SHOWING OFF THE CURVES, a TREATISE on the CORSET, BODICE, BUSTIER and VESTWhile watching the Bolshoi dance "Petroushka" today on Public TV, I saw the most amazing vest, one I'd wear to the office, to parties, for country hikes. I'd wear it almost anywhere! I would love it with RED SEQUINS, or red brocade for nighttime, as it lends itself to big, frothy skirts and boots.
What made the Petroushka vest so great was the BIG V shape, created by the width at the shoulder, the little caplet sleeves took it way out wide at the top, then that V that got skinny in the middle, the little tiny waist, the slight hip curves on it and the minimal closing at front of waist, achieved by two sets of buttons.The vertical white stripe down the middle makes one look thin. ALL VERTICALS on front of torso elongate and give the optical illusion of being very tiny-waisted. The cap sleeve widens the shoulders. That combo is a great line on a woman. Frankly, speaking of courtship, it awakens the primeval MALE who wants to see thin waist (virginity) and big hips (fertility) combined with strong shoulders, the HOURGLASS figure that awakens his adoration! It is a Darwinian trigger, you know. Secondary sexual characteristics.For my personal taste too, this is the ideal cut for a vest. I googled vests just now at GOOGLE IMAGE and never saw so many horrific, square, chunky vests in my life. What's in the marketplace now just won't do!
While this one above, combines with that look we all love ---full peasant skirts, printed or trimmed, so artistic and all. In the ballet, this dancer had little red capri pants under that skirt, showing beneath the knees. And white socks, long knee socks. Thin waists and flaring skirts a little sock action, or boots, together a very cute and cunning ensemble. The lacy white blouse, the perfect thing to wear with this get up.
In olden days a bodice filled this need women have to be HELD IN, AND HELD UP as well as to emphacize and 'present' the hour glass torso in a defined and dazzling manner. A bodice is an article of clothing for women, covering the body from cleavage to waist. IN ancient times, they were laced up the front. Women wore their cotton nightgown underneath as an under blouse and as those nightgowns were long and worn 24 hours a day. Covered with a daytime skirt, they did for the petticoat. The gal laced herself up in the daytime with the bodice and she was good to go! Come night time, pull off the daytime skirt & bodice, she was ready to sleep! Women never undressed as they lived twelve to a room!
More recently (1600's thru to Civil war times), bodices were turned around in back, and were attatched to the dress and it took a servant to do the lacing. Remember Scarlett O Hara with Mammie strapping her in and commenting that if she ate a bite of breakfast she wouldn't have a 17" waist? Hourglass is always the aim! A BODICE has the capacity to CINCH in the waist and take off inches. But why suffer? See vest top of our page, the PETROUSHKA, is CUT properly, having a vertical dropped neckline from shoulder to waist which makes waist appear tinier, you can accomplish the same skinny-fying look without breaking any ribs.
The term BODICE comes from Ancient English "pair of bodies because the garment was originally made in two pieces that fastened together, (frequently by lacing rather than buttons). Ergo BODIES, plural?
In common usage, bodice refers to an upper garment that has removable sleeves or no sleeves, often low-cut, worn in Europe from the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century, either over a corset or in lieu of one. To achieve a fashionable shape and support the bust, the bodice was frequently stiffened with bents (a type of reed), or whalebone.
TODAY the bodice would appear weird anywhere except a RENAISSANCE faire but the PROPERLY MADE VEST does not seem out of place ever. FOR NIGHT TIME WEAR, there's nothing like a BUSTIER, and not all of them have to look like underwear.
a very popular article of clothing in the wake of MADONNA's wearing them onstage. It is form-fitting and is traditionally worn as lingerie. It looks somewhat like what we used to call a MERRY WIDOW. Some call it a Basque, but a bustier is shorter. It reaches down only to the ribs or the waist and has a different function: its primary purpose is to push up the bust by tightening against the upper midriff and forcing the breasts to move up, while gently shaping the waist. Modern bustier are often made with mesh panels rather than boning. The bustier is a multi-purpose garment and doubles up as a push-up bra.
