight, my paranoia meant that I imagined all the neighbourhood could see how dis-accommodated I was in my effort to get out of the low car. They would instantly conclude what I was wearing and the nature of my business. My stiffness was in part that which is usually attendant following a fairly long stretch of driving, but today it was largely due to the unaccustomed degree of the tightness and height of the corsets into which Mrs Norris had so expertly laced me less than 2 hours earlier. I straightened myself to a standing position and appreciated the unforgettable feeling as ones stockings slide over ones knees while being pulled by strong suspenders. The bagginess that forms in the knees when the wearer sits down low and long was being reined smooth. I sensed the corset slide a little higher on my form in response to the resistance of the rigid shoulder straps. This was all so new to me. I had never spent so long in a car in such long corsets nor been so tightly laced before. It was a measure of how far I had come. It was also a testament as to how expertly the corsets had been cut, for despite their undoubted tightness, I had almost forgotten I was wearing them till I moved to get out of the car. I bent - as much as anyones double-boned and back-steeled corsets would allow them to - and reached back into the back of the car for my Pilot style document case. In it were several other corsets of different lengths, a deep suspender belt, plus stockings of different lengths as well as the white support tights and cache sex I wore at all my fitting appointments with Mrs Norris. I dismissed the idea that all the curtains were moving and bag in hand walked up the path and nervously I knocked the door. Fortunately I had to wait only a moment before the door opened, else I might well have turned away there and then, such was my sudden doubt of what I was doing. However my contact had sounded very pleasant on the phone and in correspondence and that reassured me. When the door opened, to see a normal looking man in sweater, shirt and trousers proved to be a great relief. There were no surprises he was in his mid-50s about 10 years older than me. Now was not the time to lose courage and ignore the compulsion to pursue the corseted life had inspired my efforts After a diffident exchange of pleasantries thanking for good directions, etc. - on both our parts, I followed mine host into the house. He showed me to a low sofa. The obvious difficulty I had in sitting meant, if nothing else that the ice was well and truly broken since it was evident to him, who knew my secret and as I casually as I could admitted that the corsets I was wearing were indeed very long and very tight. In contrast my host sat down with ease and I could not tell if he was already corseted. If he was, based on the evidence of the photos I judged that he would be wearing classic Spirella style corsets - the long skirted versions of which allowed the wearers hips and bottom to slide around within the corset skirt as they moved to sit down. At least thats how the theory goes but it still depends on the attendant strain of the hem of the skirt being accommodated by suspenders with elastic strong enough and, by stockings knitted with yarn of sufficient weight.
4 TALKING CORSETS WITH A CORSETIER I am reporting this account of our first meeting at length, not because I want to shock, and I hope I do not. Moreover I trust that readers will understand what a debt men like myself and I know Berks Corsetier, now sadly deceased, would have agreed, owe to Ivy Leaf for giving us the space to record our thoughts. As the one who penned Why there is another side much of what I wrote there is the result of meetings over the years with Berks Corsetier, but none was no important to us both as that first anxious meeting of December 1982. I also realise that I may be stretching the tolerance and attention of some readers simply by in recalling the events in the detail I have done. However, I am sure that the likes of Simon, will understand what a time of liberation it was for my host and myself. For all of us who have responded to the driving force of inner compulsion then experienced doubts, anxieties, fed in part by it the need to keep them secret. Once seated, and still slightly breathless from my seriously constrained effort to sit so low down, I could do no other than open the conversation by recounting why I had arrived so tightly-laced and what had occurred at my appointment afternoon with Mrs Norris. I did so, not with any intent to brag, not to make my host, and soon to be new friend envious, but simply to confirm how serious I was about being well corseted for as much of the time as I could be. As a fellow traveller, I basically knew I need have no so concerns and assuming this, which was confirmed when he complimented me on my achievement and of my being accorded full customers privileges by Mrs. Norris. It turned out that he had met Mrs. Norris when he had patronised Gardners occasionally some years earlier, when he had bought several corsets from Gardners. In his case it was hard to get what he called medium lacing styles as Mrs Norris clearly practised and so obviously specialised in classical tight lacing corsets, that she was not as experienced in making what he really wanted to wear. We quickly established that neither of us was gay but realised that, because we liked to wear corsets with suspenders and stockings under our male clothes when we felt we could, we would be labelled as gay if found out, whatever would be our individual protestations to the contrary might be. In consequence it meant continual vigilance to ensure that the secret was never accidentally revealed. We lamented that what should matter was how we felt as individuals but that was not enough for the world at large, even in 1982. As for the fact that we had got in touch through the contact section of a transvestite specialist magazine we agreed that, while each of us was grateful for its existence the magazine we knew towards whom it catered Each of us had noted that many of the correspondents indulged in activities which each of us eschewed, and knew that, while many of its intended readers wore corsets the magazine was not what serious corset wearers really wanted. He was also disappointed that articles he had submitted under two pseudonyms had never been published. However over the following two years I saw in some back issues of a stable mate of the magazine articles by him and which he, not being a subscriber never knew about until I drew them to his attention and gave him photocopies. He quickly said how envious he was of my self-confidence in wearing corsets to drive the car and to wear them to work. He did not since his work was in a secure establishment making it impossible. He simply came home and put the corsets and stockings on for the evening. He was reluctant even to wear them outdoors except to walk and was afraid to drive, as the danger of exposure after an accident would almost certainly cause him to lose his job - such were mores even in the early 1980s. Nevertheless we were able laughed ironically when he recalled the fear he felt when accounts in the lurid press - however apocryphal they might have been - of doctors or nurses cutting away the clothes of accident victims in the emergency ward, only to reveal that the man was wearing stockings and suspenders, etc. He understood that my motivation was such that I was prepared to take that risk. We quickly discussed what other items of female apparel we had tried wearing. It was clear to each if us that we had no desire go out in public or to pass as women. For one thing we were both too tall and agreed that we had no desire to draw unwarranted attention to ourselves by looking like so many of the readers of the contact magazine .I did however confide in him that in had experimented with various other items of female apparel and he said that say that I had probably noticed in some of his published photos that he did wear a wig and falsies in the bra and did I mind? He admitted that he liked to do so, in part out of desire, but also to add a note of realism to the way the garments he had made looked when worn. He added that, as we spoke, he was wearing, in the way I imagine Simon did, a corselette flattened to his chest. I replied saying that, given that I was sitting there wearing some of the same items of womens apparel who was I to object? Having established how much we agreed or differed in our respective corset preferences our conversation turned to our other likes and dislikes and our individual motivations. Thus it seemed quite natural for me to suggest that, rather than conversing in the abstract, we should be doing so while wearing just our corsets. He instantly agreed to this and I followed his suggestion to go upstairs for us to change out of our outdoor attire. 5 UPSTAIRS
I picked up my briefcase and my host went up ahead. I was hardly prepared for what was there. Two of the three bedrooms had become the salon of the The Berks Corsetier. There was a sewing room in one bedroom and the other had become a dressing room equipped with a single bed into which he led me leaving me to change while he retired to his bedroom. A large cream blanket lay over what appeared to be a pile of clothes covered the bed. A green cover on the bed proper appeared below the blanket edge. I quickly took off my shirt, T-shirt and trousers and in the sole mirror in the room I caught sight of how dishevelled were my corsets and stockings after close to two hours of driving. As was to become my custom with Mrs Norris, I put into practice my resolution to wear cache sex and tights, underall as I was anxious to keep our meeting totally platonic. As rapidly as I was able I undid and took off my corsets and stockings, and re-dressed from scratch. This was all taking time and it then occurred to me that the Berks Corsetier himself be faster than me and might assist me with refitting my corsets. So I opened the door to call to him and saw that his door was already open. He had been far quicker than I had been and was already in his sewing room. I called to see if he would help me with my lacing in and with my suspendering. He came along, looking for all the world as if he was one of the models about to participate in one of Spirella presentations to its agents. As in his photo he was wearing a deep long line bra, filled out with falsies, and a blonde wig. I was amazed at what I saw and was surprised I didn't feel shy at the sight. Indeed, in the context it seemed quite a natural progression in our evening and I felt that at last I had found a true confidante for my compulsions. This was the first time I had seen anyone outside my family so attired. He was wearing the corsets with the double busk I had seen in his black and white photos. I quickly forgave the lurid granny pink figured pink brocade or broche and was amazed at its complexity and the veritable forest of suspenders clipped to the shortest chocolate brown stockings imaginable. The bra was quite unlike any other I had seen - except in his photos - and he looked so convincing that I am not surprised that when I had seen the first photos of what turned out to be him, back in 1977, I had been unable to tell whether it was a man or a woman wearing the attire and told him so. He thanked me for my kind words and admitted that he did cherish the fantasy of being a lady corsetire with lady clients. His first reaction, as I moved to wrap on my corset and hook my busk, was to comment on the lines of boning marks and creases on my skin, which showed just how tightly I had been laced. I said that I usually wore a T shirt under the corset but that, because Mrs N had laced me like that, I felt that I should experience what she regarded as correct lacing for as long as I could tolerate it. I had driven for nearly two hours like that and had come to appreciate how tightly I had been laced. After I had secured my busk, he saw me dealing with the hooks and eyes above it and said, Let me look at those hooks and eyes. He examined them and said, Thats what I wish I could do. He pointed out that each hook was actually secured to the corset with eyelets which passed right though all the layers of material and not sewn on. He said that all good corsets had them and all professional corsetires' machining rooms had a mini-eyeletting machine. I had noticed over the early years of my Odyssey pre-sewn hooks quickly pulled the eyelets out of line and even out of their bindings on my old Kesman elastic waspie and the Contessa front lacer, and now I knew why.
He laced me in quite efficiently - in as far as it went. However I suddenly realised he was about to form a knot that we were poles apart in what we expected from wearing corsets. I could sense, and was able to see in the mirror, that my corset was still more than two inches open. With his stated preference for medium lacing he had no doubt forgotten my problem in sitting on the sofa had been on account of tightness to which I was laced and clearly thought that once he hit resistance to pulling in that my corsets would be tight enough. I tactfully asked him if he could close me down to about an inch. Before resuming my lacing, and without asking, he started to pull one of my stockings up my thigh, commenting as he did so that he wasnt used to straightening seams and that he hadnt seen cuban heels on stockings for many years. I replied that, as far as I knew they, were no longer made in England, only in the USA and that I only wore them on special occasions to safeguard my dwindling reserve: otherwise I wore styles that were still being made, and the only ones available had point heels. I then explained exactly where I wanted my back pairs of suspenders to be clipped onto my tops and, as he did so, I dealt with the ones at my front and side. He remarked that he liked the ladder stop patterns and I told him they were Alberts Walking Sheer 30 denier stockings, much worn by pin up models in the USA. At no point did he comment on how many suspenders I used, he didnt judge because he understood - I had seen evidence of the fact in his photographs and now in real life. Words cannot fully covey what inner solace I derived from being able to talk about such things intelligently with someone who really understood my own motivations and without any sense of shame. When all were clipped on he resumed lacing me down. He worked and reworked the lacings and he laughed when I told him he needed a buttonhook to assist him in his effort to keep the pullers taut while he took up all the slack he could produce. He was constantly reluctant to pull as hard as I had come to learn from Mrs Norris was necessary. Eventually he closed me down to the level Mrs Norris had provided earlier that day and I now felt comfortably corseted again, At this point I requested he pass me the pullers he had formed and I lay them across my triceps, spread my wings a few times and pulled the waist really tight. On reflection I would be forced to class him as a corsetier manqu, for he lacked Mrs Norriss skill at lacing in such matters.
Once I was finished, our eyes finally met and we smiled at each other after what had been a new experience for each of us. We just stood and contemplated what the other was wearing. I saw him in pink corsets faced in sumptuous brocade with six, maybe seven pairs of matching wide suspenders clipped to very short brown stockings. I have no better reminder of him showing me around the salon than another of photos I saw back in 1982 and which first prompted me to contact him. He was seeing me all in black - black satin-faced corsets, black nylons and black suspenders. We were both male corset wearers who differed only on when we wore our corsets, on the degree of tightness we desired, in the colours we liked. As for the type of stockings I wanted mine pulled taut, day in day out, for the innate satisfaction they then provided me together with that provided by the accompanying suspender elastics. His were pulled taut while doing their duty of provide the level of resistance that could pull hard on the skirts of his impossibly long, and near-impractical corsets. On reflection later, I realised that, at even though this was my first such meeting at no moment did I felt shy or ashamed. I was with another person - albeit one of the same sex - who truly understood and fundamentally shared my interests. There was no need to explain to one another what motivated me. We had travelled down very similar roads since our teens. Each of us realised that we were responding to deeply seated almost inexplicable motivations in our respective psyches, which were consequences of the way the fashions of the day, the taboos of the era had contributed to the way each of us had been imprinted early in life.
6 CONTRASTS IN THE OTHER SIDE OF CORSETRY Our conversation continued and after helping me he said he was amazed and that he had tried wearing tight lacing corsets but preferred what he termed medium lacing much more in the classical Spirella tradition. He said that he was glad it wasnt important to him since he had been told by his doctor that he had a hiatus hernia, which meant he would never be able to tight lace again, even if he so desired. I said that if I laced to the point where it was just uncomfortable, over the course of the day I adjusted well to it. I said that without wishing to be clever that tight lacing was an acquired taste and that for me, as much as anything, the compelling force was a deep need to feel stockings and corsets on my body. I said it was a sort of tactile addiction to the pressure of the corset and to the pulling force of the suspenders making my stockings taut. I said that in the end, it was a matter over which I now had little choice I valued and needed the presence of these feelings all day every day. They made me feel more contented. If I wasnt wearing them I felt anxious and irritable and that condition could only be relieved by my putting on the stockings and corset and suspendering my stockings again. Hence I had to wear them, and that meant even at work. He said he thought he could understand but again the nature of his work precluded him ever acting out in such a way at least another
seven years until he was eligible to retire! Having heard me out, it was his turn to philosophise - if one can invoke such a grand term about the reasons for his motivation. He said that from his teens on he had gained more and more satisfaction from going through the motions of fitting and removing a corset and would repeat it several times in quite a short period of time. As time went on and his corset wardrobe grew, he would select several corsets to try rather than fit and refit the same one. While doing so he said he derived great comfort simply from being able to see a number of unworn corsets draped over the furniture available at his whim and which would trigger an anticipation and desire to change and fit them instead. Simply put his addiction was the ritual of, doing up hooks and eyes, hooking busks, lacing in and the more suspenders to be clipped on the better. The more complex the design he had produced by mixing several features into one corset the greater was the reward. This is graphically shown in the accompanying photographs above. Typically he would devote the entire evening several times a week feeding his addiction The fact that a person such as myself or his new girl friend was there clad only in corsets to watch him, added greatly to the experience. I am sure even in todays permissive climate most members of the public would judge such activity to be at best kinky and some would rail against debauchery For my part I can only vouch for the chasteness of it all. It may be unusual behaviour but what and who is normal and who can deny that men can appreciate wearing womans attire? Over the years to come, I was to reflect on what had happened and through introductions by Mrs Norris I met individuals and married couples for whom the common feature was having a partner to share in the experience of corset fitting and suspendering. I had always known of the concept of the kept woman and that depending on the wealth of individuals the commitment would range from a wealthy man, often married, who lived in the country and whose pied terre in London was occupied by a woman who was wore corsets out of choice and while she fitted him in his corsets when he visited. Among their expeditions he would make, while in town would be visits to specialist corsetires, such as Iris Norris and others, who had known such couples and who would visit other like-minded couples for corset fitting soirees. My new friend had learned through his experience with the woman who responded to his advertisement that she catered for men of less means and she had a good understanding of individuals preferences and realised the fundamental power of her being corseted at their meetings at which the other party would dress up as a woman or be laced into corsets and pass a few hours on an otherwise platonic basis. A few years later I came to realise that the practice was much wider spread than Id ever imagined and all but presiding over it was the notorious Cynthia Payne whose activities were the subject of the film Personal Services, in which a scene, where Julie Walters struggles to fit herself into complex corsets, featured prominently. 7 A CONDUCTED TOUR OF THE SALON He was eager to gave me a full conducted tour of his salon. So, like two corseted matrons, we moved into the sewing/store room, where all his supplies to make corsets. They were methodically stored in shoeboxes on shelves, with labels such as suspender clips, wide - pink, Busks 14 inch, eyelets, buckles etc and maybe twenty narrow boxes of spiral flat steels of different lengths. When I later looked at the photos in the magazine they simply showed much of what I had seen that day. On a table were rolls of pink and white broche and satin corset facings and pink and white twill lining. The coils of ribbon and elastic were again all in pink and white. I searched in vain for black, but saw none; confirmation if needed of his penchant was for granny pink or tea rose corsets. He admitted that he had been carried away with sewing corsets and had made more than 60 of them in every permutation of lacing method and location, every hem length and designs with and without under-belts, He had no more drawers in which to store all his own corsets and had resorted to keeping many of them on the bed. He kept them covered to preclude the inadvertent sight of them by causal visitors to the house. He admitted that when family - a sister and brother in law - came to stay overnight he was forced into a Herculean task of moving out all these corsets and supplies into his bedroom! Even then he said once he had been very embarrassed when he saw a wide pink suspender lying on an arm chair into which his brother-in law was going to sit and hoped he had retrieved it before it was noticed. Such were the worries that men had with secrets such as ours. What a day this was proving to be. All on the same day, first my corsetire had seen me so attired and helped to lace and suspender me and now, a second person shared by secret with no risk of ridiculing me- quite the opposite in fact. The upstairs was barely heated and in just corsets and stockings I felt cold and suggested we went back downstairs. 8 A MEETING OF LIKE MINDS As I followed him down I became fully aware of how amazingly complex the corsets he was wearing. Not only did they have lacings up the back there were lacings up each side too. My prejudices against the granny pink dissipated as I studied the very long corset skirt, which reached to mid thigh from the hem of which a veritable fence of suspenders stretched down to his stocking tops which began at mid knee and which, even with the extraordinary pull being exerted
on them. As had been the fashion in corsets in the 1920s and 30s, they only reached to just a little above the tops of their appreciative wearers knees. All of them moved and stretched as, one step at a time, he negotiated the stairs. At the bottom he waited for me and I all but blushed, as he looked me up and down. I wondered what must he have thought of me - all in black. Was I the person I claimed to be, or was I tawdry emulator, sans chapeau, of Sophia Loren in the Millionairess? Today as I write this I wondered if a passing glance at the pair of us might have given the impression of Sophia in the salon of her pink clad corsetire! Remembering my problem with the sofa he brought an upright chair from the dining room and arranged for me to sit on it while he sat in a high armchair. By now we were both sitting in the sitting room with the heads and voices of men and the under-attire of women wearing just their corsets and stockings. Reflecting back on that first meeting all of 25 years ago I remain struck by how much we had in common despite the fact that, on a superficial level, dressed in our respective choices of corsetry and stockings, we looked so different. There was I, boldly dressed in a glossy black satin-faced high top, laced to the limit, just as I had requested him do. My new acquaintance looked for all the world like a Spirella corsetire might look if she had just disrobed to put a diffident client at ease to show that she practised what she preached in her long and enveloping 305 or Alison in a pink version of the black Spenall she was required to wear on salon duty. On his own assertion, he always laced just enough for light control, containment and comfort. While the shade of our stockings differed, from the number of suspenders we each used, and from the evident tension in our stocking tops neither of could hide our mutual appreciation of really taut suspendering. As I took in his image again I almost had to pinch myself to believe that this was really me, and an overriding thought that came into my mind. I returned to my worry about the content of the magazine though which we had first met. I felt it tended to give accounts of groups of men, almost certainly of gay persuasion who met for what was much more than the appreciation of the apparel they were wearing. He agreed with my concern that anyone who saw us sitting in his sitting room, dressed as we were in womens underwear would instantly conclude that we were a couple of old queens and that any of our protestations to the contrary would be dismissed by everyone except the few, like Simons Mary and now my Iris Norris. I still recall the sudden realisation that my anxiety of meeting him seemed to dissipate more and more as we sat and spoke. Ever since I realised that my compulsion was such that wearing mothers stockings without suspenders was not enough and that I needed to possess my own, I had become inhibited abut the very utterance of the words stockings and suspenders. If I heard others use the words, even in the course of general conversation amongst family or friends, I would feel embarrassed and even feel myself blush. When it came to actually going into a store or the hosiery or lingerie counter to buy the items for the first time, like Simon entering Marys shop I had hesitated. Having survived the experience, you would think subsequent times would be better, but every time I had to summon up all my reserves of courage. If I had to wait for other customers to be served I then had to resist the urge not to turn around and leave. Uttering the words, Do you have black stockings with seams in size 10, especially in the earshot of others, was purgatory for me. Even in more specialist stores where it was obvious what was my intent, I still had the same problem. It was even the case with someone as natural and informative in her responses as Mrs Norris, while still at Gardners. Nothing changed after she worked from home and knew me and knew very well what I wore under my male clothes and why I was there. So it proved this day with the Berks Corsetier, Happily, I quickly I found I was using the words with less and less inhibition though at all times, in view of our mutually held views on so many correspondents of the magazine we each were careful to be decorous. 9 HIS JOURNEY He told me little of himself. He had first become fascinated by his mothers and grandmothers corsets. It had all begun at the age of five when he tried on a 1930s style deep boned suspender belt he had seen his mother wear. Before he was in his teens he had worn his mothers corsets but it was as a teenager and they began to fit him properly that he had been hooked by the feeling. He admitted to a strong penchant for pink followed by white. I told him how repulsed I had been as a youth by pink and the story of how grateful I was to learn more by wearing the Wilbro BLBU4, which as diligent readers of Part 4 of my Odyssey will recall on that very day I had abandoned forever. He said that surreptitiously over the years he had used first pocket money to buy corsets by mail order from the likes of Ambrose Wilson and others. Like me, and unlike Simon, he had never had the courage to walk into a corsetires and buy one. The more he tried wearing them the more he sought a good fit, at which I interjected to agree with him, was anatomically impossible with a mans hip spring. Initially he found it had been enough to make alterations sewing by hand but as his ambitions grew this proved it proved more difficult to do and he invested in an old hand-operated sewing machine so that he could alter the mail order corsets more easily. He laboriously unpicked whole sections of older corsets and reused the panels, spiral steels etc., to make them to fit his own form. He was surprised how quickly his machining skill developed and his thoughts turned from alterations to making his own corsets, but how? The turning point came some seven or so years earlier when by chance he watched a television programme on sewing given by Ann Ladbury. She had made it look so easy that he resolved to buy her book and teach himself sewing and invested in an electric machine, and set up a sewing room. There again was a challenge - where and how to buy the materials so specific to corset making. He laboriously tracked down sellers of corset grade fabric with
the idea of making corsets from scratch. Even before I met him, during our initial correspondence, he had kindly sent me the list he had produced of the suppliers of the essential material and components required to make corsets. Over the years he identified other producers and even when I only used Iris to make my corsets, he was most understanding about selling me bones and busks for her to use and in due course I initiated an exchange programme between them. He noted that there must have been a precipitous decline in corset making years just two before we met. The fact of W&J Symington closing down meant that suddenly many items proved hard to get and suppliers simply stopped stocking or making them. Not surprisingly items used in girdles such as 12 inch wide woven elastic for side panels had not been affected at that time, though he said that some of them were proving harder to find. He had made himself every imaginable style of corset based on Spirella and other designs. Within a year or so he had indulged his fantasies to the limit and quickly his upstairs of his house he set up a sewing room, a storage room and last but not least his bedroom. For him more than for me I think our meeting was more important. He had been searching for years to find like-minded souls and was anxious to invest more. Although the idea had been farthest from my plan of what I would do when we met, the fact of being able to talk so frankly and sincerely with a man heterosexual like myself about his and my secret relaxed me and a form of telepathy led to agreeing that he should show me other items in his wardrobe and also produced several corselettes with padded bras. Though I was at pains to reiterate that my own interest extended no further than the items he saw me wearing, though I did of course tell him of my experiments with other items of ladies clothing. Knowing today of Simon, I feel he might have had more in common with Berks than I did, but regrettably his death has intervened. He now produced a series of albums of black and white and colour photos he had taken. One album was in the form of a portfolio of his creations that he could show clients, complete with typewritten information about each one. The other album comprised photos of himself posing in corsets he had made, many of which Id seen in the magazine while other photos were of two women for whom he had made white or pink corsets and suspenders to wear with his preferred brown stockings. He had spent close to 10 years since the rise of contact magazines trying to make contact with individuals like himself or women interested in being laced into corsets. Like this he had gained just two male clients. Of the two women who were not offering there charms, one was young enough never to have worn stockings or suspenders let alone a girdle or corset while the other was a married woman who had gratefully abandoned the wearing of those items a decade earlier but was being pressed by her husband who had no interest in wearing corsets himself but was keen for her to start wearing real corsets She who had been a photographic model and posed very professionally always in the presence of her spouse. My friend had agreed with both women to make them corsets for no cost on condition that he could measure them for corsets and that he could carry out fittings, as needed which they would then pose in for photo modelling sessions. It transpired that the young woman aspired to be a photographic model and needed experience and expected payment. What she lacked in posing talent was soon made up by her willingness to pose in corsets and they had become more than just business friends and had consented to meet with them both wearing corsets and stockings. As the conversation proceeded we continued to establish how much we had in common. We had studied at the same college - albeit 10 years apart - and he confirmed that he was indeed related to someone at the same place when I was there, who shared his surname. All this served to reassure me that while we each shared a secret, neither of us was the worthy of the ridicule to which the world at large would hold us. How times have now changed. He said he enjoyed the complexity of corsets, and we both wondered if the imprinting of boys minds of things mechanical helped to create their early fascination with corsets. He said he positively enjoyed fitting corsets and the more complicated the better, that the very business of putting them on was a significant part of his fascination with them and that was why he decided to make his own so that he could indulge his desire to experience first hand the lacing in, hooking of busk or hooks and eyes of corsets or under-belts. He did of course readily admit that even if he could wear them to work he didnt think he would have had the commitment to lace on something so complicated and handle it for bodily necessities! I said the first time I had thought that fan lacing was appealing was in an photograph taken by Bob Carlos Clark for the illustrated version of The Delta of Venus by Anaias Nin, (c1980-1). At this he invited me to come back up and to see his collection of fan lacers as he called them. Not without difficulty I got up and was glad to note that he too was finding his long corsets a problem too. We had digressed from discussion of his corset-making prowess but I was now warm again. However he was clearly anxious to show me what he had produced and somewhat reluctantly I agreed to go back to the cold upstairs. 10 NEW FASHIONS IN CORSETS In his fitting room he then pulled back the large blanket on a bed to reveal a plethora of corselettes and corsets in
