Victorian women wore drawers, shirts, corsets, petticoats, and camisoles as undergarments. Drawers were worn first, followed by a shirt to protect clothing from sweat and chafing. The corset compressed the torso for a slender shape, while petticoats added volume to skirts. Camisoles were worn over corsets to hide them and create a layer between the corset and clothing.
Victorian women wore a wide variety of undergarments, beginning with drawers, a type of undergarment that hangs from the waist to mid-shinbones. The shirt, a thin fabric worn as a see-through dress and similar to the modern slip, was later used to protect clothing from a person’s skin and vice versa. Also, another piece of Victorian undergarment is the corset, which was worn over the shirt to support and compress the torso. Victorian women also wore petticoats mainly to add volume under their skirts or dresses. Finally, camisoles are a type of Victorian undergarment traditionally worn over corsets.
Traditionally, drawers are the first piece of Victorian undergarment a woman puts on. Also known as pants or knickers, drawers cling to the waist and fall below the knee to a variable length at the shins. Some pairs of drawers have an open seam between the legs. This piece of Victorian underwear is typically white.
The chemise is a Victorian undergarment worn over a woman’s drawers. Its main purpose is to protect the wearer’s clothing from sweat. In addition, the shirt protects a person’s skin from the sometimes rough and chafing material of a tight corset. A shirt looks like a modern slip or slim silk dress, and they are usually plain and white. This undergarment reaches a woman’s calves and folds over part of a corset.
Usually the third layer of undergarment worn by a Victorian woman is the corset. This piece of Victorian undergarment was a valuable aspect of Victorian fashion. Its purpose was to encapsulate a person’s torso in order to compress it. The goal of this was to make a woman more attractive by presenting her with a slender hourglass shape. In modern times, there are many concerns about the damage that a classic corset can do to a woman’s body.
The petticoat is a piece of Victorian undergarment that was worn around a woman’s legs but over her shirt. Petticoats provide volume and can disguise other bulk-producing undergarments. Victorian women generally aimed for a domed skirt look, and petticoats were an integral part of this.
A chemise is a Victorian undergarment that was worn over a corset. The main purpose of this garment was to hide the corset. Additionally, the camisole created a layer between the corset and other clothing.
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