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By the 16th century, women's dresses had tight bodices with a stiff panel, called a stomacher, that extended over the chest and abdomen. During the 16th century the Spanish style became increasingly dominant, and upper-class women adopted a boned corset, which flattened and narrowed the upper body.

 

As France became more powerful, so to did it's influence on fashion. European women wore stately gowns with a bustle (padded frame at the back) and a train that trailed behind. The gown's bodice typically ended in a V-shape over the abdomen, and bright colours became popular. However, this trend produced controversy. Moralists in France and elsewhere argued that fashion undermined the rigid social hierarchy because middle-class people could copy the fashions of the aristocracy, often buying secondhand the very clothes that their social superiors had once worn. These critics deplored the fact that even a milkmaid could look like a lady.

 

Fashion inspired controversy in England because it fed female vanity as women competed with one another for elegance in dress. Even though changes in fashion promoted trade, keeping up with fashion proved expensive.

corset fashions

15-1700