granny pink or white on which were carefully laid flat one upon the others to form a slab of corsetry about a foot deep. Quite as remarkable were the dozens of suspenders dangling along the edge of the slab. I was not to see such an image again until I saw the amazing photo of Ivy Leafs own inventory at the start of the 2007 diary page on this site. As if this was not enough, with pride he opened each drawer of a three-drawer chest in which were rolled even longer corsets. I was to learn that with few exceptions he had made them all himself. He took hold of a pair of corsets, which I instantly noticed had fan lacing, which he was going to model for me. In just moments - on account of his looser degree of lacing he liked - the pair he was wearing were as undone and he as he held the two busk edges to opened it out to reveal a deep under-belt onto which half his suspenders were attached. The under-belt too was well boned and had its own busk, not hooks and eyes. Equally amazing were the complex arrangements by which he had designed - for adjustable trolleyed suspenders to be sewn with one end on the lower hem of the under-belt and the other end on the hem of the outer corset skirt. When I look today at examples of corsets with such arrangements in Ivy Leafs Tribute, words fail me in my admiration for the corsetires who sympathetically encouraged their clients to wear those wonderful corsets and who then laced them sometimes for decades, out of choice. What has the world lost with their passing and the change of fashion? He used the fan lacing corsets to explain about the differences between the Camp and the Jenyns fan lacing designs. Having worn both styles he found the laces on the Camp models hed purchased didnt last as long as those on a Jenyns style he had made himself. He thought it was due to the fact that the Camp method the laces, which pass through the holes in the steel plate at the end of the lappet straps, caused more damage to the lace by abrasion than did the lacing eyelets. He had tried putting lacing eyelets inside the holes without success. He preferred pulling in on a Jenyns arrangement. He also explained that with only three holes in the lace manifold plate on the Camp design and the fact that it was only possible to thread two laces per hole, the number of lacing eyelets one pair of strap could control was usually no more than ten pairs. Hence the need for at least two and sometimes three lappets to control a longer corset. With the Jenyns style the number of pairs of laces in the cluster manifolds was not limited as shown in the accompanying image with 16 pairs controlled. On the corset he fitted in my presence he pointed out that he had made the lappet manifold to control 12 laces over the hips and he closed the lappets with ease.
11 A NOVITIATE AT SUSPENDERING I was captivated to watch him fit it so quickly and I was able to observe at first hand the way the Jenyns principle lacings moved, though he did elicit my help in closing the small, laced gores at the sides near the hem, which he had designed to improve the hem hug when closed. It then seemed only natural to offer to help to do up his back suspenders and what a revelation it was. For more than 15 years I had got fully experienced and quick at positioning and in doing up my own suspenders, but now I found my dexterity seriously challenged doing it for someone else. Everything was in reverse. I was also very surprised at how hard I had to pull down - on the elastic and -upon the stretch stockings simultaneously, even to get the suspender button in place behind the edge of his stocking tops. In the end I had clipped them on, while he clipped on the rest. I sensed him start shortening his front suspender elastics and this prompted me to do the same for the pair for which Id been responsible. It was at this moment that he noted how we differed. I used the corset and its suspenders to pull my stockings up. He needed them to pull his very long corsets and under-belts down. In order to achieve the gap necessary to create an effective length of adjustable suspender elastic, he was then compelled to wear extremely short stockings. Moreover, they had to be knitted in heavy Lycra or elastic to ensure the stretch was limited so that he could achieve as he put it good anchorage - words I had previously only heard my mother use in the same context! Only in this way did he get the good hard pull down from his stockings and suspenders to pull his long skirted corsets down and reduce the ruckling. He added another must in his shopping for stockings - they had to be "Bitter Chocolate", never black, never pale, never sheer - and it turned out it was closest to the shade his mother liked to wear and with which clearly he was indelibly imprinted. He also noted that by buying circular knit tubular stretch stockings he got the necessary shortness and there was no discomfort in the feet and toes on account of their being incorrectly sized in the foot. The high denier of the yarn provided the all-important resistance. It cause me to marvel out loud to him how much reliance we, and millions of women, had placed on the stitching and clips of the humble, but usually trusty suspender. In reply he said how unfortunate it was that a slipped suspender was blamed by the wearer for their discomfiture, which we agreed should have been more correctly apportioned to their wearers neglect. Words cannot convey how much I valued and appreciated every discourse of this nature I was to have with him over the years of our acquaintance.
I was to reflect later that his preference for seamless stretch stockings was not as demanding on correct positioning of the suspenders as were the non-stretch fully-fashioned styles I had always worn. Nevertheless I felt an added bond between us in that for both of us it had been the first day that either of us had experienced the efforts of another person helping us with our suspendering. Afterwards he thanked me saying no one had ever helped to suspender him before, and I replied that earlier that day with Mrs Norris had been the first time I had that experience too, and was I getting too much of a good thing in one day. Writing of this so many years, later I am again moved to think of the widows of a fading generation who not only grieve after their husbands but also lose their help with their back suspenders! We both again marvelled at the dedication to corsetry that the matrons of what - even in 1982 was becoming yesteryear - had taken as being necessary to present the image they wanted to the world. I commented on how much I used to admire older visiting matron friends of my grandmothers and members of my own family who clearly were seriously constrained when they sat down or stood up from sitting. Yet now here was I seeing in real life someone wearing nothing more than those ladies had on, only concealed under their dresses. 12 THE SALON SHOW GOES ON Over the space of the next 20 minutes or so he treated me to the most amazing routine in which he self laced, and unlaced about 6 corsets of different kinds. There were fan lacers, ones with three laces, others with under-belts, reverse trolleyed suspenders, twin suspenders the like of which I was not to see again for close to 29 years when I saw Kathy Jung besport them on one of her wonderful corsets and he produced the one with the doubled back suspenders that Id been so impressed by in the photos in the contact magazine. With the precedent established, with each change in the role of a corsetires assistant he called on me to unclip back suspenders and again to clip them on the next corset. I would like to say I got adept at the job but it remained hard to do things in reverse. At the end of it I had all but overcome which had started as a slight aversion for touching pink suspenders and the rougher tops of stockings knitted from stretch material, which are so different from the smoothness I was used to on the welts of my plain knit stockings.
Eventually he produced a catalogue in which he included every one of the models in the original catalogue he had made and welcomed any referrals, if I knew of suitable women. He was most emphatic that his aim really was to make corsets for ladies He said that, with respect and not without irony, he did want to get too many male clients like ourselves!
I examined a number of corsets and, while I was impressed with the quality of the stitching when he handed me a rolled up one I noted that each of them seemed to lack the weight I had come to expect from a rolled corset handed to me by Mrs Norris. I was reminded of how light my first corset, the black satin Contessa always felt, when I was rearranging my drawers of corsets. I concluded that unlike those made by Mrs. Norris the ones he made lacked lining and the all-important interlining, which gives a corset its body. Later when I would watch the expert herself machining I would see how much more difficult it was to sew perhaps six or eight folded layers of material at the panel seams and asked me how anyone could make corsets using a domestic grade machine. Indeed corsets are not delicate objects they are made to shape and control which demands industrial strength equipment and materials if they were to prove equal to the demands of clients of the likes of Mrs Norris and Madame Medeq. He even showed me a special "double corset" he had made, which was essentially two extra long skirted corsets, complete with under-belts and suspenders. He had contrived to sew them together so that a man and woman could be laced into them by the one partner who could thus bring the other into very close, platonic contact and laced himself into his half to show me. He said his new lady friend had willingly agreed to join him and the hardest part of the process was deciding the best moments to clip her set of suspenders on to her stockings. This prompted me to say that were I ever to have the good fortune to have a lacing and suspendering session with a similarly attired woman to myself my dream would be to clip my front suspenders to her stocking tops and vice versa. My readers may be happy to know that a decade later I realised that dream! This may sound very outr to some of my readers and I do not feel I need apologise for mentioning it, and I do seek their forgiveness if they are offended, I offer the thoughts only to tell people who are interested or concerned what a relief I found it to be able to discuss with another person - it so happened that at first it was a man but subsequently I have discussed such matters with understanding corseted women. As men who had repressed our thoughts and desires for decades, and suddenly were able to discuss such matters frankly. Having laced one another in and helped one another with stocking suspendering, I suddenly saw our refection in the mirror and an inner calm came over me. At last I was truly myself in the company of a like-minded person. It was unfortunate that it had to be a man and that he liked pink corsets. While I would only wear black corsets worn with black seamed stockings I respected his penchant for pink or white and for seamless chocolate brown stockings. Beggars cant be choosers in the company they keep.
For me it was an important experience and ever since I have been much more understanding of what the last few years have shown to be a large number of innocent activities which for fear of public ridicule individuals have repressed sometimes to the point of damage to their mental health. It is also sad that few people in the world outside the readers of this web site will have an inkling of what I mean. 13 TWO VIEWS ON SUSPENDERS In Part 4 of this Odyssey I referred to the way I had and discovered simple rings were not as effective as split rings in making the connection between the loops on the suspenders and the corset hem. I had told my new friend of this but, as I was doing so, I was rudely made aware of the fact that I had not fitted split rings on the set of suspenders I was wearing, when beneath me I felt a back suspender give way. My instinct on the stairs had been right, the strain was too much. My instant reaction was to say Damn one of my back suspenders has slipped off My host laughed ironically and immediately thought the stocking top had slipped off its clip button but, when I stood up, through my thighs I saw the recalcitrant suspender hanging down, still attached to my stocking top. I explained what I had done and since I had some spare split rings I went upstairs to my document case to find one to replace the offending ring. As we set about changing it we had a discourse on the was suspenders can fail and agreed how ironic it was that such problems so much the cause of male mirth at womens plight in such maters was visited on any men who sought to emulate them. In doing so I said how I had been made aware of the problem in by my first serious girl friend who used to get so annoyed if the back suspender of her girdle slipped off her stocking top or worse, ripped off the hem, in my company and how I was required to avert my gaze as she rummaged amongst the mass of frilly petticoats that were so much the fashion in the late 1950s, to restore her equilibrium. Little was I to know that for 15 years I had encountered and felt quite as annoyed as she had back in the 1950s. At this he said that in retrospect he now felt sympathy for the ladies of his immediate family some of whom would openly interject, at least in the presence of children about what had happened and either put things right there and then or retire from the room for a moment or two and to smile on their return. I explained that initially I had experimented by using ordinary mild steel rings, not spring steel split key rings. Under tension the mild steel had opened enough for the elastic to escape through the gap, rather like happened with the bra hook type rings on the suspenders on the Kesman lacy waspie, in 1970 and on the Merry Widow wet look corselette of the early 1970s. At this he launched into a near diatribe on the ineffectiveness of corset clips and suspender hooks of all kinds when used on all except corset with a rubber ridge moulded into the edge of its skirt and he rummaged in his chest of drawers and produced an example. I said how wonderful it was to be able to talk frankly about such matters to which he said, not being gay, how appreciative he was that I had elected to wear a cache sex. Our meeting had worried him as it had me and to him it had been signal confirmation of the platonic atmosphere in which we would be meeting. We had got on so well that I felt the moment was right to exchange confessions. I asked him if he ever crossed his front suspenders and he didnt understand what I meant. I explained that I had first seen it in 1960 in photos of several pin up models done and that one of the first things I had done when I bought my first suspender belt and stockings was to do just that. I then proceed to demonstrate by clipping my right front suspender to my left stocking top and vice versa as he watched. I showed what a remarkable effect on the tactile sensations in both the stockings and suspender straps when one walked or moved ones knees apart. He started to the same but we both laughed as we realised that his stocking tops were so close to his knees that such an action would effectively hobble him. I also pointed out it was completely impossible to do when one wore trousers outside the privacy of ones home. I realise today that one might get away with it if one opted for the incongruous hip teenage penchant for the low slung look - but with my apparel choices who am I to judge what others choose to do? Before ending this subject, I wonder if there are amongst the lady readers who have read my rambling screed to this point, and can tell Ivy Leaf if they ever crossed their suspenders back in the 1950s or 60s and how they felt about it? If nothing else any one who had indulged in such an experience will tell you that the compilations involved are grist to the Inside or Out discussion found elsewhere on this web site.
14 A CHROME PLATED EUREKA Back downstairs again he offered me a cup of tea and as he got up it suddenly it all seemed perfectly natural to watch this corseted man - suspenders swaying and chrome fittings on his busk and suspender fittings glinting - as he walked to his kitchen to put the kettle on! We quickly agreed that an interest in corsets automatically implied a liking for suspenders and stockings as well. I pointed out that it was the very complex
attention he had given to the busks, lacings and suspenders on his corsets that had made me realise that we were of like minds. I said that I had no interest in wearing a corset without stockings and that I liked to use lots of suspenders and favoured chrome clips. I said that Id been fascinated with the glint of chrome when my girl friends first wore a suspender belt instead of the enamelled suspender clips Id seen previously on her usual girdles. At this point he interjected and as if to say Eureka but actually said words to the effect Thats it! I always liked to see the chrome fittings, busk clasps, suspender clips and length adjusters glinting on my mothers corsets. He suddenly realised, for the first time apparently, that chrome plate was important to him too. He wondered out loud if there was such a thing as a chrome plate fetish! We even wondered if part of underwear fetishism arose because of a childhood fascination with glint, sparkle or shininess and reflecting power of chrome plate used on items like busk hooks, and the suspender fittings like clips and adjusters - even Camp or Jenyns buckles - which would have moved or danced around as mother, grandmother or auntie was fitting her corsets and stockings? We agreed that it was most ironic that there was such a thing as an allergy to chrome metal, which had caused many makers to enamel the fittings of womens undergarments. Certainly, in the case of the two of us having that discussion, there was no doubt that such sights had been an essential element of our imprinting. I said that I also valued seeing the brass reinforcing washers that were mandatory on real tight lacing corsets and Mrs Norris had always provided them for me as a matter of course. He had not seen them on a corset before and I showed him the detail on my G78 casual. He noted that it would add to the intricacy of setting eyelets by hand as he was forced to do and would need a machine of the type Mrs Norris herself was still seeking in 1983. Like her he was in need of eyeleteer for both the back lacing eyelets and for setting the corset grade hook and eyes. 15 SHOPPING EXPERIENCES COMPARED We both agreed on how much we had been influenced by advertisements for corsets that used to appear in mainstream press of the 1950s, such as Marshall and Snellgrove, on the front page of the Observer. Others were, the full, half and quarter page advertisements of firms like Alston, Ambrose Wilson, Beasley and Roussel, which appeared in general interest as well as womens magazines, until the early 70s. He noted that the latter two firms also offered mens supports but that he had always wanted to wear womens corsets, which of course had suspenders. I interjected with a memory from my youth saying that whilst at school my friends had always laughed at the advertisements and how wed seen an advert for the Manly mans support and how wed told one friend that we would club together to buy him one and have it sent to his home by mail order. In contrast to our antics, my new friend, 10 years older, said that at that time he was already saving his money to buy his own corsets and even a bra from those mail order firms. By the 1970s his collection had grown to include wigs and shoes. We both had patronised my first outfitter when her shoe store was still in the Queensway area in the late 60s and early 70s. We had both found her to be an excellent businesswoman, who conveyed real understanding to diffident men. I revealed how, when I bought my first real corset, the red satin waspie, she had suggested I also buy a pair of high heels so that my derriere stuck out when wearing it! She had misjudged me to be a budding transvestite, but my curiosity caused me to assent to her suggestion and she produced a pair of crocodile texture dark brown patent leather court shoes with 4-inch heels. How at that point she had, matter of factly asked me if I was wearing stockings and, how upon hearing my negative reply had provided me with a pair of stretch knee high nylons to facilitate my fitting them. How my finances had forced me to decline but how, only weeks later I was back, wearing my own seamed black nylons this time, to buy them. How after trying on the brown court shoes again she suggested I also try a pair of silver sling back with 5-inch heels no less. Seduced by the extraordinary sensation of their extra height and the fact that through their sling back straps I could see more of the cuban heels of my stockings, I bought them. I also related how she confirmed what a good businesswoman she was in that she actually admired, or claimed to admire, my black point heeled Aristoc 222 stockings, and asked me where I had bought them I noted how, after the move to Islington during the 1974 miners strike and the death of her husband, she had taken on a very engaging assistant, who had sold me the first of many deep boned suspender belts, made as I was to find out later by Gardners and my first pair of Directoire Knickers, (DKs). How, in response to the more permissive times, demand had grown and in 1978, the same young woman had opened her own store off Balls Pond Road in Hackney, from whom I had bought another pair of DKs this time with furbelows at the knees no less as well as the first issues of the magazine, in which later I was to see his photographs, and which eventually led to our meeting that day. At this point my new friend interjected to ask if I knew she had moved to Clerkenwell, and said that he was a client and knew her quite well and had begun making off the shelf corsets for the shop to sell. While there were clearly quite a number of men like us, and thanks to Ivy Leafs web site I now know Simon was out there, in 1982 our world was still very, very small and secretive, but still full of co-incidences and surprises. As the course of the conversation turned I said how in the early days of my corseting I had sought other items of female apparel and bought in the lingerie counter of department stores for my wife, such as a matching set comprising camisole French knickers and waist slip in lace-trimmed Antron satin. At first I fitted them all, over my corsets and stockings with my high heels but, as the regularity of my ability to corset myself all day increased, so did my desire to partially dress up decrease, and it never revived. Corsets, suspenders and stockings were, and are, enough for me. Perhaps things would have been different, if like Simon I could have had the encouragement of a wonderful lady like Mary his corsetire, but then perhaps not. The one negative aspect of wearing the extra apparel however attractive it might appear to some, its drawback for me was that wearing it hid from view
the all important glinting of the chrome plate of my busk hooks not to mention that of the clips and length adjusters of my suspenders. I can hear some readers question the fact that most of the time when I was dressed I could not see these things anyway. What has to be understood is that in part my motivation to wear what I did was a desire to simply see those details of apparel that so fascinated me when I saw them worn in photographs. Who was wearing them was of only limited importance and of course I would see them on myself every day before I dressed for work. The knowledge they were there on my person was its own reassurance which could be verified whenever I wished by discreetly touching one of the posts of my busk, any one of my suspender clips or adjusters or the steel smoothed tautness of my corsets panels. I did not need to see them; knowledge of the fact was enough. That of course also held true if I was in the presence of a woman like Mrs Norris who I knew to be so attired. Rarely was said, knowing that she knew what I was wearing and she was wearing was sufficient in itself. If I did not I now, there were telltale indicators. The sight of seams, and the attendant fashioning marks, meant fully fashioned stockings were being worn. Implicitly this meant, that even, if the confirmatory button bumps could not be seen through the skirt, the wearer used suspenders and at least a suspender belt, or wore a girdle or corselette. Only her figure, the way she sat down or the intermittent creak of her busk, could confirm that she was properly corseted. As for my new friend, for several years he had bought corsets regularly by mail order but was constantly displeased by the fact that men are so anatomically different in the hips from the stock size woman, He felt compelled to tell me how ironic was his interest in that while most of his friends liked to see bared womens breasts, he admired, and sought to emulate on himself, a well endowed bosom uplifted within the modesty of a well-boned, long-line bra. I said how forbidding I had found the black glass Spirella sign in the front widow of the agent in our village and as children we wondered what took place in what looked like a house rather than a shop. He said that one of his grandmothers had carried on such a business, and wondered if visits there had helped to imprint him. It would have been nice to be able to tell Ivy Leafs readers that shed been a Spirella, but I never asked but he did wonder what she would think of a grandson endeavouring to carry on the family tradition! That said, he did produce a Spirella corsetires "Fitting and Measuring" manual from the 1950s, bound in a blue cloth cover. He had obtained it through a book finding service - this was in pre-internet times - run by a woman who had contracted with hhim to search for any books and magazines on the subject of corsets. He showed me several bound volumes of Corsetry and Underwear magazine from the 1930s and 40s. He said the sketches he saw in the manual and those magazines had inspired many of the amazing corsetry creations he modelled for me. I told him how I had browsed a few issues of the magazine in the late 1970s while waiting in Gardners fitting room. I said how ironic it was that, as part of what had been my recent headless chicken search, (see Part 3 of the Odyssey), for a new corsetire I had written to the publisher to start a subscription. The reply from Circle Publications was that the magazine had ceased publication in 1981, which again confirmed what I was learning about the sad state of the corsetry business at that time. My new friend too had been an occasional client of Gardners. He remembered Mrs. Norris but had never became a regular client, because he didnt tight lace! However he was most interested that she had set up to work at home and wondered out loud whether, though her old trade connections, she had access to components and materials he could not get. Some weeks later I put them in touch and, while she was initially dismissive of his sewing machine and how he could make corsets with it, they later became good business associates and continued to exchange hard to find components, like spoon and long busks and very long flat and spiral steels. In time, as I got to know each of them much better, I also arranged that she should teach him how to machine the fluted hip style of corset so necessary to know, if he was to have clients with large hip springs. 16 TIME FLIES I looked at my watch and noted Id been there close to two hours and that I had to leave as I planned to continue on to my parents for a long weekend. He responded by saying that before I left that he must measure me and make me a corset at no charge as he was very anxious to practice his skill on as wide a range of figures as he could. He also expected that I would to return for a fitting and another mutual lacing session. I thought for a moment or two and quelled any anxieties I still felt about such activity and accepted his offer. It may seem strange to be thinking of a second corsetire, just when mine was working again. However I was concerned that having only just gained full acceptance as a client from Mrs Norris that she might get the idea that I indulged in some of the activities, I had read or seen in which corsets were worn, and so find me unacceptable. Moreover she might think my requests to be unusual, giving two ways in which I might be left in the lurch. At least with Berks Corsetier I would have a backstop I asked him to make a corset with details that at that time I felt inhibited in discussing with Mrs Norris. I told him my dream was an extreme high top, especially at the back, and get the lacing eyelets spaced as close as it was possible to do, with perhaps 50 pairs of lacing eyelets, reinforced with brass washers, which he said he like to try to do.
In fact I now know he would have agreed to anything just to get the practice so, with difficulty I got up and two corseted figures in respectively pink fan laced corsets and the black satin corsets returned upstairs for me to be measured. Having seen how loose were his corsets, I emphasised that I wanted the ones he made for me to be capable of being laced as tight as the one I was wearing. He would put five pairs of suspenders loops all round the hem, though he said he didnt have wide black elastic and I said that was fine as Mrs Norris could make me all the detachable suspenders I ever needed. I said Id also like a modern style un-boned suspender belt which Id pay for, but it had to tailored with a down Vee for each one of its ten suspenders and faced in heavy, regency black satin or gold spot. It had to be high waisted with very long suspender elastics and of course chromed fittings. This was before the era when a belt with six suspenders was the limit one could by. Interestingly by 1984, up to 24 pairs of suspenders were offered in a style, I was surprised to find an Internet retailer had started selling as I edited this part in 2008. With another drive in prospect, I had to take off my modesty under attire the cache sex and tights - and did so privately, re-lacing and susppendering myself this time. I bade adieu to my new friend, who this time stood in just his corsets, discreetly behind the draught curtain, which I recalled he had thoughtfully drawn across the lobby behind the glass panelled front door after Id entered the house. 17 A PERSPECTIVE ON OUR MEETING I had come a long way since the mid-50s when I first pored over photos of models in black lingerie and black stockings posed and working en dishabille in the kitchen and imagining what it felt like to be wearing those clothes. Unable to find such a woman whod wear them, I had done it for myself. As I matured I developed a preference for woman in corsets, rather than suspender belts, and that drove me to buy my own corsets. I had done that and liked it and graduated to corsets. I had been seen dressed like that by my corsetire and, on the very same day I had been alone in the company of another person who shared my interest, but ironically it was a man. My new acquaintance clearly had a lot of corsets, but many were products of his imagination and only suitable for short-term wear. I respected his reason for not wearing them to work, and it was on this level - the level of our respective compulsions - that we differed most seriously. I had now reached the point where I wanted not just to wear a corset and stockings, but I sought full high top corset containment all day every day. I was still finding my corset self. However I too understood from the problems of mobility and hot days that I had to compromise. I already had been forced to make choices between reality and fantasy. I too would have liked deeper skirted corsets, but they interfere with mobility and wearing them under a pair of trousers imposes its own limit as to where the hem of its skirt must end. Likewise, the makers of classic fully-fashioned plain knit stockings had never made them with men in mind. The leg lengths of 27 or 28 inches, necessary to ensure they could be pulled taut and pull down the corset skirt came with the 8 or 9-inch foot sizes. To avoid cramping my toes, if I wore them all day, I would have to wear them with their heels right under the soles of my size 10 size feet and then, not only would they be uncomfortable, they would soon be ruined because my heels would be in the sheer part of the stocking leg. I was not know it at the time, but almost everything I discussed with the Berks Corsetier I would eventually discuss with Mrs Norris, within a few years of having become a trusted customer. Nevertheless a great weight had come off my mind. I could wear what I did without fear of losing a supplier. Today, as I read the accounts of groups of ladies in corsets in a Spirella or Spencer corsetires salon or lounge parading in and talking only about corsets, I think back to that day when, for the first time in my life I had found myself in a similar situation but as a member of the Other side of Corsetry, who was a client of the Berks Corsetier dressed as a corsetire. 18 NEW FRIENDS - NEW ANXIETIES? As I drove home, my thoughts kept returning to my appointment with Mrs Norris. She had accepted me in corsets and stockings, but how willingly had she done so? Would she reflect on what she saw and refuse to see me again? What would she think is she knew of my meeting with the Berks Corsetier? The matter tormented me. I didnt want to lose her services and I could not think of a way in which I might test the water and find out my concern was right or wrong. We had usually corresponded by letter before arranging a consultation or fitting. I could do that though it would then be easy for her to dismiss me with a one-line reply. As for phoning I had only done so to confirm an appointment the day. Phoning to make the arrangement would be a change in how we dealt; yet the only way to judge whether I was in good standing was to gauge her affability over the phone and would have the advantage of not giving her time to think on the matter and decline to see me. Then, how long should I leave it before contacting her or more accurately how soon after seeing her could I phone? Then again, what would be my reason for phoning when I could write? In any case at them moment I had all the corsets I needed and they were costing more, so I did not have a natural reason to meet her again. Over the succeeding weeks, all sorts of angles to my dilemma presented themselves and the weeks became months. It was clear that to paraphrasing the old adage, faint heart never won fair corsetire, I would phone within days. My decisiveness became its own reward for, as luck would have it, a natural reason
to phone presented itself. On the afternoon of the very day of my decision, I was made rudely aware of a stabbing in my side. A discreet touch of the finger in the offending area identified that a steel had poked out on the inside of the corset I was wearing. A discreet retirement to the office toilet revealed that it had poked though its strapping and I fixed things, or so I thought. It refused to stay in place for more than an hour or so. Every movement seemed to result in its digging in again and I tried to keep discreetly stiff and upright for the rest of the workday! Upon examination at home later I found that an improperly crimped brass end had cut into and abraded the strapping and several more were on the verge of doing so too. Apart from that, the rest of the corset was in good condition and I felt that it could be repaired quickly by the likes of Mrs Norris. Here was my excuse - a very good reason in fact - to ask for an appointment to have some running repairs done, while I waited. How did the phone call work out, 25 years ago? Well dear reader wait for Part 6 of my Odyssey. Frangard 2, March 2008. Frangard added a little more information in 2009:All the corsets in the photos were made by BC. At one time or another I had the doubtful privilege of seeing him model them all. I doubt if we shall see the likes of him again. As is evident in the background of many of the images one can see corsets everywhere. Its just as you see it in the pictures, All three rooms the upstairs of his house were devoted to corsets. They were everywhere, Always in pink or white , hanging by shoulder straps off coat trees, off hooks behind doors, always with a plethora of classical width suspenders trailing and audibly jiggling as doors were opened! Looking back on our meetings, corsets truly were his passion and he developed the skill to produce all you see. It is sad he was never felt able to wear even a male cut one to work. At first I was a little repulsed by the sight of him in bra, wig and falsies but somehow, given his style of corsets it seemed right. It was the image he sought to re-create but always in private, ideally with understanding, like-attired (in his creations) friends of either gender. He was certainly at his most relaxed when acting the role of a matronly corsetiere. He all but worshipped Spirella; he was proud of having a copy of their Fitters Handbook. He clearly wished that born differently he could have been one of their corsetieres.
MY MOTHER AND SPIRELLA CORSETS

