corsets, girdles, 20thc dating
going absolutely crazy trying to figure out when various types of garter/girdle clips were invented. (goal: figuring out a consistent dating method for girdles.)
clearly they were using rubber/plastic by the 1910s. the white-background one above is from a 1940s pair (Lady-Lyke, seen further below), but the ones in museum collections from much earlier look the same. there are other types, but i'm trying to date the one on the red background...these full-plastic buttons were definitely in use by the 40s, common in 50s and later. I swear i was finding some from the 30s, but now i can't find my links. when were these invented????
anyway as a primarily 19thc corset historian i am really being stymied here by the fact that Essentially The Same Corset/Girdle was sold from about 1920 STRAIGHT through the '80s. this is so insane to me.
Link here. Sears changed to this logo in 1984 (and actually the blue version is from the '90s, but that might be fading.)
By the 40s-50s they do get more identifiable (more shiny synthetics, nylon introduced, lots of sheer stretch, zippers etc), but hardware aside, the actual construction and materials of these things basically went unchanged for 20 years.
this ^ could easily be a 1920s corset. the only reason i know it's not is bc it's labeled on the inside (Lady-Lyke 2105). LL sold girdles in this style from the 20s through 40s, and I found an ad with this model #(note that the illustration may show a diff one, that was not uncommon) from The Register (Mar 19, 1940), 8. Also, their model #s in the 20s were 3-digit, so this is definitely later.
so at this point i'm trying to look at the hardware, except i can't find a guide. anyone have advice?? (the corset in question that I am trying to date, because i'm probably going to pattern it, is below. at this point I'm guessing it's 40s.)
size 38! (waist size in inches) :)
for comparison, some 1920s styles:
L to R, c. 1921 corset (so still longer-line before mid-20s); Lady-Lyke ad from 1922 (Evening Baker Herald [Feb 9, 1922], 6); Lane Bryant corset from their 1925 summer sale catalog.
vintage girlies pls help me!!!
