Fashion History of the corsets, and why is it considered iconic - Essay Example

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE EVOLUTION AND INTEGRATION OF CORSETS INTO MODERN FASHION Introduction Figure Modern Corset (Left) & ical Corset (Right) (Alibaba Wedding, 2013; Lucy Corsetry, 2013) A corset is a tightly fitting undergarment that is worn by men and women (mostly women). The nature of the corset is such that it accentuates the figures of the wearer and these features become very conspicuous when desired outfits are worn over it (Chrisman, 2013). The corset grew in popularity through the Renaissance (1600s) and became the norm amongst ladies by the Victorian era. Today, the corset still plays a role in fashion and it is used for the beautification of wearers and also for health purposes like supporting an injured back. The corset is often worn below the chest down to the hips and the knee, therefore enhancing the body of modern-day women (Salen, 2014). The purpose of this essay is to critically examine and evaluate the corset as a tool for fashion. The hypothesis of this essay is that the corset is an iconic element of fashion in the modern era and it has always been since the Age of Renaissance several hundreds of years ago. In order to attain this end, the following objectives will be explored critically: 1. A review of the origins and historical evolution of corsets; 2. A review of the prevalence of corsets in contemporary culture; 3. Assessment of the different contexts of usage of the corset in contemporary culture; 4. An analysis of the political, sociological and cultural ideas that are connected with the corset; Origins & Historical Evolution The history of the corset predates the era of writing. The earliest evidence available to scholars of today includes images of gods and women that were printed over 4,000 years ago (Ewing, 1989). These images showed women who were dressed in clothes that tightened up their upper bodies and presented their mid-section in a compact manner, showing their feminine features in a much more pronounced manner. Figure 2: Egyptian Art Depicting Corsets (Left) & Corsets in Ancient Crete (Right) (Llewely, 2009; Evans, 2014) The image above provides traces of how corsets existed in different forms in prehistoric societies. This includes Ancient Egypt which is known to have had a civilisation over 4,000 years ago. This picture in figure 2 (left) shows a goddess or an influential leader or both. And the nature of her outfit shows that she was only prepared for the most important and the most influential men in the society. This is because her outfit showed that she was dressed in a much more dignified way and manner and this was obviously meant to show her feminine side. In Ancient Crete though, it appears that the corset was used by normal members of the society to provide a kind of depiction of the clothes they wore. Figure 2 (right) shows people, who look more like commoners adorned in tight clothes that bring out their natural shape and figure and accentuates some aspects and parts of their bodies. The elements of Crete’s tight laced clothing shows some traces that spread through Greek and Roman culture as there are numerous clothes from those eras that showed men and women depicted in tight clothes. It is therefore evident that corsets existed in several forms in ancient cultures. However, their conscious adoption into mainstream fashion did not seem to occur until later in the period of the Renaissance in Europe (Waugh, 2011). In trying to establish the link between ancient societies and the Reformation period in the history of corsets, some authorities identify that the influence of the Catholic Church in Europe from circa 200 AD to 1,500 AD was so strong corsets and other garments were seen as immoral (Fontanel, 2013). The Catholic Church had rigid rules and regulations towards sex and immorality and this meant that numerous elements of the lives and appearances of women were considered to be inappropriate, and hence, were banned by the clergy who ruled side-by-side with the nobility in the periods before the reformation (Stewart, 2013). Corsets in the Renaissance Period The social and cultural implication for this in the medieval period and the centuries before was that women were kept as a set of second-class citizens. This implies that women were to show their nakedness or traces of it in the privacy of their homes and only to their husbands and immediate family members. Thus, corsets and similar clothes were not deemed as an appropriate garment and a means of self-expression. Rather, it was a symbol of sin, immorality and negativity (Waugh, 2011). However, in the period of the Renaissance that took place mainly in the north of Europe, there were many people with completely different ideas of how things should be ran in the Catholic culture of Southern Europe. Scholars identify that the corset as an underwear was introduced in Italy where there were many city states that had divergences from the traditional Catholic views of things (Condra, 2013). Therefore, the nobility of the different Italian states wore various forms of corsets throughout the 1400s and the 1500s. This is because there was some degree of liberality amongst the nobility who could in several ways go out of the mainstream teachings of the Church and come up with new ideas and conceptions of fashion. The spread of the corset from Italy’s city states is largely credited to Catherine de Medici who married into the French royal family and wore the corset which was replicated by members of the French nobility in the 1500s (Ewing, 1989). Thus, in the medieval time, the corset spread through the nobility and upper class, but it remained an informal thing throughout most of the countries in Europe. Figure 3: Medieval Corset (Knitting & Kilting Pattern, 2011) The medieval corset was made up of various pieces of kilts that were pieced together to get women to retain their feminine features. This was restricted to domestic use and for official use only amongst the ruling elite (Condra, 2013). It was sewn into the cloths and they were permanently part of the dress (Hollander, 2013). This typically included a v-necked stomacher that is at the front of the corset. Although this was not extremely stylish in today’s terms, the model was later replicated and modified to be used in other version and other types of corsets that survives to this day. Corsets between the 1700s to the Victorian & Edwardian Eras In the 1700s, corsets became a major aspect of European and American life. This is because new colonies had been set up in the Americas and in other parts of the world. This period also came with numerous revolutions and reformations that sought to challenge the inherent role of the Church in society and also demand libertarian ideas and principles to be integrated into society. The v-necked model of the corset became a very popular form of outfit for women who were of the ruling elite or upper-middle class. This is because the Industrial Revolution at this time created a third class of people in society – the middle class. This was a distinct class that was created by the virtue of the