page_title: History of corsets
section_title: The Edwardian corset
hierarchical_section_title: History of corsets / The Edwardian corset
caption_attribution_description: Illustration from the Ladies Home Journal, October 1900, contrasting the old Victorian corseted silhouette with the new Edwardian "S-bend" corseted silhouette.
context_page_description: The corset has been an important article of clothing for several centuries in Europe, evolving as fashion trends have changed. Women, as well as some men, have used it to change the appearance of their bodies.
  The corset first became popular in sixteenth-century Europe, reaching the zenith of its popularity in the Victorian era. While the corset has typically been worn as an undergarment, it has occasionally been used as an outer-garment; corsets as outer-garments can be seen in the national dress of many European countries.
context_section_description: The straight-front corset, also known as the swan-bill corset, the S-bend corset or the health corset, was worn from circa 1900 to the early 1910s. Its name is derived from the very rigid, straight busk inserted in the center front of the corset. This corset forced the torso forward and made the hips jut out in back.
  The straight-front corset was popularized by Inès Gaches-Sarraute, a corsetiere with a degree in medicine. It was intended to be less injurious to wearers' health than other corsets in that it exerted less pressure on the stomach area. However, any benefits to the stomach were more than counterbalanced by injury caused to the back due to the unnatural posture that it forced upon its wearer. At this time, the bust lowered and corsets provided much less support for the breasts.
  By ca. 1908 corsets began to fall from favor as the silhouette changed to a higher waistline and more naturalistic form. Early forms of brassieres were introduced and the girdle soon took the place of the corset. The girdle was more concerned with reducing the hips rather than the waist.
caption: 1900 illustration contrasting the old Victorian corseted silhouette with the new Edwardian "S-bend" corseted silhouette