For as long as I can recall my mother was a regular wearer of lacing corsets and especially those made by Spirella. We lived outside Liverpool. I think she must have begun wearing the heavier type of lacing corset in her early thirties. It is however not unlikely in that age that she would have been brought up to wear some sort of corset while quite young so the use of lacing for figure control would seem entirely appropriate. It was interesting to note that despite acquiring more modern girdles and corsolettes later on when lycra had largely supplanted lacing, she still preferred the more traditional method of figure control. In both these photographs, she is wearing a firmly laced Spirella corset of which she would have had at that time at least five, some retired from extensive use. The Spirella corsetiere was a regular visitor and I began to note her visits just about the time mother turned 40. Fitting would take in the front room, and we were carefully warned away until all was completed. I was intensely curious as to the proceedings in that room and would still love to know in more detail what would have transpired. The Ivy Leaf web-site has been very helpful in that regard. She was still wearing the Spirella corsets into her seventies, and although there were other types of foundation garment in her corsetry wardrobe, the Spirella was very much favoured. There was one Camp corset, identifiable by its system of fan-lacing with straps that made self-lacing easier, but mother went back to the Spirella corsets and the Camp, although showing signs of fairly extensive usage, had clearly been less favoured. The strap fastening would have made it possible for her to achieve a fair degree of tight-lacing on her own. It was clear that she liked her corset to be well-laced in especially when wanting to look her best. Retreating to the bedroom to get more comfortable would almost invariably follow return from a day out. Her figure did not change significantly in later years, and not to outward appearance, and her older corsets remained in use, being evidently preferred to the newer versions later acquired. Regarding one of her well-worn corsets, it is front-laced although she more generally seemed to prefer backlacing. Judging from the amount of wear and the years she retained it, this corset was clearly one with which she was particularly comfortable. It may be the form of fastening and lacing was specially convenient. It would of course have been unthinkable for her to let herself be seen corseted and without her dress so obviously, no such pictures exist. She was always very elegant and smartly turned out. She undoubtedly regarded her corsetry as an important factor in ensuring she looked her best, and considered Spirella the preferred way to do that. These view are very valuable reminders of a bygone age and a company that performed an exceptional service in providing the means of figure control to women such as my mother. Like many corset wearing ladies, she favoured the directoire style of knickers. The directoire knickers were of course much more substantial than modern panties, and made of a thicker material. Houses and cars were much
colder then compared to today. One aspect I noted in comparison with panties today is that, whereas the latter seem more often than not to be changed and washed on a daily basis, that was not the practice certainly as far as my mother's underwear was concerned. That may partly reflect that the absence of washing machines meant that the wash was a weekly occurrence, and generally took place on Monday. I don't ever recall seeing more than two of mother's items on the drying rack and it was more often one. However given the nature and style of the directoire knickers that was perhaps both normal and unsurprising.
Part 12b: Maternity and Nursing Bras:

