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elements of ancient costume [5]click to hear

elements of ancient costume [5] underskirt surcoat corset shawl

underskirt click to hear

From the 16th century, the underskirt was a short skirt worn under other skirts; by the late 18th and 19th century, it had become a skirt revealed by an open-fronted dress.

surcoat click to hear

Worn over a tunic by men and women from the 13th to the 15th century; the women’s was very long, with greatly enlarged armholes, which were often decorated with fur.

corset click to hear

Tight-fitting undergarment with stays that appeared in the 18th century; women laced it up under their dresses to shape their waists and hold in their stomachs.

shawl click to hear

In fashion since the 19th century, the shawl is a square, rectangular or triangular length of fabric used by women to cover their shoulders.