'Victorian secret'
Victorian undergarments
2018
Categories: Historical, Original Design
During our first year at university we did a project called 'Victorian Secret' which consisted of making various different Victorian undergarments. This included a corset, a chemise, crotchless bloomers/drawers, and a half scale bustle (to understand the techniques). I also decided to make a petticoat for mine.
The corset was constructed out of a basic bodice block. The corset panels were drawn onto a calico toile. The corset is made out of a single layer of coutil which I tried to dye using red cabbage and baking soda, to create a very pale light blue colour. The edges were finished with bias binding, lace trim and flossing.
The bloomers were made out of a basic trouser block that was adapted to make them crotchless, these were made out of a white cotton with lace decoration on the legs. The chemise is a white cotton and started off as a big rectangle. This was then gathered to fit the model using smocking and pintucks. I also added short puffy sleeves with a lace trim.