IN INDIA the bustier was top rib to shoulder, but only some cleavage - vest. There, in hot weather, the midriff is sensibly left bare. The Sari is draped lightly over this get up.
This ^ bra is way skimpier than Indian women traditionally wear, but it's fun, too!
In modern days, women wear a bustier as an undergarment/combination push up bra doing so on the occasion that their dress or outer-wear has a low-back or is strapless. In the 60's, we called that a Merry Widow.
For the last hundred years fat-grabbers and boob lifters are called corsets, always a garment worn to mold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic purposes for starting the mating dance going, (either for the duration of wearing it, or with a more lasting effect).
Many garments sold as "corsets" during recent years are not technically corsets in the traditional sense. While modern "corsets" and "corset tops" often feature lacing and/or boning and generally mimic a historical style of corsets, they have very little if any effect on the shape of the wearer's body. See this Gothic Bustier below.
In recent years, the term "corset" has also been borrowed by the fashion industry to refer to tops which, to varying degrees, mimic the look of traditional corsets without actually acting as one; such tops are frequently seen in stores which cater to fans of Gothic fashion. Many such tops feature lacing or boning and are fairly tight-fitting; however, genuine corsets are usually made by a corsetmaker and should ideally be fitted especially for the individual wearer. I recently chided a seamstress for asking 300$ plus for her bustiers. The more I investigate the marketplace, the more I see they're a lot of work to make, boning is costly. Then there is the TEDDY, a sheer, white lace, tiny ribbons kind of undershirt shaped like a bustier, thrilling at peel me time. Not usually seen. Very feminine. A man peels a gal with a teddy, he won't soon forget it.
BUt let's get back to the VEST. When worn under a vertical jacket, one that does not cover the middle, it is a posh fashion statement.
One can always peel the jacket and wear the vest but the two of them together is very Jerri Hall, (Mrs Mick Jagger,) especially in ivory silk with sheer wool for the jacket.. There is something about vests that bespeaks the torso, that presents it. And as dressmakers seeking commercial, unique garments, I think that one could make a living off very sexy, feminine vests. Now, I KNOW there are folklorico vests, square, rugged, very TAOS, very WALL OF CHINA which do not present the body like an offering but rather COVER it. NUNS should wear THOSE! Or those women who wear folklorico huge chunky necklaces and sword cases for purses.
At night, a chiffon blouse and skirt would work with this sporty looking vest. Now, the funny thing is that if you google IMAGES seeking search term 'woman's vest' (as I did) you will see two hundred ugly, bulky, quilted, mountain climbing vests and not one sexy one! I had to really scour the internet to find these few. So imagine how women feel scouring the stores looking for a great vest. I love to find holes in the marketplace, needed items and have done so at my WEBPAGES (below,) So if you're jobless in this recession, STITCH FOR A LIVING! Call your corporation BEST VEST or VESTED INTEREST or THE VEST CHEST or IN-VEST or INVESTMENT INC. But always deliver what the VEST should deliver. The torso, the chest. The waist. The hourglass shape! And oh yes. The BUST.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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Our POSTER is ANITA SANDS HERNANDEZ, Los Angeles Importer/exporter, Writer, Mother of 4 and Astrologer. Catch up with her websites TRUTHS GOV WILL HIDE & NEVER TELL YOU, also The FUTURE, WHAT'S COMIN' AT YA! FRUGAL LIFE STYLE TIPS, HOW TO SURVIVE the COMING GREAT DEPRESSION, and REJUVENATION Secrets of Nature, i.e.HOLISTIC, AFFORDABLE HEALING. Also ARTISANRY FOR EXPORT, EARN EUROS. And HOW TO BREAK INTO SCREENWRITING OR PRODUCING.
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