# data[].attributes.body
I personally found this assessment quite challenging. This is the first written essay I have had to write for a number of years so I found it quite daunting. However, it has taught me what things I need to research and think about for future garments. This of course will be a great skill to develop for a career as a buyer. I also find researching about the social and sustsinble issues extremely interesting and the impact of how consumers have effected the world. I feel as though this will only continue to decline unless consumers start to change their behaviours and start to care more about the environment.

# data[].attributes.body
I have created a moodboard with images from Urban Outfitters instagram. This shows the cool, edgy and current image that Urban Outfitters are trying to portray.

# data[].attributes.body
Outerwear moodboard- preperation and definition of outerwear. vogue images

# data[].attributes.body
Properties of outerwear - the natural fibres and synthetics. What I find interesting is how outwearwear can progress with sustainability and the future of recyclable materials

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
HE Merch calculations exercise sheet - STUDENT-1

# data[].attributes.body
Research

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Tracing back the controversial history of a garment that began centuries before Regencycore hit 63 million households this Christmas.

According to social shopping services such as Like To Know It and Lyst, searches for corsets have increased by more than 100 per cent since Netflix's Bridgerton aired on Christmas Day. New data from eBay shows that 39 per cent more of us are in the market for a vintage piece inspired by the Regency-era romp, too. With a reported 63 million household views already, the series has spawned its own niche fashion trend - ' Regencycore ', which encompasses all manner of ruffles, empire lines, elbow-length gloves and pearl-encrusted headbands. Binding it all together? Corsetry.

This recent renaissance can be attributed to more than the obvious period dramas. Last summer saw Instagram-worshipped celebrities such as Hailey Bieber and Dua Lipa embrace the ' summer corset', too. But as we all know, the tradition of waist-cinching stems back much further than that.
The not-so-humble boned corset - simply structured with rigid lines and a bodice laced together in order to shape the torso - has a wildly controversial history. Long derided as a patriarchal instrument of torture that deformed the female body, historians now argue that there was no one experience of wearing a corset and that some women may even have found them positive.

Read more: Shop The 10 Key Winter 2021 Fashion Trends

Corsets were worn by women - and sometimes men - in the Western world from the 16th to the early 20th century, although corset-like garments can be traced as far back as 1600 BC. What began as a close-fitting sleeveless bodice evolved into an undergarment with stays made of whalebone, and then steel, that encircled the ribs and compressed the natural waist. The shape of the corset evolved over the centuries, alternating between longer varieties that covered the hips and shorter versions that centred on the waistline. Corsets helped shape the body into distinctive silhouettes, from the hourglass shape popular in the 1800s to the "S" figure of the 1900s.

Discussions about the corset being detrimental to women's health came to a head in the 19th century, when the popularity of the corset was at its peak. Available in a wide variety of price points, corsets were worn by upper and middle-class women and, increasingly, by working-class women as well. Some doctors blamed the corset for respiratory diseases, deformity to the ribs, damage to internal organs, birth defects, and miscarriages, while others approved of "moderate" or "health" corsets that were less rigid and helped support the body. Fashion historians Valerie Steele and Colleen Gau have argued that while corseted women may indeed have suffered from depleted lung volume and changes in breathing patterns, this would not necessarily have led to respiratory diseases. It may have caused fainting and lowered vitality, though. Steele also argues that examples of tight lacing, or the practice of fastening corsets to create the smallest possible waist, cannot be taken at face value. The letters, descriptions, and images that describe this practice may have represented sexual fantasies, she says, rather than descriptions of authentic experiences.

The invention of elastic in the 1920s gave rise to flexible sports corsets, used by women attracted to a new, active lifestyle. However, ads for corsets and articles about the newest corset styles appear in Vogue throughout the early 20th century, showing that women still sought these external garments to shape and support their body alongside girdles, compression underwear and brassieres. With the shift towards sport and healthy lifestyles in the 1960s and 1970s, the corset as an undergarment was abandoned, but its focus was already internalised. Instead of relying on a garment, women turned to diet, exercise and plastic surgery to shape their bodies and trim their waists.

Today, more severe corsets are still worn by enthusiasts and as part of fetishistic, cross-dressing and burlesque practices; and while they may no longer be part of the average woman's everyday routine, they have never truly disappeared from fashion.

In the 1970s, Vivienne Westwood began using corsets as part of her historicist punk aesthetic; imagining her corsets to empower women rather than bind them. Jean-Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler incorporated corsets into their designs in the 1980s, and who can forget Madonna making Gaultier's pink satin corset famous during her 1990 Blond Ambition tour? Since then, Stella McCartney, Yves Saint Laurent, Tom Ford, and Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga have all experimented with corsets or corset-like tailoring in their designs, sometimes layering corsetry over garments rather than under them, subverting the piece from underwear to outerwear. Always holding court in fashion photography, too, corsets have evolved from patriarchal into a symbol of free female sexuality, arguably coming full circle by being depicted in modern period dramas that centre the characters of women, such as Bridgerton and The Great. Like all good things, they had an arduous journey to get there.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Corset's Recurring Comeback Goes Further Than 'Bridgerton'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Vogue traces the history of the corset, from constrictive 16th-century underwear to modern catwalk trend, to Madonna's famous Jean Paul Gaultier corset and more recently, the corset costumes in Netflix series 'Bridgerton'.

# data[].attributes.body
Research - the history of garment broken down into centuries

# data[].attributes.body
Outerwear moodboard

# data[].attributes.body
Video of presentation on outwerwear fabric board - this is the first time I have stood infront of an audience and presented a presentation which I found nerveracking

# data[].attributes.body
I enjoyed this article as it is very current with my generation. It made me really think about the negative effects of social media and the potential impact it can have on young womens body confidence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Every morning, before slipping into her work clothes, Sarah Woodyard puts on a corset. As a Milliner and Mantua-Maker at Colonial Williamsburg, wearing a historically accurate corset is part of Woodyard's job, where she spends her day educating visitors on life in the American colonies. The kind of corset she wears varies: some days, she puts on 18th century stays; on others, she'll opt for a corded corset circa 1800. Either way, the corset is an essential component to her work uniform. Though Woodyard can spend up to 18 hours encased within cotton-covered bands of metal or bone, she's not complaining: "[Wearing a corset] is like you're being gently held and hugged the entire day," Woodyard tells me.

The corset is one of the most misunderstood garments in fashion history. It's an easy target for fashion revisionists: removed from the body it once adorned, the corset's stiff structure, and it's unforgiving gridiron bone frame, looks suspiciously like a medieval torture device: crude but effective.

"It would be a terrible thing to have to wear that every day, all day. It would be like living in a cage," says Zoe Helene, cultural activist and founder of Cosmic Sister, a women's collective promoting gender equality. "[Corsets are] absolutely about holding women back. There's no doubt in my mind about that, and if you have a doubt, you haven't worn one long enough," says Helene.

But according to Woodyard, someone who does wear a corset most days, all day, corsets are actually supportive, allowing women to perform household duties without back pain. "I've found that they often are an aid to my day. And that back support really helps me not have a sore back at the end of the day. I've done eighteenth century laundry and cooking. And when you're having to pick up heavy buckets of water, or bending and moving heavy objects [the support of the corset] is really helpful," Woodyard tells me.

But weren't corsets supposedly uncomfortable and even painful, squeezing organs into oblivion? "I don't think that a lot of folks realize that there [were] stay makers in the 18th century that...[made women] a pair that fits [their client], and fits them well," says Ms. Woodyard. "So I often compare the word fitted versus tight, that the stays should be fitted, but they shouldn't be tight. And if they're too-tight, then you need to fix them."

Beyond fitted, tight, or anywhere in between - corsetry has a long history that stretches far beyond our current assumptions. Manipulating the body through the use of undergarments stretches back as far as antiquity, when Minoan women from the island of Crete bound their breasts with a band of soft leather, called apodesmos. But with the apodesmos, the body still performed an important role in shaping the clothes that wrapped around it. It wasn't until the medieval era that the body was considered an object that needed to be obscured or changed. As French historian Georges Duby wrote in his book L'Europe au Moyen Age, the frills and ornamentation associated with that era "disguise the body, enveloping it in unreality, masking the attributes of men and women alike."