The last couple of decades have seen the rise of specialty catalogs. Some examples are "Motherwear" (right)_and "Mary Jane" (left)_which feature nursing bras and maternity underwear. Motherwear is especially interesting because it shows models with the drop-cup open on the nursing bra and her infant suckling.
The "Bellybra" is an innovation of the 90's. It has some characteristics of a girdle or all-in-one, but is really in a category of its own. With respect to public advertising, I've noticed differences (I assume based on some department policy) between Sears and JC Penney. Sears displayed nursing bras with enough of the drop cup turned down to reveal part of the model's breast (but not her nipple or aureole, of course).
In 1960 National Bellas Hess illustrated the open drop-
cup but only on a model form.
Montgomery Ward also included functional illustrations in 1978. However, even 14 years later the models displayed in the JC Penney catalog (example from 1992 following) did not reveal any part of her breast. To me, this was somewhat of a contrast compared to the generally more revealing ads in JC Penney.
The erotic possibilities should be obvious for a woman wearing a nursing bra, whether she is lactating or not. (Incidentally, I do not have an infantilism fetish - to me this is simply another version of an open nipple bra.) I enjoy seeing the way the woman's breast is held and displayed by the inner bra cup frame. Some recent innovations include a bra designed to be used with a breast pump. The design holds the collection cups in place leaving the woman's hands free. Also, one bra includes designs to attract the baby's attention.
At least one manufacturer has used the drop cup feature of a nursing bra to produce a better fit for women with large breasts. This development was based on the work in 1972 of inventor (and aeronautical engineer) N. O. Brantley (Newby Odell)- as discussed in a 1978 People magazine article (right) showing an "HH" size bra. (I wish I could see that modeled!!) However, I was unable to find this invention under his name in the US Patent Office records. Brantly died in 1993.
The Ah-Bra allows the woman to properly fit the band around her chest below her breasts, then to comfortably seat each breast in the cup and hook to the top of the frame. This addresses a problem that I've seen with several fullfigured (and large busted) women I've known. With a standard bra, they would struggle to get it hooked, and in the process, their breasts would get crammed into the cups in a twisted fashion. Sometimes, they'd wind up with their nipples down in the bottom of the cup showing that their breasts were unnaturally squashed into the cups. No one should have to endure such an unnatural deformation of his or her body!
SPECIAL ITEMS for FULL-FIGURED WOMEN

