PERUTTU - The Undergarments of a European Lady

A look below the surface of the fashionable gowns of European ladies mainly from the 1600's to the beginning of the 1900's. From the simple shift or smock all the way to the end of the corset, we'll be going through what women wore under their gowns to achieve the desired silhouettes of their time. In addition to illustrations and pictures of extant examples of the different pieces of undergarments, we'll take a look at the materials and techniques used in the construction of these pieces and how they evolved through time. This program will also include some discussion on the changing beauty ideals through time as pertaining to the female body and what tricks women through time have employed in their attempts to achieve these often unrealistic ideals.