1906 'S-Bend' Corset

This corset, developed directly from an S-Bend design in a fashion publication of 1906, is typical of the corsets of ca. 1903-09.  It is the corset that produced the iconic, fashionable early Edwardian silhouette, with its pouter-pigeon bosom, small waist, and ample derrière.  

The "S-Bend" designation refers to the fact that the corset's seaming and boning structure pushed the bosom forward in a rather unnatural manner, flattening the stomach, and allowing the derrière to be prominent.  Several layers of lingerie, with their full panels gathered in back, accentuated this look.  A sort of forced fashionable posture also enhanced this image, particularly in photographs of models and in fashion sketches of the era. 

Although I doubt very few women of the time actually walked and stood in the way suggested by fashion illustrations, the fashionable set must have made at least an attempt, ​for the contemporary satirist, Oscar Wilde, was quoted as referring to these women as looking like "crabs on wheels".  

I've made a number of corsets in this design, some in silk satin with a cotton batiste lining, some in brocade coutil, some in cotton jacquard twill.  Examples of a few of these are shown below.  All of these types of fabrics were commonly offered in corsets of the time, in various colours, although unlike Victorian corsets, most were in subdued, gentle tones of white, ivory, ecru, pink and pastel blue.  

I plan to offer this corset design as a sewing pattern with included photo tutorials. 

As fashions changed around 1909-10, the S-Bend corset was superseded by a straighter, longer, somewhat more natural type by about late 1909, although there were some "transitional" corset styles during the 1908-10 period. 

Click on individual thumbnails to enlarge.