Sales Exploitation
Some of the garments advertised in store catalogs have been a straightforward response to providing adequate, healthful support for a larger woman's body. Sadly, I feel that most of the time, advertising has been conducted in a way to exploit the feelings and concerns of full-figured ladies. This was clearly seen in a sidebar on page 126 of the 1936 Sears catalog. The message for a woman was that if you're "fat" (or you think you're fat) then you are forlorn!
At least the following two images (Sears 1936 and 1958) are more oriented on support rather than squashing flesh!
I have to chuckle as I examine the illustration for Miss Mary of Sweden. Personally, I think the lady looks great with her "before" image. However, note that she has a bigger smile on the right. Regardless of what she wears, however, her body mass has to go somewhere! Therefore, I must conclude that the image was "touched-up" or that a front view would show her as "wider"! Likewise, for the "before-after" ladies in Sears (1979) and Roamans ((1982-83).
The sketch shown in the 1976 Sears closely follows the image and position used for the "Miss Mary of Sweden" product line. I wonder if Sears was selling this product under license. The change depicted by JC Penny in 1980 mostly appears to result from improved posture. The model's body mass seems to be realistically redistributed. The collection of "Diet Trim Shapers" advertised by Sears in 1991 featured versatility. The customer did not have to replace her foundation wardrobe as she lost weight. Note the level of detail showing garters and drop crotch in the sketch.
Exploitation of feelings is often obvious in the garment descriptions, and implied in most advertising when garments for full-figured ladies are portrayed on models who are almost petite. (The most egregious example of this appeared on page 8 and 25 of the 1995 Lady Grace catalog where a lady who modeled "C" size bras in other parts of the same catalog, was required to model a bra that appeared to be in the "EE" range (or larger)! Her image in a slip on page 5 reveals her actual, smaller size. I recall seeing this image used on a website to represent a "worst in category" for a bra advertisement.
Such images are ludicrous! Our society (and most societies through history) has defined images of an idealized female form. I don't have any particular problem with that basic thought. However, in the US today, this image has also been used to criticize, embarrass, and/or isolate people of both sexes (but especially women) who do not "conform" to the ideal - particularly with respect to weight and overall size.
Positive images:
In the early 1990's, "Just My Size" distributed small seasonal catalogs that represented healthy and positive images for women. For example, the lovely full-figured model in 1993 was the only one I've seen wearing glasses. That same year, Just-My-Size featured mature women, women of color and a woman in a wheelchair as models (although the woman in the wheelchair did not model underwear). I've included one page (below) from that catalog which pulled together these different groups of women. I interpret this as a distinct effort to be inclusive. Unfortunately, by the mid-1990's, JMS no longer exhibited this innovation. I believe that "One Hanes Place" absorbed this catalog, and its format was changed to fit that firm's style.
As previously noted in the section on models, JC Penny began to use black women for modeling by the late 1970's. Also, older women modeled slips for Sears and JC Penny in that period. However, JC Penny showing a mature woman in 1976 (in a garment that really defined her figure) seemed to be an innovation at that time.
Image Enhancement:
Most of this essay focuses on garments that were designed to control "excess" flesh. However, some women feel that they were shortchanged. In 1951, Daisy Cooper (Pat. # 2,569,229) developed one type of image enhancement, to improve a woman's "rear view". I'm sure there are many examples of garments that used this technique. I selected the example from 1992 JC Penny since it was in color and clearly showed the padding. Another type of approach to emphasizing a woman's bottom was illustrated earlier in the ad from Ecuador, which exposed the lady's "cheeks" completely.
Later inventors like Nancy Ganz (Pat. # 5,954,564) concentrated on using modern stretch fabrics to achieve good shaping and support without padding.
In 2000, Rhonda and Edward Noble (Pat. # RE-36905) invented a more dynamic approach that allows for personal adjustment for buttocks shaping. This may be adapted both for underwear and outerwear. Additionally, they wanted to address the problem of preventing the garment crotch portion from squeezing into the woman's genitalia (the "cameltoe" effect) that occurs with some other tight fitting garments. They pointed out that this is unsightly and uncomfortable. This invention received national attention through an article by Teresa Riordan in the "Patently Weird" section of ABC News-Live.
"Ribbon tabs" with garters:

