Early Empire Stays

  The stays are made according to the extant stays (1790,Victoria and Albert Museum, London). The stays are made of cotton twill with linen lining and trimmed with decorative ribbon lacing at the front, the functional lacing is at the back. The stays are short with minimum of boning. At the there are back two quilted tabs to keep skirts from revealing the arch of the lower back, which was considered indecent. Under the stays is the linen shift made according to the original (1780 - 1810, Costume Close-up. Clothing Construction and Pattern 1750-1790) and the underwear consists also of the shift, silk pair of stocking with embroidered clocks with garters.