ABSTRACT
I have had the opportunity to develop my passion for pattern drafting and historical clothing since writing my first book Stays and Corsets, examining rare and beautiful stays and corsets at museums across England. This has enabled me to further expand my knowledge and understanding of these form-fitting garments, with their ability to alter the natural shape of the wearer into what was perceived to be an ideal of beauty. Each garment studied is unique to the body it was made for and each strives to have a proportional relationship to the body it encases. Careful measuring and recording individual stays and corsets on a mannequin has revealed the importance of each garment’s measurements. The correlation between these measurements creates a proportional garment that encompasses this ideal beauty.
