![]() ![]() “A lot of people believe in the 16-inch waist being typical when, of course, most corsets were no smaller than in the 20s,” Steele says. Where did these tales of ladies of the court and their obscenely tiny 13-inch waists come from? Fetish fantasy literature of the era. ![]() Generally, a corset with a 20-inch waist would be worn with a gap in the back, so the woman’s corseted waist measured between 22 and 26 inches. Thirteen-inch waists are a thing of myths.Įven though so-called “tight-lacing” was popular during the late 1800s, women rarely reduced their waists more than 1-2 inches. Here are her top three misunderstood facts about corsets: 1. Then, we asked Steele, the author of The Corset: A Cultural History, to set the record straight about this much-maligned piece of fashion history. With the Edwardian Balls just around the corner, we started ogling gorgeous antique corsets on the Internet, including this 1895 pink-and-black Y&N corset (right). And unfairly so, according to Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, who says this undergarment of centuries past is not nearly as evil or confining as modern folks have come to believe. ![]()
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