Underwear: from corsets to bullet bras and back

http://www.vam.ac.uk/channel/people/fashion/underwear/

As recently as 70 years ago, foundation garments, as corsets were called, were fundamental to the way that women dressed. This film features author Eleri Lynn shot in one of the V&A's most evocative storerooms as she leads us on a tour of a long hidden world. Eleri's brief history of shapewear starts with the hourglass and S-bend forms - and steel and whalebone engineering - of Victorian and Edwardian corsets carries on through the breast-flattening bandeau bras worn by 1920s flappers, the New Look underwear of Christian Dior, the conicle bullet bras of the 1950s and concludes with  the arrival of Lycra in the 1960s and the renaissance of corsetry through the new popularity of burlesque.

This gives detailed information about different types of underwear through history. The main bit I was interested in for this project was the information about the Victorian corsets. Corsets had been worn before the Victorian era but they were developed during this time with steel re-enforcement and eyelets down the front which allowed women to be able to remove them themselves and created a form of back lacing which allowed the women tighten the corsets themselves.

Some Garment Construction & Pattern Cutting Links

Just a few websites that show and explain the basic stages of garment construction, pattern cutting etc.

• http://chestofbooks.com/crafts/needlework/Garments-For-Girls/Chapter-II-Garment-Construction.html
• http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=avoUQR-ULO4C&lpg=PA48&ots=1sAyH0fNHO&dq=technical%20side%20of%20garment%20construction&pg=PA48#v=onepage&q&f=false
• https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:1aEF1HxQN48J:cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0131/0182/files/BeginningGarmentMaking.pdf+&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjstOxKhqqTpvaKV6bg3QuXaLNjJ1IISTC3ekJvYre8H72DXvSebculA2nKZ70AYSd9-ir3HKkhJeEnERJ55-CI1guCkddzadI3py3OyBi4eC6m-QkpT6hfSwegP6tcXHP_sy82&sig=AHIEtbRikdFX5gKDJXhtYzu14mNksmTXpA
• http://cool-chick.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-make-your-own-sewing-pattern
• http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=CwBpQfZvQFUC&pg=PA22&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false

Some corset Info

Victorian corset information
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/c/corsets-and-bustles-1880-1890-from-over-structured-opulence-to-the-healthy-corset/
By the 1880s the corset had become a very elegant and desirable object in a woman's wardrobe and much attention paid to its design and execution. The rapid growth of the corset manufacturing industries meant that there was greater variety in materials, colour, size and fit. The most expensive might be made of satin, brightly coloured corsets also became more acceptable.

http://pinterest.com/elvenwonder/corset-making-techniques/

Corset boning information
http://corsetmaking.com/category/boning-information.html
There are many types of boning available and sometimes choosing the most appropriate type can be a confusing task. The comparison chart below is to help you decide what corset boning will be best for your particular project.

How to make
http://foundationsrevealed.com/200-about/slideshow/359-how-to-make-a-corset