The origin of the word "corset" to describe a fitted female undergarment is murky. According to Dr. Joan Evans in her book Fashion in Underwear: From Babylon to Bikini Briefs, in medieval times, the word denoted some kind of cloak for, ironically, men. It wasn't until the turn of the 19th century that "corset" was used to describe the controversial undergarment (it was instead referred to as "stays"). Nonetheless, the earliest form of the corset wasn't even an undergarment. It first appears in the 1300s to describe a soft, fitted bodice that nipped in the waist and was worn over a linen shift. This basic form was used as a blueprint for shaping the Western female body with varying versions of the corset over the centuries, from the inflexibly stiff stays in the eighteenth century, to the shapewear that exists today.

"There is no natural body, but only a cultural body," wrote Denia Bruna, the curator of the Bard Graduate Center's exhibition, "Fashioning the Body," in an essay for the exhibition catalogue. "The body is a reflection of the society that presided over its creation." In other words, undergarments like the corset were used to create and mold the body, shaping and disguising the figure to form a "cultural body," designed to fit the aesthetics of any given time.

However, during the Age of Enlightenment, intellectuals began questioning the corset and its artifice, arguing that the corset was, at best, the physical embodiment of censorship, and, at worst, a way of deforming and destroying the natural body. Anatomists and doctors began advising against the wearing of stays.

In 1768, French physician Joseph Raulin, in his manifesto, " De la conservation des enfants," wrote, "These whalebone stays are pernicious in pregnancy." Naturalist comte de Buffon wrote, "This uncomfortable garment-which was conceived to support the waist and prevent it from losing its shape-actually creates more discomfort and deformity than it prevents."

But it's interesting to note that these criticisms were primarily directed at women, even though "deformity" of the body was practiced from birth with both sexes. According to an essay by Anaïs Biernat in Fashioning The Body, babies began their life swaddled to encourage warmth and the development of a straight spine. As they grew, both boys and girls wore stays as a preventative orthopedic device, to ensure proper spinal alignment. Once boys turned six, they gave up stays, while girls continued to wear them.

And women, by and large, ignored these criticisms. In fact, there is ample evidence that most women (even some of the women who were proponents of dress reform) continued to believe that wearing corsets was essential, even as men mocked them with satirical attacks such as articles and poems and illustrations lampooning the way undergarments like the corset and the bustle and the panniers created an artificial body. This pokes holes in the popular notion that women only wore corsets to play into a body type idealized by the male gaze.

"On one hand, there probably is the male gaze in the 18th century encouraging these women to dress in a certain manner to uphold respectability because there's pressure to do that," says Woodyard. "But on the other hand, there's this theory that women often dress for each other and that they're competing with one another. And so, stays are the accepted garment for the period, then there might be women who are wearing them because of the larger social pressure from other women to do that."

When people think of corsets, the image that comes to mind is often nineteenth century tightlacing. Rumors flew around that women were becoming ill and dying from the effects of lacing their corsets too tight; that women were getting surgery to remove ribs. These rumors were false. "A woman's body is quite malleable. You can quite comfortably minimize the body without causing distress or discomfort," says Woodyard. "I think a lot of people have this misconception that you're almost forced into one size of stays. I don't think that a lot of folks realize that there are staymakers in the 18th century and that their specialty to work with a client, measure their client and make them a pair that fits them well."

Although tight-lacing - where women laced their corsets too-tight to create a tiny waist - had come into fashion during a brief period during the Victorian era, it was not widely practiced. But the fact that it was practiced at all inspired satirical newspaper items and cartoons (by men, of course) lampooning (and exaggerating) the lengths women would go to slavishly follow the whims of fashion. It also helped perpetuate the idea that corsets were somehow "unnatural" and "oppressive," ideas that led the way to the next evolution of corsets known as the "girdle."

By the turn of the 20th century, these negative attitudes towards the corset came to a head. This paved the way for designers like Paul Poiret and, later, Coco Chanel to emerge and loudly proclaim that they had killed the corset, subsequently "freeing" women from the oppressive garment. But this "victory" was hollow at best: women merely traded in their corsets for the girdle, which while less confining, still shaped the body to fit a specific body ideal.

As the decades wore on, girdles had adjusted to fit the boyish figure of the 1920s, the sinuous curves of the 1930s, the sharp lines of the 1940s and the womanly hourglass of 1950s. However, by the time second-wave feminism took hold in the late 60s, the girdle began going out of favor. By the 1980s, diet, exercise and plastic surgery took its place, manipulating the body into the perfect athletic form.

It wasn't until the early 2000s, with the introduction of Spanx, that a new form of corsetry had again become widely used to create an illusion of an idealized body under clothes. Today, women continue to try an manipulate their bodies, with Kardashians and Instagram stars alike peddling waist trainers - a corset-like device that holds the promise of shrinking the waist down for a perfect hourglass figure.

It's easy to fetishcize the corset and it's subsequent evolutions when extreme versions of the garment dominate our understanding of corsets. When our understanding of historical dress is rooted in books or museum exhibitions, where it is removed from the human beings who wore them, the corset can look like an abstract torture device. But, like all clothes, it was lived-in, and as such, it was not a static image of conformity; rather, it was a garment that was meant to fit the person wearing it - the person who chose to wear it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The History Of Corsets Is More Complicated Than You Probably Think

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Every morning, before slipping into her work clothes, Sarah Woodyard puts on a corset. As a Milliner and Mantua-Maker at Colonial Williamsburg, wearing a historically accurate corset is part of Woodyard's job, where she spends her day educating visitors on life in the American colonies.

# data[].attributes.body
This is an interesting article which is an indepth history on corsetry. It also explains in depth, the issues it has caused on the female body and how it created huge health risks.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
by Hannah Martin

Humans are exceptionally skilled at physically embodying their cultures, so much so that skeletal structures themselves may be altered due to extremely pronounced adaptation to cultural environments. Corseting has long been the subject of many discussions centered on gender and body modification, but little research has been done on the effects of corseting on the skeleton. This paper will employ a humanistic bioarchaeological perspective to explain the impact of habitual tightlacing on the ribcages, pelves, and spine of women during the Victorian era via primary documents, historical resources, and bioarchaeological research on the subject. By analyzing these corseted specimens and combining knowledge gained from both primary resources and historical research, this paper will educate readers on the day-to-day lives and struggles Victorian women endured as a result of gendered expectations (of beauty? Femininity? Womanhood? Fashion?).

Humans modify our bodies from their natural states; whether through historical head shaping and neck elongation, or contemporaneous piercings and tattoos, we have encountered body modifications throughout history. While there are many ways cultural standards can influence the skeleton, intentional body modification is perhaps the most intriguing. While humans are not the only creatures that modify our physical forms in accordance with specific codes, we have certainly implemented the most drastic methods, like skeletal modification, to do so. In this paper, I will employ a humanistic perspective, supported by historical and contemporary scholarship, to explore how culture becomes permanently ingrained in human bodies, specifically focusing on the Victorian standards of feminine body shapes in western societies, the effects of tightlacing on the skeleton, and what the remains of one woman may be able to tell us about corseted life.

Tightlacing is the practice of lacing one's corset to an uncomfortably tight level in order to modify the shape of the body. Most common in Victorian era Western societies, tightlacing has escaped the spotlight of bioarchaeology, perhaps because the practice lacks the so-called exoticism of non-Western cultural practices like footbinding, etc.. As a result, little bioarchaeological research has been done on tightlacing; although there have been studies of skeletal analyses related to corseting, much of the evidence in this essay will be supplemented by historical documents and relevant contemporary research.

