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Stomacher
By Madeline | January 30, 2008
The stomacher was an accessory that was part of the overdress - you’ll get more on the overall overdress later. Tantalizing, I know. ;) Hehehe The overdress usually was missing a large portion of the front of the gown, I’m not sure why but perhaps I’ll find out in my research of the overdress. At any rate, the missing portion would leave the corset in the front and center view of the dress. Obviously not something any lady of noble birth would want. So, the stomacher came into existance.
The stomacher was a triangular panel that was usually made of a good quality fabric and was typically decorated with pearls and gemstones as it was ultimately the centerpiece for the gown. In dressing, the stomacher was typically attached to the corset either with pins or was sewn on. Some were not secured at all and merely held on by the gown being laced into place.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the stomacher was actually referred to as a placard or a placket and was not only worn by women, but also by men. I find it interesting that the stomacher started out being placed so low to reveal the tops of the breasts in the Tudor era, but then later in the 18th century, it covered the wearer from neck to waist. However, not all were so modest. In the court of Louis XVI, it was not uncommon to stumble upon a woman whose stomacher was actually below the breasts with only a gauzy ruffle to display her bared breasts and rouged nipples that were sometimes even pierced. And they say we are outrageous today! At least we know that bras that have the cups missing are meant only for the bedroom! Another interesting stomacher fad in history was the one in the late 18th century where the stomacher would actually extend about 10 inches past the waistline leaving the wearer out of options in the way of being able to sit down.
I haven’t done much research in the way of other 18th century clothing aside from what was mentioned about the stomacher, but based on those accounts alone, it sounds like women of the 18th century may have actually worn more clothes than women of the Tudor/Renaissance era!
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