A ribbon-like covering seems to be used with many garments where garters are exposed. Mostly I've seen them used for the front garters on garments with 4 garters, and sometimes they also appear on the front and side garters when the garment has six garters. Initially, I didn't pay too much attention to this feature. Then I began to realize that the use of these ribbons was variable and didn't seem to follow any discernable pattern with regard to type of garment, style, or quality. Their purpose was not clear, and they were only rarely mentioned as a feature in the ad copy. My first thought was that the ribbon on top of a front garter might help to soften the outline of a garter showing through an outer garment. Some examples are shown here.
I wondered if the use of ribbons was a function of "fashion" - and thus, their frequency of appearance may change over time. When ribbons have been present over the past 4 decades, they generally are wide enough to cover the
garter. Sometimes there are two ribbon ends. Then, I observed some precursors to wide ribbons shown in the 1936 Sears. I included a magnified image of the garter showing the ribbons. They appear to be little tabs. Seeing this example, I thought that one of the functions might be to help the lady grasp the garter when it is under tension, to unhook it.
However, if it's really essential for that purpose, then why aren't they always provided? I've only found three times when garter-ribbons are referenced in the copy. On page 294 of the 1958 Sears, the black taffeta open bottom corselette with 6 garters is only shown from the back.
Since the front of the corselette is not visible, the copy states that it is provided with "ribbon tabs" for the front garters. Since the style is stated to be the same as item A (also in this extract) then the visible ribbons on the front of that item probably match the black corselette. Many examples are available showing the ribbons on top of the garter - suggesting that their function may be to soften the garter outline in the woman's outerwear.
JC Penny advertised a garter belt in several catalogs in the early 1980's (one example shown from page 319 above), until at least 1985. The copy for that item (and later, another garter belt in JC Penny), stated that the garters had ribbon coverings or were "ribbon covered". However, in contrast to that practice, there are many examples where ribbons were attached under the garter. Was this to act as more of a cushion against the woman's leg? The following three examples clearly show the ribbon underneath the garter.
These are three additional examples. The girdle and panty girdle have ribbons under the garters shown in 1960 by Montgomery Ward. The 1965 Otto catalog from Germany clearly shows this
arrangement for an open bottom girdle. The shading and contrast was a matter of style in this catalog. Another interesting variation appeared in the 1960s. When manufacturers began to make panty girdles with hidden garters, sometimes they were shown with ribbons on the outside of the panty leg (presumably over the top of the garter attached inside the leg).
These illustrations from the 1960 Aldens catalog clearly show the ribbons with a panty girdle with hidden garters. The example from page 305 even uses double ribbons.
Eileen Rockwell-Black used this same configuration in the drawings for her 1970 patent. The ribbons were not mentioned as part of the patent.
These are two additional examples from the 1965 Montgomery Ward catalog (p227). On that same page, there is another long-leg (20") panty girdle that does not show ribbons on the legs (and the copy says that the garters are hidden). These two are 17" and 18" respectively. Was the leg length a factor in use of
ribbons? As I looked for images to illustrate these various points, I found some garter arrangements for panty girdles that I've never heard of previously. The illustration from the 1960 Aldens catalog clearly shows that the garters were placed on the outside of the panty leg!
Most advertising makes a point of stating that garters for such garments are hidden. However, in the example above from Lane Bryant in 1958, the garter also appears to be visible under the ribbon. This means that the stockings would have been pulled up over the panty leg and attached. Were there actually some pantygirdles where the woman pulled her stockings up over the leg of her girdle?
LEG BAND GIRDLES

