It’s been a while since I’ve done a terminology post, and I’ve got a fun one today. Remember how I posted two images of Madge Bellamy, one in full Edwardian curves, one in slim, flattened ’20s?  Madge’s curvy Gibson Girl silhouette was achieved with corsetry and padding above and below. Extremely voluptuous (if fake) figure were the desired look throughout the late 19th century and for the first decade of the 20th, and actresses like Madge often found such curves a useful attribute in advancing their career.  As we can see from Madge, these curves weren’t always real. It’s not that hard to fake curves in a dress, but what if you were a chorus girl, expected to show off your legs?  Or an actress given a role that demanded a little more exposure? Enter symmetricals.  Symmetricals were knit tights that were padded to create full calves and thighs, instantly giving the effect of voluptuous curves from the waist down. Symmetricals were primarily the provenance of actors, as they were the only ones likely to …

We all know about Queen Victoria’s obsession with Scotland and her castle in Balmoral, and how this led to the name ‘Balmoral’ being applied to all sorts of fashion items.  One of these was the balmoral petticoat. The balmoral petticoat was a coloured petticoat that was intended to show at the hem of a drawn-up skirt for walking and sportswear in the 1860s and 1870s. The balmoral petticoat could be worn over a hoopskirt or crinoline or have hoops built into the petticoat, and (according to some sources) include a horsehair stiffener as part of the petticoat itself. The most common Balmoral petticoat was red wool, often with 2-4 black stripes running around the hem.  Later in the 1860s there are mentions of balmoral petticoats in plaid or striped wool, and even cotton balmoral petticoats in the Americas. The petticoat was said to originate at Balmoral, with  writers in the 1890s claiming that during the 1860s royals at Balmoral wore high laced boots (Balmoral boots), scarlet petticoats, and their skirts drawn up to walking length …