Small Bustle of Striped Covered Coils

circa 1880
VC2001213

In addition to studying outer garments, students also had the opportunity to examine some examples of the foundation garments worn underneath. They learned the importance of under-structures in creating the fashionable silhouette of any given period. By the 1880's, the ideal feminine form had changed to a more slender, vertical shape, with the fullness of the skirt moved to the back and further elaborated by the hidden structures of bustle pads and cages such as those shown here.