Routledge Corsets and Crinolines - Fashion History Book

Explore the evolution of women's silhouettes with Corsets and Crinolines by Norah Waugh. Published by Routledge, this classic text provides a detailed look at how fashion shapes transformed from the 1500s through the 1920s. This book tracks the movement from simple laced bodices to complex structures made of cane, whalebone, and steel. You will learn how padding at the shoulders and hips transitioned into the use of farthingales, hoops, and bustles. Waugh explains the cyclical nature of fashion trends, showing how waistlines and skirt sizes changed across three specific eras. Whether you are a student of fashion history or a collector of costume studies, this book offers a clear breakdown of the structural changes that defined centuries of dress. The text covers the era of farthingales and whaleboned bodies (1500s to 1670), the period of stays and hooped petticoats (1670 to 1800), and the age of corsets, crinolines, and bustles (1800 to 1925). It is an essential resource for understanding the construction and history of women's clothing.