In
women's clothing, a corselet or corselette is a type of
foundation garment, sharing elements of both
bras and
girdles. It extends from straps over the shoulders down the
torso, and stops around the top of the legs. It may incorporate
lace in front or in back. As an undergarment, a corselet can be open-style (with suspenders attached) or panty-style.
Historically, the term referred to a piece of plate armour covering the torso.
History
The English word for the piece of armor comes from ''cors'', an Old French word meaning "
bodice". The modern term probably originated by the addition of the
diminutive
A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...
suffix "
-ette
A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formatio ...
" to the word ''
corset
A corset is a support garment commonly worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape, traditionally a smaller waist or larger bottom, for aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or with a more lasting effe ...
'', itself of similar origin to "corselet".
The corselet as an item of women's clothing began to gain popularity in 1914, as a substitute for wearing two separate pieces (a
bra with either a
girdle or a corset). The bust uplift cups were first introduced in 1933, but did not become common until 1943.
Merry widow
A corselet was released by
Warner's in 1952, named after ''
The Merry Widow'', a 1905
operetta
Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...
which has been adapted several times into feature-length films. "Merry widow" remains a common generic term for a corsetry-type garment in the United States, or a "
basque" in the UK. It is usually strapless, and stopping on the hips, rather than extending below the hip line, like the typical corselet. A merry widow type garment is normally fastened by hooks and eyes at the rear, and because it is strapless, it needs to be well boned to prevent it from rolling over, the boning helping to support the demi-cup section. A merry widow/basque would also incorporate suspenders/garters for attaching to stockings. This type of lingerie is also known as a
torsolette, and is used in bridal lingerie, much like the
bustier.
The original merry widow was a corselet incorporating slim panels of black, elastic yarn netting. A heavy-duty
zipper was inserted behind a
velvet-backed hook-and-eye flange, and the entire garment was lined with
nylon voile. Nine long, spiral wires were encased in black
satin.
Lana Turner, star of the
1952 film adaptation of ''The Merry Widow'', is reported to have said in 1989, "I'm telling you, the merry widow was designed by a man. A woman would never do that to another woman."
Interval and rebirth
Around 1960,
tights and
trousers began to replace corselets. However,
Maidenform and other mainstream lingerie and undergarment manufacturers have sold corselets as "control slips" since around 1975.
Variations and relatives
*A short corselet without garters or shoulder straps, which ends above the waist, is a
bustier (covering the bust)
*A long corselet extending over the hips, with or without garters and/or shoulder straps, is a
torsolette (covering the
torso)
*A corselet in two parts is a brassiere and a girdle.
*A corselet with a stiff back and laces is a
corsage or a corset.
*A soft corselet is a
slip.
Other than apparel
In biology, the term refers to the thorax of an insect, or a protective band of enlarged scales in the shoulder region of a fish.
References
External links
Complete corselette pattern or eight section corselette
{{Historical clothing
Corsetry