A Brief History of the Corset

While there are still niche communities that practice tightlacing, corsets were mainly in the spotlight of mainstream western culture for about 400 years, from the late 16 th century into the early 20 th century (Steele 2001). Despite this, the form and extent to which women desired to alter their shapes changed significantly throughout those years. The first corsets appeared among aristocratic women in the Renaissance as a revolutionary means of conforming the body to clothing, rather than clothing conforming to the body. These early corsets were made of varying material-many of them made of metal, resembling a sort of cage. These corsets shaped the flesh into what was considered a desirable shape with pronounced, high breasts and a tapered waist. With the emergence of the corset also came a new treatment for spinal diseases and disorders, though this use was far less common among men (Moore, Buckberry 2016). Tightlacing slowly became present amongst the most determined and economically privileged women. The famous, cartoonish hourglass body shape emerged in the 19 th century when the cultural desire for a small waist reached its peak. As tightlacing increased in popularity, however, it became more than a standard of beauty for elite women. By the end of the 19 th century, tightlacing became a dangerous competition between women in order to see who could achieve a "wasp waist" measuring 18 inches or less, no matter the physical or emotional consequences. Aside from a growing discontent with the tightlacing aesthetic, some men published treatises against the practice, claiming that tightlacing had adverse effects on the body and could cause tuberculosis, cancer, gallstones, and "congestion of the blood" (Steele 2001).

A humanistic perspective is essential when exploring a polarized subject like corsetry and tightlacing within a field as easily dehumanized as bioarchaeology. Analyzing the remains and accounts of several 18 th and 19 th century women will illuminate the harmful effects of tightlacing as well as the horrors of corset-related deformation. (Louisa Courtauld, born in 1729 was an affluent English woman living in Victorian London. Louisa's status as the daughter of Pierre Ogier, a wealthy silk merchant, suggests that she lived a life of luxury and domesticity only awarded to an upper-class woman. Accordingly, Louisa wore a corset her entire life, in order to meet contemporary, gendered expectations of femininity and beauty. Despite her relatively privileged life, the pains she experienced from corseting are illustrated through the skeletal remains of her contemporaries. While Louisa's story deals more with issues in the realm of soft tissue, the skeletal deformations of her fellow corset-wearers will be able to tell us a lot about her life.

Effects of the Corset on the Body

The bioarchaeological record reveals the numerous adverse side effects of tightlacing. One condition, dubbed "chicken breast," consisted of lung atrophy and collapse due to fractured ribs, which were the result of intense pressure from tightlacing. While healing, women had to remain completely immobile. Because this injury was prevalent during an era notorious for its lack of medical awareness and access to necessities, women healing from "chicken breast" risked contracting pneumonia and dying (Summers 2001).

In terms of soft tissue, Victorian medical doctors often wrote about the effects of tightlacing on the liver. Autopsies of corseted women usually revealed an elongated, displaced liver-sometimes even with permanent rib impressions due to long-term pressure from the corset (Schnabel 1986, Gibson 2017). Some rumors even spread about a woman who had "laced herself so hard that she cut her liver right in half, and died in consequence" (Steele 2001). While having one's liver cut in half imposes a definite threat to well-being, there remains no proof that anything even resembling this event ever happened. Moreover, the liver is an incredibly elastic organ in that it can experience marked levels of deformity without undergoing any significant change in function. People are also observed to withstand serious loss of liver function without experiencing noticeable or alarming health problems (Gibson 2017). However, while physical liver damage can reach markedly high levels before organ failure becomes a threat, the pain of active physical liver deformation would certainly have been felt.

Although tightlacing proved to be a hazard for women, the many male doctors neglected to believe women who decided to seek medical attention for their corset-related ailments. Because Victorian society interpreted women to be intellectually inferior to men, women's suffering due to vanity-a decidedly non-intellectual pursuit according to Victorian men-was deemed acceptable by many authorities in the medical field (Steele 2001). Furthermore, appearing to be in good health was considered unfeminine in Victorian society. Feminine women were expected to be fragile, weak, and pale, especially among the uppermost classes One drastic way to achieve this look of perpetual ill health was through extreme body modification like corseting. As a result of this feminine standard, the increased outcry by men against tightlacing for health reasons only led to an increase in tightlacing among women, who believed that organs had room to move around because there were "cavities" in between them (Summers 2001). By creating the strict Victorian cultural standards of beauty and feminine bodyscapes, women responded to culture and in doing so changed their biology. The functions and organization of women's bodies were permanently altered by tightlacing.

Habitual corseting severely impacts the skeleton which leaves distinctive traces in the bioarchaeological record. Unnatural compression of the ribs into a more cylindrical form, described as "downward warping," leads to reduced lung capacity for tightlacers. Spines became straight and less bound to the natural S-curve shape seen in most human skeletons. Furthermore, pelves of women with deformed ribs have more constricted pelvic inlets-specifically, a more constricted arcurate line length and transverse diameter of the inlet-than those of non-corseted women. This deformity could have been an obstacle during childbirth (Klingerman 2008). Thus far, no evidence of significant deformation of the bi-iliac breadth has emerged, which suggests that while pelvic inlets were subject to deformation, they were likely caused by stunted growth due to childhood corseting rather than habitual corseting. Remains such as those studied in Gibson (2017) and Klingerman (2008) provide proof of biological changes caused by imposed cultural standards.

Davies (1982), along with countless other historical, medical, and non-medical treatises (e.g., Haller and Haller 1974, Kellog 1900), asserts that tightlacing led to a general decreased female fertility and increased stillbirths in the 19 th century. Summers (2001) also provides historical evidence that tightlacing may have been used as a means of birth control and pregnancy termination. Some women, however, may not have intentionally terminated their pregnancies or decreased their fecundity, especially given the expectations of women to provide offspring to continue the husband's legacy. While birth rates and infant health among lower-class, more loosely corseted women may not have suffered significantly (though it still was not great due to lack of amenities), those of middle and upper class women, among whom tightlacing was the norm, certainly declined. Klingerman's study (2008) of corset-deformed remains from a post-Medieval cemetery in Spitalfields, London may be able to shed light on this issue.

One woman who suffered from the adverse effects of tightlacing on fertility was Louisa Courtauld, buried in the same cemetery from which Klingerman's remains were excavated. Her family settled in England and became one of the most successful silk-manufacturing dynasties in London. In August 1749, Louisa married Samuel Courtauld, a goldsmith, and became pregnant with their first child within the year. Unfortunately, the baby died five days after birth, and Louisa did not conceive again for over two years. This long interbirth interval could have been the result of corseting, which has been proven to cause abortions, reduce fertility, and impede sex drive. While Louisa was pregnant at least eight times, only four of her children survived to adulthood, and she miscarried several times (Cox 1996). Even though Louisa's figures may not seem anomalous to other birth rates for the period, her likely possession of skeletal deformities cannot be overlooked. Klingerman asserts that the pelvic deformities that arise from tightlacing made childbirth difficult (which seems to be true-foreceps were commonly used to extract the baby during this period; Gau 1998). These deformities also decreased sex drive due to side effects such as fatigue, fainting, headaches, and uterine displacement (Klingerman 2008). Louisa Courtauld may not have intended to affect her fertility or motherhood, but by adhering to cultural standards of beauty, she altered her biological structure, and perhaps lost four or more children likely due to corseting. Although there is no certainty that Louisa's remains were analyzed in Klingerman (2008), the rate and severity of rib and pelvic deformation among the elite female skeletons from this and other studies should serve as an indicator of Louisa's skeletal structure. Furthermore, her troubles with fertility and childrearing serve as a testament to the effect of tightlacing on soft tissues and the health of the fetus.

While the cultural practice of tightlacing has already been shown to have biological effects on the skeleton, Louisa's story, as well as the untold stories of countless other tightlacing women, proves that habitual corseting in the past negatively affects unborn children (i.e., pressure from corseting adversely affecting a fetus' health), in much the same way that smoking cigarettes or consuming alcoholic beverages can affect fetuses today (Klingerman 2008). So while mothers' conformity to Victorian beauty standards was already reflected in their skeleton, their continued practice of corseting while pregnant likely became biologically embedded in their unborn children as well. Many treatises of the time and conjectures from our time of the Victorian era assert the notion of child deformities thanks to corseting while pregnant using special maternity stays (Summers 2001), and thus it would be reasonable to assume corseting may have been used as a means of terminating unwanted pregnancies, but due to the lack of firsthand Victorian sex-related accounts, little research has actually been done on the topic. Until then, we can only imagine the effects seen in fetuses and infants of the time.

