Waist (clothing)

“ The weight of clothing should hang as little as possible from the waist. Many women believe that it is better that it should come from the hips than from the shoulders, but the testimony of all medical men is clear and indisputable on this subject. ”

“ There must be no tight bands, belts, or garters to prevent circulation and to cause organic troubles; and where corsets are dispensed with, as happily they are in many cases where growing girls are concerned, the weight of the clothing should be borne by the shoulders, not the waist, and this is ensured by cutting undergarments in the princess or combination forms. ”

“ By this simple contrivance the weight of the clothing is not only thrown upon the parts that should support it, but, by removing the strings from the waist, it has a more slender appearance; and the petticoats, being properly suspended and thrown off the hips, there is no need for dress improvers, crinoline, or hoops, for the purpose of dis­playing the lower part of the dress. ”

“ The finish of the lower edge of the waist is often a problem. If the waist is to be worn under the skirt, just how to finish or whether to finish it at all is a question. The first step is to trim the edges evenly. A line of stitching and simple overcast will show less through a close-fitting skirt of light weight material. When binding is used, it should lie perfectly flat, twice stitched and pressed well.
If the waist is to be worn outside the skirt, a narrow bias strip of canvas should be basted on the wrong side, the waist turned up over this as directed for [193] sleeve and collar finish. ”

“ When at work, the woman discards all clothing from the upper portion of her body, but at other times wears a short-sleeved jacket which reaches to her waist (Plate LXXVII) . The waist is cut so low in the neck that the head can pass through. There is no shoulder seam. ”

“ The clothing should always be loose about the waist. As suspenders are inconvenient to wear and very uncomfortable in hot weather, I would suggest that the simplest, and I think the best, way of holding up the trousers is by means of a band sewed around the inside of the flannel shirt, with buttons sewed through the shirt and band and then the button-holes made on an extra band on the inside of band of trousers, the same as little boys’ waists and trousers are joined. ”

“ When collar-facings are used, great care must be used to avoid soiling them, a caution which is very necessary, seeing so many of them are of a very light colour. We have not yet referred to the finish at the waist, but it should be borne in mind that the waist is to be made to fit closely. It is customary to put a waist-belt and clasp on the inside, the colour harmonising with the lining. ”

“ It must have the right sleeve and collar and the skirt must be the correct width and length. The waistline must come at the right place. Don't wear a high, Empire waistline when a low or normal waistline is the vogue. Don't wear a belt that gives you a pinched-in waist when a wide waist is in fashion.
Be sure that the collar is not only the right size and shape but is absolutely fresh. Collars get hard wear and a collar that is still good style might be worn and shabby. ”

“ It should have sleeves to the wrist; and, so that it may fit closely to the throat, it is best to make it fulled-in to a little shoulder-piece or yoke. Like the other garment, the robe should only reach the feet, or a couple of inches below them.
None of the clothes should be gathered at the waist, but what little weight there is should hang from the shoulders. When, from unusual tenderness of the skin, the woollen material of the vest irritates or induces too much perspiration, spun cotton may be used ”

“ The waist-band is another item of feminine apparel that is always too big. The dressmakers make these things so loose that the hooks and eyes by which they are fastened burst off, every now and then, with a report like thunder. ”

“ There's feminine charm in the frilled lingerie waist Color in such a waist does not follow the same rule as in the costume blouse. In a tailored blouse, no color quite comes up to a crisp, freshly laundered white waist. Cream, ecru, flesh color, light yellow and a delicate green are also worn in tailored waists. Sometimes, in silk a tailored waist is made to match the color of the suit. ”

“ The V's taken out at the waist must all be neatly finished either by covering with galoon or some other similar method. Waist bands are never put to the trousers, the whole aim being to keep everything as thin as possible. The waist band lining is invariably silk, which make a nice finish to the top. ”

“ The front should be made in a jacket effect, finishing just at the waist-line and opening over a blouse front that will conceal the waist-line. It is best for the too short, stout woman to obscure her waist-line as much as possible, to apparently give her increase of height. ”

“ If wadding or padding is used, see that it is carefully graded off, as the height of art must always be to conceal art. Put a waist-band at the waist, as it not only relieves any strain at that part, but it also holds the garment firm to the figure; have a hook to fasten the bodice to the skirt at the back, and so prevent the underclothing being seen when the wearer bends or stoops. We shall deal more fully with some of the special features of making in another chapter.
Ladies' Dress Bodice from Checked Material
No seams allowed. ”

“ The every-day dress of both sexes was cotton cloth, a short kilt reaching from the shoulder to the knee, and over this, when not actively at work, a loose gown covering the person from neck to ankle, and confined at the waist with a girdle or sash of bright-colored cloth. ”

“ Tight waists and high heels are still so common that the courageous protests of the emancipated pass almost unnoticed.
My own opinion is that female dress will never be thoroughly satisfactory until women have realised that they have no waists. Nature has not endowed them with waists, which are artificial forms produced by compressing the body.
This seeming paradox is easily proved by considering that the waist of woman has been placed by fashion in every conceivable position, from under the armpits to half-way down the hips. ”

“ A waist of voile or batiste trimmed with fine Valenciennes lace and narrow tucks and perhaps a touch of hand drawn work is chosen by many women in preference to the tailored waist for street wear, shopping and such occasions. ”

“ A long waist always implies shortness of the lower limbs, and, from the artistic point of view, has the effect of diminishing the height; and I am glad to see that many of the most charming women in Paris are returning to the idea of the Directoire style of dress. This style is not by any means perfect, but at least it has the merit of indicating the proper position of the waist. ”