Some girdles were offered in a "leg-band" style without garters. An example of this style is shown with an all-inone corselet from the 1936 Sears. Henry Herbener applied for a patent in 1939 on this style. There appear to have been technical details in his patent that differentiated it from the garment offered by Sears. His patent #2,300,153 was finally granted in 1942.
In 1949, Sears advertised this again, as the "pre-war favorite . . . first time back". One of the intended features was that the leg-bands would act to anchor the garment and prevent ride-up of the girdle. This may have been necessitated if the woman intended to wear her girdle with slacks, but didn't wish to wear stockings. From an engineering perspective, a girdle (or garter belt), garters, and stockings are an interactive system. The girdle acts to hold up the stockings, and ideally, the stockings are attached at the right length and tension with the garters to prevent girdle ride-up.
JC Penny offered a variation of the leg-band style around 1998-99. Essentially it was a crotch-less long-leg panty girdle. It was shown with the model wearing panties underneath. However, I think this would defeat any aspect of "sanitary convenience". I suspect that it was not a popular item for women (although it may have been very intriguing to their "significant others"), and it was only offered for about two years.
Martin Goodman developed Patent # 2,382,477 in 1945 for a woman who may wear an outfit where she did not wish to wear stockings. His invention would serve the same purpose as girdle anchors and additionally, was equipped with a crotch piece that could open.
Girdle Anchors: These examples from the 1958 and 1961 Sears, show another approach to address the girdle ride-up problem with "girdle anchors". With this accessory, a woman could wear her regular girdle (with garters) and not have to use stockings.
An original example of this accessory was offered for sale as a collectable and I included those images to help clarify how it was used.
Girdle Hooks: To complete the integration of the system of interconnecting support for separate female undergarments, long-line bras were often equipped with from one to four "girdle hooks" (also called corset hooks, girdle tabs, foundation grips, foundation hooks, or corset attachments) on the bottom. A post-surgical long-line bra in the 1960 Sear's fall catalog was equipped with 6 girdle hooks. Examples are common in catalogs from the 1930's through the 60's. One longline bra with girdle hooks was advertised on the Internet in 2002. The 1936 Sear's "aircooled reducing brassiere" description makes it sound like it's being run by a Volkswagen engine!
Unfortunately, I haven't located an ad that shows these hooks being employed with a bra and girdle where it clearly shows how the hooks attached. The shape of the hook is most clearly visible for the 1958 Lane
Bryant extra long brassiere. The loop type shape looks like it is intended to slip over a button or hook on the girdle. However, the images in the 1943 Charis catalog and 1936 Sears don't show any such protuberance.
The image shown with the corsets in Montgomery Ward in 1943 suggests it hooks into the front lacing system or loops over one of the nubs for the front girdle closure (but it is still not clear). However, that doesn't explain how a bra with two front hooks is anchored. I also wondered if the hook had a sharp point that was intended to "grab" into the girdle fabric or under a cross-lace. That seems undesirable. It seems that the lady would have to choose her garments with great care to be sure all the "appurtenances" lined up properly. This could be a real problem without a high level of standardization of design. Perhaps a reader will clarify this point. Designers were starting to move away from this arrangement as early as 1952. The Aldens catalog that year showed a long-line bra on page 294 and specifically stated that the "bottom holds firm without girdle tabs". The long line bra with a "front corset hook" from Montgomery Ward in the summer of 1978 represents one of the last examples in a large store catalog. However, I found a Grenier long line bra with corset hooks on the Internet. In 1979, inventor David Ichelson developed a bra for wear while jogging. He wanted to keep the breasts from bouncing up. The system he proposed was to have adjustable straps that would hook onto the woman's shorts, and was similar in many respects to the earlier system of girdle hooks.
Inventors and Designers: The US Patent Office now has most of its patents on the Internet. The patents are indexed by all words in the patent back to 1975. However, all patents can be viewed page-by-page with a number or category-code search. Many patents refer to work by earlier inventors. The list of those patent numbers enabled me to research early material that had not been digitized. No discussion of inventors would be complete without mentioning "Professor Gale". This is his picture from the 1936 Sears. The "Gale" name was used for decades afterward by Sears as part of their corsetry advertising. He looks like a stern old chap. But, he may actually have been smiling under his moustache and really enjoying himself as he conducted his research and development on undergarments for fullfigured ladies. I have tried to locate his patents through the US Patent Office. However, nothing was referenced to the "Gale" name. Several of the large catalog companies had their own brand names (but I don't know if they were based on real people). Showing a photo of Prof. Gale doesn't prove he was real - but it seems like a lot of trouble to establish a trade name if he wasn't a real person. Henry Herbner was an inventor whose name is not well known outside the industry. However, he had at least five major patents that spanned from 1938 through 1973. One of his early major contributions was the development of a system to prevent the edges of foundation garments from rolling. Two of his patents have already been discussed. Two others for adding flexibility and an unusual crotch support system with Modesty curtain" are shown here. One article suggested that he may have originally been an engineer. Records of the Munsingwear Co. (Minnesota) show that he was an employee from 1951-1953. He is deceased. His last address was Thomasville, GA.
In 1978 People magazine recognized inventor N. O. Brantley for his development of a brassiere for large busted women. His invention will be discussed later in the section under nursing bras. He is also deceased.
Early garments were quite stiff. Inventors recognized the need for better flexibility, comfort, and ease of access for elimination purposes (previously noted). An important invention in the development of more comfortable and flexible control garments was "power-net" fabric. S. Siciliano invented one of the types of elastic fabric that helped revolutionize this industry in 1963. The image from the patent application gives some idea of the complexity of weaving these kinds of materials. One fictional inventor in this field was featured in the 1968 Shirley MacLaine film "The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom". Mr. Blossom (Ms MacLaine's movie husband) manufactured women's underwear. His fervent wish was to provide every woman with the bust line she desired. His invention worked with a gas-expanding bra - which went awry.