Childhood Corseting

While the side effects from habitual corseting may seem horrific, there are differing accounts of the negative effects of tightlacing on life expectancy in Victorian times (Klingerman 2008, Gibson 2017). Younger female skeletons, however, like a juvenile female analyzed in Gibson's study with significant corset-related rib deformation, may have suffered fatal complications from tightlacing, and succumbed to death at an early age. Child corseting was fairly common in the Victorian era, as the desire for a "wasp waist," increased. While most corseting began with the onset of puberty, some female children as young as 4 began wearing corsets regularly in order to ensure as small a waist as possible in womanhood (Summers 2001). One young woman who calls herself "Mignonette" writes of her childhood corseting experience, which began when she was only 14 years old, to be published in The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine in 1867 (Lord 1868):

Owing to the absence of my parents in India, I was allowed to attain the age of fourteen before any care was bestowed upon my figure; but their return home fortunately saved me from growing into a clumsy, inelegant girl; for my mamma was so shocked at my appearance that she took the unusual plan of making me sleep in my corset. For the first few weeks I occasionally felt considerable discomfort, owing, in a great measure, to not having worn stays before, and also to their extreme tightness and stiffness. Yet, though I was never allowed to slacken them before retiring to rest, they did not in the least interfere with my sleep, nor produce any ill effects whatever. ...fearing that, at so late an age, I should have great difficulty in securing a presentable figure, [my mamma] considered ordinary means insufficient, and consequently had my corsets filled with whalebone and furnished with shoulder-straps, to cure the habit of stooping...The busk, which was nearly inflexible, was not front-fastening...effectually prevented any attempt on my part to unloose my stays.

Although Mignonette describes the experience of sleeping in her corset "unusual," another woman of the period recounts a similar story in response to Mignonette (Lord 1868):

Mignonette's case is not an 'unusual' one. She has just finished her education at a 'West-End school' where the system was strictly enforced. As she entered as a pupil at the age of thirteen and was very slender, she was fitted on her arrival with a corset, which could be drawn close without the extreme tightness found necessary in Mignonette's case. They did not open in front, and were fastened by the under-governess in such a manner that any attempt to unlace them during the night would be immediately detected at the morning's inspection. After the first week or two she felt no discomfort or pain of any kind, though, as she was still growing, her stays became proportionately tighter, but owing to her figure never being allowed to enlarge during the nine or ten hours of sleep, as is usually the case, this was almost imperceptible.

While juvenile corseting sparked a great deal of controversy in Victorian society, it nonetheless became commonplace by the 1880s. Some advertisements even claimed that achieving any discernible figure at all in womanhood was not possible without tightlacing in childhood (Summers 2001). The state of most remains analyzed for corset-related deformation indicates the presence of juvenile tightlacing. For many of these women, a quarter of whom died at ages at young as 13-35 within Gibson's case study, the severity of their rib warping and spine deformities would not have been possible without habitual tightlacing during childhood (2017). Although they may have died at a young age, the culture of the time is immortalized in their remains due to rigorous body modification in life.

The End of an Era

Corseting became less and less popular until it almost entirely disappeared in the 1920s. Whether or not the boyish bodyscape so fashionable in the 1920s had an impact on corseting, it seems that dissenting medical discourse finally prevailed over tightlacing practices. Women and pubescent girls present during the golden age of tightlacing, however, had permanently incorporated Victorian cultural standards of femininity into their physical/biological forms; it's not unreasonable to think that elderly women buried up to the 1960s would contain traces of rib and pelvic deformation as a result of habitual corseting in their youth.

Corseting served as the main gateway for Western women to biologically embody their past cultures. Habitual tightlacers experienced rib deformation in the form of permanent constriction and downward warping, smaller pelvic inlets, and straightened out spinal curves as a result of their desire to modify their bodies. While they had the potential to live into old age, these women likely suffered from decreased lung capacity and fertility, difficulty during pregnancy and childbirth, longer recoveries from illnesses, and "chicken lung." While we continue to see people-especially women-modifying their bodies on a surface level to participate in contemporary standards of beauty (i.e., dying hair, piercing ears, getting tattoos), we can only wonder what skeletal markers for cultural modifications future bioarchaeologists will be looking for 300 years from now.

References

Cox, M. (1996). Life and death in Spitalfields, 1700 to 1850. York, UK: Council for British Archaeology.

Davies, M. (1982). Corsets and conception: Fashion and demographic trends in the nineteenth century. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 24(4), 611-641.

Gau, C. R. (1998). Historic medical perspectives of corseting and two physiologic studies with reenactors. Iowa State University Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 11922. http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/11922

Gibson, R. (2017). "To mold the wax of a woman": An examination of changes in skeletal morphology due to corseting. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest.

Haller, J. S., and Haller, R. M. (1974). The physician and sexuality in Victorian America. Chicago, IL: University of Illinois Press.

Kellog, J. H. (1900). Ladies' guide in health and disease. Melbourne, Australia: Echo Publishing.

Klingerman, K. M. (2008). Binding femininity: an examination of the effects on tightlacing on the female pelvis. LSU Master's Theses. 3732. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/3732

Lord, W. B. (1868). The corset and the crinoline. London, UK: Ward, Lock, & Tyler.

Moore, J. & Buckberry, J. (2016). The use of corsetry to treat Pott's disease of the spine from 19th century Wolverhampton, England. International Journal of Paleopathology, 14, 74-80.

Schnabel, T. G., and Schnabel, M. H. (1986). The dangers of dress: medical hazards in fashion and fads. Transactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Association, 97, 183-190.

Steele, V. (2001). The corset: A cultural history. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Summers, L. (2001). Bound to please: A history of the Victorian corset. Oxford, UK: Berg.

Acknowledgments: This paper is the product of a bioarchaeology couse taught by Dr. Laurie Reitsema at UGA, with the assistance of the Writing Intensive Program Teaching Assistant Sammantha Holder. I graciously thank Dr. Reitsema and Ms. Holder for their encouragement and endless support throughout this process.

Citation style: AJPA

. . . . . . . . . . Return to the Table of Contents.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How the Cultural Becomes Biological: Evidence for Corseting in the Skeletal Record

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
by Hannah Martin Humans are exceptionally skilled at physically embodying their cultures, so much so that skeletal structures themselves may be altered due to extremely pronounced adaptation to cultural environments. Corseting has long been the subject of many discussions centered on gender and body modification, but little research has been done on the effects of corseting on the skeleton.

# data[].attributes.headline
sustainable company who plant  more trees for the environment, this is a major development for the environment as there is also other companies doing similar things.

# data[].attributes.subject
sustainable company who plant  more trees for the environment, this is a major development for the environment as there is also other companies doing similar things.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
9 trees is the number required to 'balance' the average UK citizen's carbon consumption each year.

We plant your trees in new woodland in England or Wales.

We geolocate your trees once planted.

We connect you with local biodiversity through our local network updates.

We conserve and manage your woodland as it grows.

We plant another 9 trees for you each year you subscribe.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
9 trees is the number required to 'balance' the average UK citizen's carbon consumption each year. We plant your trees in new woodland in England or Wales. We geolocate your trees once planted. We connect you with local biodiversity through our local network updates. We conserve and manage your woodland as it grows.

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.elizabethancostume.net/corsets/history.html

# data[].attributes.body
Coco Chanel - key designer of the 1920's

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2020/03/25/can-urban-outfitters-stock-repeat-its-post-2008-performance-and-return-to-25-once-the-covid-19-outbreak-is-reined-in/#6de94d1a50d5

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The year was 1970. Dick Hayne was just 23 years old when he, college roommate Scott Belair, and Judy Wicks came up with the idea to open a retail store. Belair was in search of a topic for an entrepreneurial class he was taking at the time. The first store, originally called Free People, was located in a small space across the street from the University of Pennsylvania. Its mission was to provide second-hand clothing, furniture, jewelry and home décor for college-aged customers in a casual fun environment.