creation of a group of rich and elites due to the technological advancements of the era. This is in contrast with the previous stratification that included only the nobles and the commoners. Therefore, the new class of elites shunned the traditional restrictions of the Church placed on women and the focus moved to self-expression and individualism as opposed to community-identity. With time, it became mainstream and somewhat normal for people to have stays created for them as part of their garments. However, in the 1700s, the stays were created as a separate garment for women that were meant to keep them upright and show their figure in a much clearer manner (Hollander, 2013). The logic of this was that more people could have one stays and use it as an undergarment on different dresses that served the same purpose of keeping the lady straightened up and upright in posture (Mathiassen, et al., 2012). The implication herewith was that the poor and the underprivileged working class ladies could afford the stays and use it in most of their cloth-forms. Figure 4: Stays of the 1700s (The Pragmatic Customer, 2012) The stays of the 1700s were presented as a kind of reinforce made up of leather. Its nature was such that it could tighten and hold up the lower abdomen and enhance the upper body and hips below. They were tight and had a firm grip. They were made of leather and instead of being sewn into all dresses, they could be work either independently or sometimes as an attachment to a dress. Figure 4 above shows three aspects of the stays of the 1700s. The picture on the left shows a peasant girl who wore the stays in her single dress. In that period, most peasant girls had nothing more than one dress that they wore all the time. Hence, being woven into it made it more convenient. The image in the middle shows a leather underwear stays that could be worn over most garments. The picture on the right shows a woman who had worn a leather stays under her dress. The ease of manufacturing these in the 1700s caused stays to be used by the new middle class in England, America and throughout Europe and the colonies around the world. The Industrial Revolution of the 1800s caused the replication of the stays to become more commonplace (Ewing, 1989). Thus, by the Victorian era, stays were so common and had become part of standard dressing and fashion in England, America and other nations. The corsets of the European era were made of fabric instead of leather and other hard materials to make it an easier product to wear and more humane in its treatment of ladies as shown in Figure 5 below. This trend continued into the 20th Century where the corset remained fabric but changed significantly in design. Figure 5: Corsets in the Victorian Era (Stewart, 2013) Prevalence of the Corset in Contemporary Culture Vivienne Westwood became the first designer of the 20th Century to integrate corsets into her styles and this was after 1970 because most designers had rejected the corset and regulated it to antiquity (Victoria & Albert Museum, 2015). These were used in theatrical and artistic depictions and the implication was that it gained some kind of recognition in the modern arena. Jean-Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler recreated corsets as a kind of armour in their science fiction cartoons (Victoria & Albert Museum, 2015). This added to the position of reviewing the corset and trying to accept it as an important aspect and part of fashion. Gaultier designed the corset and it was modelled by Madonna in the 1980s, this marked a revolution in presenting the corset as a symbol of sexual enhancement and sexual energy. Thus, the corset gained some kind of recognition in the European catwalk scene as it soon became rebranded and presented as the lingerie and a symbol of personal sexual intimacy as well as revolutionary sex acts like fetishism and others that came with it. Another area where corsets are used in modern fashion is in the area of designing and wearing wedding costumes which requires some kind of enhancement of the mid-section (Sparks, 2010). The main material used includes lightweight canvass and/or elastic materials that provide more flexibility and more comfort than those used in the Victorian era (Hsu, 2012). Political, Sociological and Cultural Ideas Connected to teh Corset; Conclusion Why corset is considered iconic - the essay should be supported withvisual references that demonstrate the details of the garment, its contxt within fashion and its evolution and development. eg: paintings, photographs (historic and contemporaty) fashion designers historic and current : jogn galliano, christian dior, jean paul gaultier, alexander mcqueen. christian lacroix.... -the writing should develop into a persuasive supported argument to help consolidate the hypothesis that the corset is worthy of being considered iconic. IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE A PASS THE MARKING CRITERIA AS OUTLINED BY THE SCHOOL IS: 1)Use articulate and sophisticated visual and text based modes of expression to communicate confidently and effectively. 2)sophisticated theory, skills, and knowledge of research methodology are applied confidently and effectively. 3)analyses and interrogates theory, skills, and knowledge and uses outcomes to realisea creative and original response to the scenario. 4)work is written in sophisticated style and is free from errors, grammar, and spelling mistekes. 5)referenced correctly in harvard style. 6)rationale for research focus is aspiring and directed to a need. Most of the information needed for this essay can be found in this book: "The Corset a cultural history" by Valerie steele. 2001 isbn: 0-300-09071-4 its an amazing book. and the author is exceptional. I have finished this essay originally but my computer has crashed and i lost it all. and now i have no time to submit it, so THE DEADLINE IS EXTREMELY CRUCIAL! it is the only reason i am using this servise , so please be aware of that. below is a rough draft of my old introduction feel free to rewrite it. # Introduction One of the most renowned fashion writers and historians of our time, Valerie steele stated that The corset is probable the most controversial garment in the entire history of fashion. Worn by women throughout the western world from the late renaissance into the 20th century. The corset was an essential element of fashionable dress for about 400 years. This essay will explore the origins and the historical evolution of the corset, as well as discussing why this garment is considered to be iconic, and what different contexts of usage does the corset have within contemporary and historical culture. As well as the political sociological and cultural ideas that resonate related to the corset. Throughout history the corset has been viewed as an instrument of torture, leading to the demise of the corset and the start of the feminist movement at the beginning of the twentieth century,. However, many would argue that the corsets had many positive connotations, such as artistry, respectability, beauty, self discipline, and erotic allure. # please ask me if you have any questions. all the best, Yousef. Read More