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| In the eighteenth century women wore a loose-fitting linen or
cotton shift as their undergarment. This shift was also called
a smock or chemise, depending on where you were from.
The hemline extended well below the knees and the sleeves came below the elbows.
Showing of one's elbows was considered "unseemly" in the eighteenth century,
although working women would have certainly rolled up their sleeves to get a job done!
The shift was also worn to bed as a night gown.
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| On the upper half of the body women wore stays (corset) or boneless or partially boned jumps. The stays may have been tightly laced, creating an erect back, high bust line, and narrow shoulders. The wealthy classes put their daughters in stays at around age five. Working women wore stays more for the support they gave than for controlling their figure. Stooping over the fire and lifting iron kettles was hard on a woman's back.
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| Pockets were not sewn into women's clothing in the eighteenth century. Often made in pairs (one for each side)ockets were flat, pear-shaped bags with a vertical slit opening. They were often made of linen or buckram. Pockets were suspended on a tape or narrow band that was tied around the waist over the shift, underneath the petticoat. You would have to reach through a slit in you petticoat to reach into your pocket.
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Over the shift would be worn a Petticoat. Today the word petticoat describes an undergarment, in the 1700's a petticoat referred to a woman's skirt. Women might have worn one or more under petticoats, the number of varied depending on the season and the type of work the woman was doing. For instance, a woman doing laundry in the summer would wear only one petticoat, to keep warm in the dead of winter would require many more. Some accounts record form 7 to 16 petticoats and among them might have been a quilted one!
The eighteenth century silhouette made the waist appear thin. Multiple petticoats and the use of hoops, called farthingales, made the lower body have a wide shape.
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| A Bodice or waistcoat was worn over the stays and was fastened by lacing up the front and had tabs that extended below the waist to give a peplum effect. The bodice was often worn with a stomacher. This stiff triangular panel was usually pinned to the front of the bodice.
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| The middle or upper class women wore a gown with elbow length sleeves, a low neckline and full skirt. Gowns for daytime or informal wear were simply styled and made of cotton or linen. Formal gowns were made of the finest silks, chintz and brocades from Europe. There were two main styles of gowns, the open robe and the closed robe. The over skirt of the open robe was parted to reveal a petticoat made of the same or some coordinating fabric. The closed robe gown did not reveal the petticoat. Another popular style was called a sack gown. The back of the gown featured loose pleats that started at the shoulders and reached the floor.
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| A working woman might have just worn a short gown, bed gown, jacket or waistcoat. The short gowns and bed gowns were loose, unfitted garments well-suited to work. The sleeves could be rolled up out of the way, and because they were not fitted these garments adjusted well to changes in size and shape (such as in pregnancy). Jackets were more fitted and had sleeves. Sleeves were often laced on instead of sewn.
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| Many women did not feel comfortable wearing the low-cut gowns of the time. For this reason, it became fashionable to wear kerchiefs or other accessories to cover the neck and upper chest. Neckwear was also used to stay warm on cold days. A modesty piece was a lace edged strip that attached to the neckline of a gown. A large transparent handkerchief called a buffon was also used to drape across the chest.
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| Aprons were used by working women in the eighteenth century. Aprons might have been made of checked or striped linen, plain linen or wool. Wool is relatively fire resistant which made it a good choice for wearing around the open fireplace while cooking. Many newspapers of the time warned against the use of cotton or linen as kitchen attire. Aprons were made with casings on the top for a drawstring of woven tape or were gathered into a band. Many were made with bibs to cover the front of the bodice. These bibs were pinned to the bodice, "pinned before" is where we get the word pinafore!
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| In the early part of the 1700's hairstyles were simple. Women wore their hair loose or tied back in a bun. In the later part of the century, hairstyles became taller and larger. These gigantic hairdos took hours to prepare and were often left in for weeks. The hair was pulled up over wire supports or padding and was held in place with paste made from flour. Curls were made of thread or wool were added over the ears. The hair was then powdered or decorated with bows, ribbons,pins, feathers and artificial flowers! To preserve the hair-do women would wear nets and sleep with their head on a wooden block!
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