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and share our memories of an amazing era.

Roger's Ramblings Technical Corsetry

Surgical Corsets Pul-Front Corsets

Other Famous Brands

The Ivy Leaf Collection

Making the 2012 Calendar Pulling Together

Dutch Scandinavian German

The Rest of the World

Ivy Leaf, UK 2003 (updated in 2011)

References and Links

..Meanwhile, Life goes on

...with some more research.

A very rare example of a Swedish Spirella back-laced 205 girdle

A HUGE THANKS! ....

Ivy Leaf's Diary 2011 Happy New Year

A letter from the erudite Roger K

A Meeting with an Amazing Lady:

This report has been moved to a page specially dedicated to Medeq.

for the Spirella corsetiere thanks very much!

December 2012: The 2012 Calendar

The Ivy Leaf Collection

End of the Year

a Happy New Year

Wishing you all a Happy New Year - Ivy

Ivy Leaf's Diary 2010 Happy New Year

social harmony heralds

Annual Calendar Awards:

Iris Norris, Corsetire extraordinaire

Peace and Goodwill

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Ivy Leaf's Diary 2009

April 2009: Double-tightening

The Vanishing Lady

May 2009: Nothing changes

Mid August: The New Project

A gentleman with a cheeky grin called

September: The photo shoot was a great success!

Merry Christmas Time

a Happy New Year

Ivy Leaf's Diary 2008

The Mystery Girdle

Letter to Ivy Leaf, 2006

What you see - may not be what you get!

July 2008: Spencer and Bulges

A Charis corsetiere from 1936 performs this quintessentially female gesture.

September 2008: Sport and Support

The interior bra structure of a Spirella swimming costume from

Ivy Leaf's Diary 2007

Annual inventory of the Ivy Leaf Collection

The mystery girdle

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Ivy Leaf's Diary - 2006

January 2006: Black corsets, and why do they tear so often?

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Ivy Leaf's Archives - 2005

March 2005: A discussion on the merits of French corsetry.

Peace and Goodwill to all

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Ivy Leaf's Archives - 2004

23rd May 2004:

further into October: