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The Edwardian era may have been the period of fashion that was most complimentary to “women of a certain age.” Although small waists were still somewhat in vogue, the shape of Edwardian dresses had shifted to emphasize the bosom and derrière, giving ladies that famous S-bend look. Despite what the fashion plates seemed to indicate, women were not actually likely to topple over forward.
That S-shape was not achieved by tight corseting, but rather by artificially padding both the bust and the hips. Bust improvers were a must for young women not naturally graced with fullness up above. The improvers would be stuffed to whatever fullness desired, then placed between the chemise and the corset.
A hip pad, such as the one shown in this 1903 patent by Charles H. Scott, right, added a few inches to the hips to help achieve the illusion of that small waist one may have had in one’s youth, which was now sadly a distant memory. The colossal hats and wide, sweeping hems of women’s gowns added to the illusion of a tiny waist.
With the weight of the gown often being already considerable, depending on the fabric and what was used for decoration, hip pads were ideally made to be as lightweight as possible while still maintaining their “puff”. For this purpose, horsehair or carved cork might be used. The holes in the padding were intended to allow for heat dispersal. It can get quite warm under all those layers!
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Decades of dark, somber colors passed out of fashion along with the death of Queen Victoria in February 1901. Although pale colors had traditionally been reserved for young ladies, “in the early twentieth century white was more worn than at any time since the days of Napoleon I, even by middle-aged women. These were the great days of the mature beauty.”1
It was a fashion heyday for those of us who had parted company with our waistlines some years before and whose bosom was aiming to become better acquainted with the ground than the sky. Edwardian corsets were barely supportive of the breasts, if at all, and although their straight front pulled in the tummy somewhat, it only barely reduced the waist circumference. It was the hip spring that was most emphasized, with some corsets incorporating gores at the hip to allow for greater padding in that area.
In the early part of the Edwardian age, elaborate trim on dresses was the height of fashion. In 1903, The Lady stated, “There has probably never been a season when fashions were more charming or more elaborate. Not only are the fabrics of exquisite texture, but they are embellished with miraculously fine hand-embroidery, appliqué lace insertions, trimming of many kinds; and the success of a gown or wrap really depends on the style and originality of the trimming more than on any other point.”
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As the decade progressed, however, the mountains of lace and gewgaws gave way to cleaner lines as the waistline rose and the fullness of fabric in the skirt diminished. This was sometimes referred to as the “Second Directoire” period of fashion. Like in the days of Napoleon I, women were once again clad in dresses not too different in style from what Jane Austen might have worn, although there was now more shaping at the waist.
It was Jeanne Margaine-Lacroix who turned the fashion world on its ear when she sent three models to the Longchamps racecourse clad in her “robes Tanagréennes,” scandalously wearing neither corsets nor petticoats. However, these ladies were not entirely without undergarments. Margaine-Lacroix noted that they were wearing a support garment made from “a tight elastic silk jersey.” Essentially, the precursor to today’s trendy shapewear. Fashion historian Susie Ralph noted that Margaine-Lacroix had patented designs for elasticized knit fabric corsets as early as 1899, which were named “corsets-Sylphide.” They were only very lightly boned and made of knit silk or sometimes glove leather.2 The Margaine-Lacroix Sylphide gowns were designed as early as 1904 with this type of corset built in.3
Although some have argued that Paul Poiret, the former protégé of Worth, had been the designer to first develop this freer form of dress, both Margaine-Lacroix and Jeanne Paquin preceded him by at least a year or two. This was mostly due to the fact that he was a man, and male couturiers had the advertising advantage over fashion houses headed by women. Poiret’s designs had evolved by the end of the Edwardian era to become more tube-like, discarding the waistline almost entirely, and even venturing briefly into designing hobble skirts and harem pants, neither of which took root among the general population for long.
Sartorial elegance finally gave way to greater practicality with the outbreak of World War I, and though glamor in fashion returned somewhat after the war was over, gowns never again achieved quite the same levels of opulence.
- Victorian and Edwardian Fashion: A Pictorial Survey by Alison Gernsheim, 1981, p.84.
- Sophie Kurkdjian (29 mars 2016). Jeanne Margaine-Lacroix à l’origine de la robe sylphide qui tient sans corset en 1899! #SemMode du 25 mars. Cultures et Histoires de Mode. Consulté le 23 juin 2025 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/pnfd
- https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/138231
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