# data[].attributes.body
shows how stocks and sales have risen.

# data[].attributes.body
This is an article which shows 20 facts the public might not know about Urban Outfitters. It includes positive and negatives.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Urban Outfitters is one of those retailers that stands out from the crowd. One of the reasons is their hip clothing and another is the fact that they make some amazing markdowns, but only occasionally so you gotta be on your toes to catch the sale. If you're a bargain hunter then a trip to Urban Outfitters is like a little piece of heaven if you're there at the right time. If not, you're gonna pay more than what some other retailers charge. In case you're not familiar with this retail giant, here are 20 things you didn't know but will probably be glad to find out about them.

1. They're full of surprises

You never know what you're going to find at Urban Outfitters because they're always doing something different. The bring some unusual items into the store and some are pleasant surprises while others are a bit on the macabre or shocking side. For example, the Kent State sweatshirt with blood stains on it. Their Etsy inspired jewelry line was a little more pleasant, but they keep it real and offer a big variety of items to satisfy almost everyone's unique taste in fashion and accessories.

2. Urban Outfitters is connected with Free People and Anthropologie

Here is a fun fact that most people are not aware of. The CEO of Urban Outfitters is Richard Hayne. He owns the retailer and he is also the owner fo Free People and Anthropologie. This links them all together in a family type situation of retail chains, even though each of them is very different in their offerings. Hayne has done an amazing job at keeping the stores each unique and amazing.

3. Urban Outfitters was founded in 1970

It's hard to believe that Urban Outfitters has been around for this long but it opened its doors in 1970. It was the leader of the pack for Haynes as the first retail clothing outlet which would be followed later by his other endeavors. It was 22 years later that he opened Anthropologie. Just imagine, the people who were in their twenties when the store first opened for business are now in their forties.

4. Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie are generationally complementary

It's really cool that Anthropologie came along 22 years after Urban Outfitters because while the first store is dedicated to hip and youthful fashion, Anthropologie caters to a more mature crowd with their styles and fashions. We're pretty sure that Hayne intended it to be this way and it was a stroke of sheer genius. By doing so, he was following loyal customers of Urban Outfitters throughout their life stages and providing them with an array of excellent shopping options for the aging Urban fans.

5. Urban Outfitters had their own type of Monopoly game

It's true! This novel and fun game were much like a parody of the original Monopoly game, only in game board form. They called their hilarious board game Ghettopoly. They replaced Taxation spots with funny titles called police shakedown, with railroad properties converting into liquor stores. The tokens took on a really ghetto them as well. Ghettopoly was a big seller with the younger crowd although you could hardly call it sophisticated, it took the meaning of the word ghetto and applied it to a strategy game. This was just one of the fun and off-colored items that the store offered customers who were looking for something that went to an extreme if not a bit on the ribald side. It was a big seller when it was first released in 2003.

6. They made a social blunder that sounded really racist

One of the biggest controversies that took place with Urban Outfitters came in 2010 when they listed a BDG Burnout Henley but the drop down menu which was supposed to say simply black or white color choices said something very different and offensive to many. Instead of the traditional color choices, it listed White as an option and Obama/Black as the other. It is still not known to this day whether or not this was an innocent mistake or if somebody did it on purpose to be racist.

7. True or false, Urban Outfitters tried to offer an explanation for the Obama/Black listing

When slews of customers let Urban Outfitters know about the listing, they did an investigation to find out what was going on and how it happened. They offered an apology and admitted that they had made an error. They had originally developed a color internally that is called "Obama Blue" with the other color being listed as black. They explained that their website database was to blame for the error because it truncated the combination. They further offered that they should have caught the error and apologized to all that they had offended.

8. The owner of Urban Outfitters is unique

There are some who describe the CEO Richard Hayne as "a crazy conservative." They also assert that he is a homophobic billionaire. Urban Outfitters had offers a t-shirt that was printed with the phrase "I Support Same-Sex Marriage" and they claim that he had it pulled from the site because it generated a lot of bad press. A little research showed that just one negative article had surfaced with regard to the shirt and it seemed that maybe it wasn't conservative enough.

9. Urban Outfitter supports eating less

The fashion retailer offered a T-shirt that is labeled as being a pro-eating disorder item. Now, this was a t-shirt that generated some negative press. It literally said, "Eat Less." Of course, there are obvious reasons why such a shirt would be condemned. There are people who struggle with eating disorders as well as those who have weight problems and are conscious of extra pounds. Either way, you look at it, there were a whole lot of people that were unhappy about it and they let Urban Outfitters know about it. The shirt was released for sale in 2014, but it didn't remain on the shelves for long before it was pulled. There were quite a few customers who let them know that the shirt was very insensitive.

10. Urban Outfitters has a lot of Broke customers

The target audience for Urban Outfitters marketing is the group that lies between the ages of 18 and 28 years. This is a group that is either still in college or getting their first jobs in general. Sure, they offer an occasional sale or marked down items on the discount rack, but Urban Outfitters isn't a cheap store per se. The people who buy things that are not either marked down or on sale from the retailers are the ones who have good jobs and a decent income already, but many go to find the latest styles there and see what is cool so they can go find it at a cheaper store, or wait until it hits the clearance rack. This is what the statistics tell us anyway and who can argue with research?

11. Urban Outfitters is enticing people with food

While this is the opposite message of what the famous "eat less" T-shirt recommends, Urban Outfitters has partnered with Pizza Vetri in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and in other popular locations. This is a first for the retailer that had previously collaborated with coffee shops for their visitors. It's believed that the new pizza offerings will bring some shoppers in just to eat and while they're there enjoying a good lunch, they're likely to be attracted to one of the lovely displays set up and purchase a few items from the clothing store while they're at it.

12. When they advertise sales, they're not really sales

You have to watch out when going to a sale at Urban Outfitters. They advertise all kinds of crazy sales, but what do they really mean when they say sale? We've been given the skinny on these campaigns and all you need to do is to check out the original retail price of the items that are listed for sale. We're not going to take this any further, but we do recommend that you do a price comparison before you decide if the sale item is really a sale or not.

13. The CEO of Urban Outfitters named one of his stores after his college studies

It's a fact that Hayne attended college and studied anthropology. He shared this in an interview and he was the first to admit that he was not a remarkable student. It did, however, give him the inspiration for the name of one of his big successful retail outlets. He just changed the spelling of the business to Anthropologie. He wanted to throw a little English and pizzaz at it and it worked very well. The spelling makes it sound like a fashionable and sophisticated retailer, which the store in fact is.

14. The founder admittedly has no sense of fashion

Hayne, the CEO of Urban Outfitters is very upfront about the fact that he really doesn't have much of a fashion sense. When it comes to figuring out what a girl in her twenties would want to wear, he doesn't have much of a clue. He doesn't meddle in the lineup that is presented to the public. This is something that he knows is totally out of his wheelhouse so he hires competent and qualified people who are professionals in the business to take care of this task and he stays out of it.

15. Urban Outfitters and the Navajo Nation are having a controversy

The Navajo Nation has filed a lawsuit against Urban Outfitters. In the suit, they described the problem as Urban Outfitters selling a line of apparel that features the name of the tribe and they didn't secure any kind of permission from them beforehand. The tribe was so unhappy about it that they sued them in a court of law and it's looking like they are going to win the suit that asks for millions in damage and compensation.

16. They can't keep one specific book on the shelves

Urban Outfitters sells a book that is titled, The Little Book Of Marijuana: Mind-Blowing Facts, History, Trivia, And Recipes By Spruce. The book is stocked but sells out quickly so you have to be fast sif you want to get a copy for yourselves. The is from "Weird Science" and it's a big hit with Urban Outfitters customers. It also tells you about famous weed smokers from all over the world, the five stages of a high via herb and much more.