“ Oiling the body and liming the hair are customary. A dress consisting of a white shirt, a length of white sheeting round the waist, and a sash of native cloth is becoming. Young girls wear a waist-cloth and a sort of pinafore, without either headcovering or boots. ”

“ To fit the shoulders and the sleeves together is really a question of how not to fit the body of a person, and still, produce a garment which will take the eye of the public. A tight-fitting shoulder at the arm, and a tight-fitting waist in the back, are not the present conception of fit, or of style, for men’s garments, and in all probability never will be. ”

“ The great secret is to begin their use as early as possible, and no such severe compression will be requisite. It seems absurd to allow the waist to grow large and clumsy, and then to [215] reduce it again to more elegant proportions by means which must at first be more or less productive of inconvenience. There is no article of civilised dress which, when first begun to be worn, does not feel uncomfortable for a time to those who have never worn it before. ”

“ If a vest is to be sewed up clear down over the hips, the bottom must have a width, which corresponds with the hip measure, when sitting down, after it is finished and buttoned up, or 1⁄2 hip and 21⁄2 in., the same as the breast. At the waist, a vest must be treated on the same principle as a pants, that is, it must be made wide and comfortable enough for the waist when a person sits down. At the waist, a vest is shut up all around, and can not give, and provisions must be made for expansion when sitting. ”

“ On a vest, I find that all waist allowances may be divided between the side and front with very satisfactory results, but extremes should have a trifle more in front than at the side. On a coat, the most of waist allowances should be at the side, because surplus cloth at the front of a coat will produce too much skirt below, while on a vest it will not show, because the vest is cut off or ends a few inches below the waist. ”

“ Now, in 1842 it must have been a very eccentric lady indeed who formed her waist round her chest, and as to the twenty-two-inch waistband, we cannot help thinking that the majority of our readers would seek one of considerably smaller size as an indication of the practice of tight-lacing in the owner. ”

“ No garment should be worn that throws any weight or pressure anywhere. Hang all from the shoulders. A corded waist with shoulder-straps, and buttons for the skirts, will be comfortable. By all means have everything as light in weight as possible. ”

“ In fact, it may be claimed that the waist reduction of the back is wholly imaginary, because the whole part of the body between the arms and waist is a flat surface, and can be fitted with a straight piece of cloth. Considering that the natural position of a garment when on the body runs from the shoulder blade downward and into the hollow of the waist, it must come in contact with the seat below, and must be sprung outward, but differs somewhat according to the nature of the garment—all of which is clearly shown in the diagrams. ”

“ The armholes are cut round, and the sleeves are cut in one piece with the garment itself, or sewn in regardless of any shape. This prevents the arms from being raised unless the chemise can be dragged up with them, which it rarely can, as it is generally fixed down by the pressure of other clothes round the waist. Any garment which impairs the free movement of the arms is objectionable, as such movement is necessary to the proper development of the chest. ”

“ If through some small miscalculation the waist is too large, it can be taken in at the seam or darts if it is plain at the top. If the skirt is gathered, the gathers can be drawn a little closer. If it is plaited, the plaits can be made a trifle deeper. ”

“ They take the place of stockings and drawers, and are brought up over the hips and fastened with soft but strong tape above the waist and even over the corset. The whole body up to the bosom is gloved in them. If nicely adjusted, and not too often worn, their own elasticity keeps them from wrinkling. ”

“ It will also be found a great convenience to have an elastic band, about an inch in width, stitched around the lower edge of the waistcoat on the inside. When the waistcoat is in wear, the band makes it press tightly round the waist, and any object of moderate size—a card, or pack of cards, a handkerchief, etc.—may be slipped under it without the least risk of falling. ”

“ The best and least expensive way of solving the difficulty is to have an ordinary habit, with the waist and skirt separate, and to wear a lighter coat, with a habit shirt, or with a habit shirt and waistcoat, whenever something lighter is desirable. ”

“ After waist is removed baste lower edge in place. As waist closes at left side-front and lining and belt at center-front, lower edge of waist will be free from center-front to opening.
Make upper part of foundation skirt of lining material. Take up darts at the side-front and side-back or gather tops. Make French seams at the joinings, leaving the left side seam open to placket depth. Finish the placket with a continuous facing. ”

“ The women of the lower classes usually wore a loose robe or shirt, with tight or full sleeves, fastened at the neck with a string, and over this they wore a sort of petticoat with a girdle about it at the waist, and, often while at hard work, this costume was further simplified by their wearing merely the loose shirt or robe and going barefooted. ”

“ The waist for the rich [68] and poor alike is of one pattern, the only variation being in the quality. It has a plain piece loose at the waist line for the body, a round hole for the rather low neck, the sleeves straight and extending to the wrist, about three-fourths of a yard wide. These sleeves are gathered on the shoulder to fit the individual. ”

“ To begin with, the waist is not a circle at all, but an oval; nor can there be any greater error than to imagine that an unnaturally small waist gives an air of grace, or even of slightness; to the whole figure. Its effect, as a rule, is simply to exaggerate the width of the shoulders and the hips; and those whose figures possess that stateliness which is called stoutness by the vulgar, convert what is a quality into a defect by yielding to the silly edicts of Fashion on the subject of tight-lacing. ”

“ Was it because big-waisted women were so frequently fat and forty, old and ugly? A young girl had no waist, and did not need stays. As the figure matured the hips developed, and it was this development which formed the waist. The slightest artificial compression of the waist destroyed the line of beauty. Therefore, the grown woman should never wear stays, and, since they tended to weaken the muscles of the back, the aged and weak should not adopt them. A waist really too large was less ungraceful than a waist too small. Dress was designed partly for warmth and partly for adornment. ”