17. URBN is the name of the parent company for Urban Outfitters

Previously we talked about the fact that Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People are all connected. They're owned by the same person and they all fall under the umbrella of the parent company that goes by URBN. It's officially a portfolio of global consumer brands that also includes the Vitri Family (pizza), HBLDN, and Terrain. It's really a huge corporation of well-known and successful brands.

18. The URBN culture is a lot of fun

This company treats its employees very well. They want the work environment to be fun and they desire the good health of their employees with a good work-life balance as well. URBN is big on having a workplace that is filled with fun and creativity.

19. URBN is all about a healthy work environment and wellness

It's one thing to have fun on the job but wellness is a little deeper subject. URBN promotes good health and although they offer basic gym memberships they go way beyond this. They provide fitness classes that include TRX insanity, lunchtime boot camp, body physics, Zumba, boxing, yoga and a wide range of choices for their employees to choose the type of workout that is best suited for them.

20. They sponsor the Big Brothers, Big Sisters Program

Urban Outfitters is big on supporting charity efforts. A large number of URBN employees are involved in this charity effort by mentoring a student and spending time with them every other week. They play games, have lunch, do arts and crafts and all kinds of fun activities. Their goal is to make a significant impact on their surrounding communities by supporting students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
20 Things You Didn't Know About Urban Outfitters

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Urban Outfitters is one of those retailers that stands out from the crowd. One of the reasons is their hip clothing and another is the fact that they make some amazing markdowns, but only occasionally so you gotta be on your toes to catch the sale.

# data[].attributes.headline
A blog on how Urban outfitters is capturing the new millennial market using different multichannels.

# data[].attributes.subject
A blog on how Urban outfitters is capturing the new millennial market using different multichannels.

# data[].attributes.body
https://blog.smile.io/urban-outfitters-is-capturing-the-millennial-market/

# data[].attributes.body
this is an article on the current brands who have been influenced by the Teddy boys subculture to influence their collections.

# data[].attributes.body
Fashion and Arts research on the Teddy Boys 1950's era

# data[].attributes.body
London fashion week future trends for SS21.. gives an insight to what will be upcoming and future fashions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We know, it might feel like a bit of a weird time to be looking ahead to next year's spring/summer fashion trends when 2020 is still proving to be one of the biggest roller-coasters of our lifetime (as we write this the restrictions and measures surrounding Covid have tightened up again for six months). However, if fashion month so far has taught us anything, it's that we should keep looking ahead with an open mind.

We had no idea what to expect from London Fashion Week this season and yet it seems nothing has got in the way of creativity. If anything, the shows so far have proved that designers have embraced the turbulent times, head on, creating smaller collections during lockdown with a greater emphasis on wearability and longevity. Finally, a fashion week where designers are less focused on creating one season wonders that ruin the planet and more towards evergreen trends that we'll keep coming back to.

With a predominantly digital showing, some brands like Burberry went for a merge between a real show and an online one, live-streamed from the British countryside without any physical attendees but with a pre-show chat hosted by musician and actor Erykah Badu, all hosted on video site Twitch. Victoria Beckham cancelled her planned 'salon-style' catwalk show and instead showed her collection to groups of just three visitors at a time, where guests were handed a Monogrammed silk "VB" face mask. Meanwhile, Bora Aksu was one of the very few designers to show to a real life audience, with models donning organza face masks and guests perched on their own park bench in a Covent Garden church garden.

These are the only 8 colour trends you need to know about for autumn, according to our Fashion Editor

Much like the steer towards making the shows more practical, the collections themselves had the same appeal. Many of spring summer 2021's trends aren't anything new instead they're recycled - trends we've seen before that are largely easy-wearing and versatile. Pieces you can easily slip into for a night out or night in.

After a year of many formal occasions being cancelled or postponed, many of us have missed the thrill of wearing something extra special. Thankfully, London Fashion Week has shown us we have heaps to look forward to next year with some designers still heralding the age of dressing up. Grown-up chic, timeless pieces worth investing in that you'll love year after year. A far cry from throwaway fashion as they'll ever be.

Here are a few of the trends we spotted during London Fashion Week that we'll all be wearing as soon as spring 2021 hits (and hopefully long after...)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 trends from London Fashion Week that we'll all be wearing next spring and beyond

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We know, it might feel like a bit of a weird time to be looking ahead to next year's spring/summer fashion trends when 2020 is still proving to be one of the biggest roller-coasters of our lifetime (as we write this the restrictions and measures surrounding Covid have tightened up again for six months).

# data[].attributes.body
vintage and retro fashion ideas and what prints will be popular - shows vintage fashion is always going to be popular and never goes out of style

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We create fresh, affordable, print trend reports and seamless print designs

We prepare reports for new brands, designers and retailers, giving validation that you are developing or buying the right products, at the right time.

Receive a 15 Page SS21 Print and Pattern Trend Bite Report which details one of the key trends - Floral Blur. A link to your report will be sent via email when you subscribe to our fashion newsletter. Get news, insights and information on new releases straight to your inbox. Future-proof your business by staying up to date on what's happening in the world of fashion!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SPRING/SUMMER 2021 PRINT TREND FORECAST - RETRO BLOOM

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We create fresh, affordable, print trend reports and seamless print designs We prepare reports for new brands, designers and retailers, giving validation that you are developing or buying the right products, at the right time. Receive a 15 Page SS21 Print and Pattern Trend Bite Report which details one of the key trends - Floral Blur.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
From the new luxe leather to the ultimate billowy blouse, GRACE COOK breaks down next season's most directional looks and how to make them work for you now

From Crayola-colored dresses to '70s-inspired denims and decadent leathers, the spring/summer 2021 collections brought us an array of covetable trends to excite and inspire. In a season like no other, when runways were live-streamed without audiences or else not staged at all, there was a tangible sense of reaffirming the joy of fashion - celebrating the art of dressing up for those rare occasions when we do go out and the idea of dressing your best to feel your best. Comfort, too, was key, with slippers and knits taking center stage for new-season wardrobes, ideal for this increased time spent indoors. Stay ahead of the game with our cheat sheet to the ultimate trends to wear next season and beyond.

The humble slip-on, which has been the subject of surging demand this season for its indoor-outdoor wearability, remains a sure-footed favorite for SS21. This hybrid shoe is made fresh with playful silhouettes: Proenza Schouler showed squashy mules that were reminiscent of clouds - a symbol of comfort if ever there were one - while JW Anderson updates the classic penny loafer with a gargantuan buckle that turns this simple mule into a swashbuckling silhouette that's as ideal teamed with a sock and slacks as worn with midi-length dresses.

The models featured in this story are not associated with NET-A-PORTER and do not endorse it or the products shown

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SS21's best trends and how to wear them now

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
SS21 Fashion Trends To Know: These are the top SS21 women's fashion trends you need to get on your radar for the SS21 fashion season. Discover how to style up SS21's fashion trends to help you start the new season - and spring/summer 2021's fashion trends - in style...

# data[].attributes.body
Patterns, prints and materials on vintage fashion

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We're feeling pretty groovy about sixties-style dress making after watching a vintage week episode of The Great British Sewing Bee. If you're keen to get the look, never fear - you don't have to jump straight in with PVC!
Above: Floral Full Circle Dress and Peter Pan Collar dress by Plum and Pigeon
4 reasons to sew vintage!

Lauren Guthrie of Guthrie Ghani was a Great British Sewing Bee finalist in 2013. She's kindly shared her love of old sewing patterns with us... "I love the often simple, classic styles of vintage patterns and the illustrations on the front are awesome, very inspirational - they don't make them quite like they used to!" she exclaims. "Sometimes it's the details like their facial expressions that make me giggle."

1

Connect with the sewists who came before us!

These quirky works of art only add to the charm of the vintage sewing experience, along with the tantalising idea of becoming part of a chain of keen sewists stretching back decades. Caroline Smith of Sew La Di Da Vintage says: "I enjoy the connection with the previous owner of a pattern - a pin or notes written on the envelope add to the appeal. When you open the envelope, you are dipping into their creativity."

And then there's the pleasure of many of these garments' sheer femininity. "I love the timeless feminine style and the flattering shapes of the vintage designs," says Rose Halstead at Plum and Pigeon. "I especially like the 1950s designs with fitted bodices and full circle skirts, and find there are some great vintage reproduction patterns as well as genuine vintage ones."

Lisa Comfort of Sew Over It also loves the silhouettes of the 50s and 60s. "They were so feminine and flattering to lots of figures and shapes," she says. "The detailing was also lovely. The only downside to using real vintage patterns is the sizing - it's way off! Due to changes in underwear, we don't have the same shape busts and our waists aren't as tiny."
Lauren Guthrie models her version of the Betty Dress by Sew Over It

2

Measure up - body shapes have changed over time!

Sad but true, we simply aren't the same shape of former generations (apart from a few very lucky ones). This means that the biggest challenge of making a garment from a vintage pattern isn't finding the pattern itself - it's making all those little conversions that are required to turn it into a wardrobe essential you'll want to wear time and again. Fortunately, there are some cunning ways to update a vintage pattern to suit current generations. "It might be something as simple as changing a neckline, which can put a modern twist on the garment," says Lauren, "but in terms of overall style, I think it's nice to keep things are they are."

Sizing and proportions are the biggest hurdles to tackle, but even these are achievable, with care. "It's best to take your own measurements and compare them against the pattern pieces themselves," says Lauren. "If you take your waist measurement, for example, and quarter it, you can then compare this to the waist line of the pattern piece of a front/back bodice - you'll get a feel for how much or how little ease there will be." She also advises checking other more specific measurements, such as back length and back width, against the pattern pieces, too. "Just don't forget to take account of the seam allowance and also remember that it's normal for clothes to be bigger than our actual measurements so that we can actually move in them."

Over at Sew La Di Da Vintage, Caroline's team studied the pattern sizes, old and new. "And we realised that they were out of synch with contemporary high street sizings." In response, they set about producing a range of patterns that they feel fit well with the modern high street offerings. "Body proportions have changed due to lots of factors: food and rationing, corsetry and underwear, hormones and the pill." she says.

Sew La Di Da Vintage Sweetheart Dress © Matt Austin

Rose also has vital advice: "Check the finished garment measurements (these are usually displayed on the pattern pieces) before making your garment. Dress sizes have changed over the years so you might need to adjust the pattern. If you are a UK size 14, you might not be that size on the vintage pattern." She points out that during the 1950s, women were quite petite. "Women often had an hourglass figure and small waist. Now we are slightly taller with a bigger waist and maybe a slightly bigger chest," she says. "When working with original patterns, I have to alter the waist measurement on each size by at least an inch or two to make them modern sizes."

Curiously, it isn't only waists and busts that have changed over the decades. "Also look at the lengths - torsos were shorter so bodices can come up very short!" Lisa recommends. She suggests that if you aren't too far off the pattern's original size, "then you can usually make small adjustments," such as redrawing side seams or making darts smaller and shorter. "Look at the bust darts," she warns, "because these are often exaggerated."

Lauren adds that fashions changed garment shapes even between the 1950s and 60s. "Not only have body portions changed, but the styles have changed so much in terms of how much women want to accentuate parts of their body," she comments. "In a 1950s dress, you're likely to find a really cinched-in waist, whereas the shift dresses of the 1960s will skim the body more." The style of the garment and the decade it hails from also impacts the adjustments you'll need to make, Lauren says. "It might be widening out a waistline or making a bust adjustment."
To create the perfect fit, Lisa says: "You can slash into the bodice at the relevant points, above or below the bust darts - depending on your size - and lengthen." She adds: "I'd advise that it's best to start with a vintage pattern that fits your bust because adjusting the waist and hips is much easier. Skirts are obviously easier to lengthen than bodices but make sure you don't add it to the hem if it is a pencil-shaped skirt - you need to add length higher up the pattern."

Another tip is to compare your vintage treasure with a similar pattern that already fits you. "You can redraw the darts, taking from a pattern that already fits you," Lauren says. "Just make sure you make adjustments to the side seams if you're making a dart bigger or smaller." But before you get started in your chosen fabric, do take the time to make a toile, Lisa says. "There will almost definitely be some alterations, so it's best to make it to that. That way, you will end up with a much better fitting garment."

Sew La Di Da Vintage Rose Dress © Matt Austin

3

Give retro sewing styles a contemporary twist

Caroline has a slightly different approach, using old sewing patterns as inspiration, "for a design that looks current but with a vintage feel," rather than working directly from old patterns. "I find that the romance of the shapes of the clothes and the style of the drawing is so evocative, and also the combinations of fabrics can be delightfully unexpected," she says. "I try to evoke this in my patterns and examples."

And then there's the matter of making a vintage-inspired garment irresistible to modern dressers. "When using a vintage dress pattern, I tend to keep most of the shape of the garment the same, because this is what I love about the pattern I've chosen and I want the vintage style to come through in my garments," says Rose. "I like to update the garment by using new fabrics, often ditsy floral prints and spots." She adds: "I use a lot of cotton and cotton lawn fabrics because they come in so many lovely prints, they hang well on the garments and they are nice fabrics to sew with. It's very important to me that each of my garments is well made using excellent quality fabric, so I usually use 100% cotton to make them long lasting."

However, Lisa suggests paying heed to the advice on the original pattern. "I would go for the same fabric options as it recommends, unless you are confident it would work in something different." Lauren agrees, but has an eye on practicality, too. "Choosing something that is more stable such as a light to medium-weight cotton, rather than something slinky like a viscose or rayon, will mean there's one less thing to contend with when you have other adjustments and allowances to make."

The fact is, the fabrics are part of the fun of a vintage-look garment. "We like to stock fabrics that hint at vintage but aren't too obvious," says Caroline. "We have all sorts, from basic cottons to organzas, brocades and lace." Beyond your fabric choice, it's all in the cunning sewing techniques you make use of, as Rose explains: "The dress patterns I use include a range of techniques including heavily gathered and pleated skirts, and sleeves that need easing into the armholes," she says. "Almost all of the dresses I make need understitching around the neckline and armholes if they're sleeveless - this makes it sit nicely and prevents the lining and facings from showing on the outside of the garments."

Techniques are specific to each pattern, as Caroline notes: "Some have pleats, some have gathers, some have plain seams. Finishing techniques depend on whether there's a lining or facing and can vary with the fabric used. Our seam allowances are 1.5cm, as in other patterns, but we allow extra in the back seam for fitting the zip - this is where you get a bespoke fit as very few people conform to a standard size."

4

Get the swinging sixties look

Written by Judy Darley.
If you're itching to stitch the eye-catching colour block shift dress that appeared on recent episodes of Great British Sewing Bee, we've got good news. Vogue Patterns have issued a limited edition pattern, based on the original by Yves St Laurent, inspired by artist Piet Mondrain's bold block style paintings. Make the Mondrain (Vogue pattern 1557) and is out now.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
4 reasons to use vintage sewing patterns

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Start by sewing up a pattern from yesteryear with our essential guide to sewing vintage patterns. We asked several sewists to share their love of vintage dress making, tell us how to steal yesteryears' styles and become a whizz with alterations, too.

# data[].attributes.body
An article on how reworked vintage is becomming a new popular style, especially after Covid 19 and how consumers are wanting to put a new modern twist on there older clothes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What's trending? Rise of reworked fashion -

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What is reworked fashion? Reworked fashion is simple really. It just requires taking maybe an old or less worn clothing item and adding something to it. Maybe cutting it and putting elastic in the hem to give it a twist. It's almost like just changing the design a little to make it more personal.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teddy Boy Culture: What Is It And Where Did It Come From?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Teddy Boy was Britain's original teen rebel. Find out more about this iconic 50s subcultural movement with our glimpse through the looking glass.

# data[].attributes.body
This was our second group project we have completed to which I feel we all worked well together as a team and really came together to ensure the project was completed to a high standard. It was interesting to see in person the trends that different retailers have decided to target as well as ones that they have chosen not to focus on. Zara definitely had the most aesthetically pleasing look; the store was cohesive, and fits were put together really well. I am extremelly glad we chose Zara as our main brand.
This project also gave me a chance to look at Edited and understand more about the website and how I will be able to encorporate it in the future.

# data[].attributes.body
Pulse assesment

# data[].attributes.body
Drapers article on the beneifts of sourcing from Turkey - explaining how much the fast fashion industry has taken over and the importance ow of items being made and ready for sale in stores quickly.

# data[].attributes.body
This article explains the pros and cons of th legal, economical, social and political issues of sourcing naterials from Turkey.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Is Turkey still worth it for apparel companies?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Turkey can be an attractive location for the manufacturing of apparel and textile goods. Companies doing business in Turkey must keep in mind that certain challenges present can come with political and monetary costs.

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.blogsnow.com/7-reasons-to-buy-direct-from-the-factory-every-time/

# data[].attributes.body
Includes the facts and figures of Turkey being the 6th largest exporter of clothes in the world and the 3rd largest supplier ijn Europe.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Apparel industry of Turkey has always been one of the leading industry in Turkey mainly due to its widespread and innovative manufacturing power and features of competitiveness. The Turkish apparel industry is listed 6th largest exporter in the world and the 3rd largest supplier to the EU. The Turkish apparel industry exported nearly 18 billion $ in 2019 with more than 10 thousand of manufacturing and exporting companies. The Turkish apparel manufacturers are supplying to global buyers and brands in many countries around the globe.

Aegean Region of Turkey has a significant place in apparel manufacturing in Turkey. Over 1.000 member companies which are located in/or around the Aegean Region of Turkey and active in the fields of manufacturing and exporting a wide range of top quality apparel products are represented by Aegean Apparel Exporters' Association. Exports realized by members of the Association total up to 1,3 billion $ per year.

The Aegean Apparel Exporters' Association works in promoting apparel exports of the Aegean Region and Turkey, expanding the range of export products as well as finding new markets.
The Aegean Region is one of the most important centers for manufacturing exclusive apparel products. Aegean apparel manufacturers have many competitive advantages in terms of design capabilities in comparing other countries thanks to its talented designers, young and qualified workforce and also design background & cultures. Besides design capabilities, the Aegean manufacturers have strong transportation and communication network as well as have taken advantage of flexibility which means capable of producing small and large quantities.

Being a center of production of the high quality "Aegean Cotton", the region has established itself as a manufacturing hub of knitted and woven men's, women's, children's and babies wear. Moreover, the region has specialized in the manufacturing of organic textiles and apparel. In our area, many companies have Global Organic Textile Standard Certification. The Better Cotton production is also an increasing trend.

The region is a reliable production partner for many worldwide known brands and retail chains by being flexible in terms of production & delivery times and a fashion-oriented mind as well as taking advantage of geographical proximity to the European market. Regarding the sourcing practices, sourcing volume will likely shift from the traditional production centers to the other countries over the next period to mainly Turkey and the countries that are located in the Mediterranean basin will likely have sourcing advantages (nearshoring market) for Europe.

Sustainability is one of the top priorities of the Association amid Covid-19.

The Aegean apparel manufacturers had already noticed the necessity of sustainable production before Covid-19 and declared the year of 2020 as "The Year of Sustainability" and has conducted a number of projects to raise awareness among its members. Aegean Apparel Exporters' Association established a new cluster for "Sustainability Project" that aims to optimize managerial and operational process of the 30 member companies.

Aegean Apparel Exporters' Association became the first Exporters' Association in Turkey which became a member of United Nations Global Compact, the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative and it focuses on universal principles on human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. The Association is planning to develop further projects, webinars about sustainability to increase the capabilities of its members in the next period.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Apparel Manufacturing in Aegean Region of Turkey

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Apparel industry of Turkey has always been one of the leading industry in Turkey mainly due to its widespread and innovative manufacturing power and features of competitiveness. The Turkish apparel industry is listed 6th largest exporter in the world and the 3rd largest

# data[].attributes.body
Freight and uplift charges based on average prices for countries

# data[].attributes.body
Email to the buyers of Boohoo and Primark with questions on what I have learned and enjoyed.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.wgsn.com/fashion/article/89289#page_1

# data[].attributes.body
WGSN Analytics

# data[].attributes.body
Examples of reworked vintage

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Rework is Cow's answer to upcycling, where our talented UK based team takes salvaged and damaged vintage and turns it into our own signature style pieces to add eco chic to your wardrobe.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Reworked and Salvaged Vintage Style Clothing, Our Own Eco Chic Range

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Rework is Cow's answer to upcycling, where our talented UK based team takes salvaged and damaged vintage and turns it into our own signature style pieces to add eco chic to your wardrobe.

# data[].attributes.body
Urban Outfitters vegan collection

# data[].attributes.body
3 words on how a friend or employee would describe me

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Highly focused on pursuing a career in the fashion industry. I offer a great energy, am extremely motivated, ambitious, resilient professional, possessing exceptional interpersonal skills with a true zest for life. I strive not only to achieve, but to exceed goals and targets. A diligent, confident "people person" with a great sense of humour.
In 2015, I fulfilled a lifetime goal and proved my determination by travelling to South East Asia on my own. I have then spent four years living and working in Australia, where I enjoyed working on my own using my own initiative, as well as within a team. My natural ability to build rapport and form mutually beneficial working relationships with both clients and colleagues proved positive and helped me steadily progress in any position. In February 2020 I also spent time in Uganda as a volunteer to help build a school and nursery for the local families. This was a life changing experience and is my biggest achievement to date.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Annabel Johnson - Courier - Yodel (Yodel Delivery Network Ltd) | LinkedIn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Highly focused on pursuing a career in the fashion industry. I offer a great energy, am extremely motivated, ambitious, resilient professional, possessing exceptional interpersonal skills with a true zest for life. I strive not only to achieve, but to exceed goals and targets.

# data[].attributes.headline
Reflection from the Past Present and Future assesment

# data[].attributes.subject
Reflection from the Past Present and Future assesment

# data[].attributes.body
I personally found this assessment quite challenging. This is the first written essay I have had to write for a number of years so I found it quite daunting. However, it has taught me what things I need to research and think about for future garments. This of course will be a great skill to develop for a career as a buyer.  I also find researching about the social and sustsinble issues extremely interesting and the impact of how consumers have effected the world.  I feel as though this will only continue to decline unless consumers start to change their behaviours and start to care more about the environment.

# data[].attributes.body
Curriculum Vitae

# data[].attributes.body
PEST Analysis for Urban Outiftters brand report

# data[].attributes.body
SWOT analysis for brand report

# data[].attributes.body
Individual skills assesment - this was by far my most challenging. I found the assesment really hard and did not understand the majority of the questions.

# data[].attributes.body
Results from my 360 interview

# data[].attributes.body
Cover letter for a BBA role

# data[].attributes.body
LinkedIn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Highly focused on pursuing a career in the fashion industry. I offer a great energy, am extremely motivated, ambitious, resilient professional, possessing exceptional interpersonal skills with a true zest for life. I strive not only to achieve, but to exceed goals and targets. A diligent, confident "people person" with a great sense of humour.
In 2015, I fulfilled a lifetime goal and proved my determination by travelling to South East Asia on my own. I have then spent four years living and working in Australia, where I enjoyed working on my own using my own initiative, as well as within a team. My natural ability to build rapport and form mutually beneficial working relationships with both clients and colleagues proved positive and helped me steadily progress in any position. In February 2020 I also spent time in Uganda as a volunteer to help build a school and nursery for the local families. This was a life changing experience and is my biggest achievement to date.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Annabel Johnson - Courier - Yodel (Yodel Delivery Network Ltd) | LinkedIn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Highly focused on pursuing a career in the fashion industry. I offer a great energy, am extremely motivated, ambitious, resilient professional, possessing exceptional interpersonal skills with a true zest for life. I strive not only to achieve, but to exceed goals and targets.