In the Middle Ages you had what was called “the sumptuary laws” which defined who can wear what depending on your status and wealth. It was during this time that garments became more fitting to the body with the invention of the button/ buttonhole. Back then only royalty and nobility could use buttons and button holes and actually the number of buttons were a distinguished mark of your status well up to the early 18th century. However It was only in the middle ages and up to the renaissance that it was actually really enforced by law. Things started to shift and by the 18th century everyone had the same cut essentially, the only thing that would differentiate class would be the materials used in clothing as well as the embellishments. But Even a working class man/ woman could have a huge amount of buttons and button holes on their garments without repercussions. It did of course take more money and time. With women’s clothing however even the Queen of France would pin close her bodice’s to her stays for practicality, the stomacher would be pined as well sometimes. This was done as to not include buttons that disrupt the overall design of the gown. So pins weren’t just used by one class. It depends on the garment. Like Redingotes were fastened with buttons at the front while a robe a la francaise might be pined close. Remember that even monarchs wore the same cut of chemise or undershirt as peasants. Theirs was cleaned with blueing dye to keep it white and was probably very well sewn with the best fabrics and lots of ruffles….more than the common man could afford.

@neolexington Thanks! Hope you’re able to visit Colonial Michilimackinac for the tricentennial!

@Mackinac State Historic Parks THATS AMAZING! I try stuff like holding the ends, but you can’t do that with a 3/4 sleeve dress! great tip!

Some stays had laces in the front so they could be opened to nurse.

Katherine Broberg working women would untie their corset, at the front, rich women never breastfed. they hired wet nurses

I’ve seen pictures of stays that had flaps over the breasts, so they could just open those and not take off the whole garment.

i knew it was familiar. Celtic Women plays that song 🙂 It’s a popular Irish band. ^_^ check them out if you haven’t!

It’s a slipjig!

: Since the sleeves on this style of jacket are well-fitted, I use the string to keep my shift sleeve from getting bunched up. It works like a dream. I loop the string through my shift sleeve, hold the string in my hand and then put on the jacket. No bunches. Pro tip.

i love that film. one of my favorite poetic films – which is what it feels like . .

Just adding my two cents as someone who sews: making buttonholes without a sewing machine is time consuming & hard! I don’t blame them for just pinning to tying their clothes shut instead 🙂

Pinning is more adjustable than buttons.

I know too, a lot of womens clothes we ment to be worn during pregnancy too, and are unable to keep buying new clothes. So when it is pinned, you have the ability to grow without needing a new jacket.

buttons are in evidence from at least the mid-middle ages! but the problem is your clothes needed to cope with pregnancy and the return of your figure without you needing new clothes — you could only afford one or two sets to begin with unless you were very wealthy. so buttons aren’t really good for that the way pins are.

Lol I was totally thinking that too

B B what would children or/and average women wear?

Cooper Vint the same thing! Most women in the 18th century did not “tight lace,” meaning they did not try to make their waists extremely tiny, as is so often portrayed. Some women did, of course, however that was usually limited to a small portion of the aristocracy. The average working woman would have worn the stays as shown in this video, which aren’t uncomfortable! Their main purpose, as I stated, was NOT to decrease the waist, but rather to support the bust and provide structure for the exterior garments. In essence, it is and 18th century bra!

spacelove 13 *chemise

spacelove 13 Even more scandalous when you consider that by the standards of the day she would be considered “naked”! LOL

@AND ANDREY ISN’T HERE Thank you. That was bugging me! I try not to be petty but DANG people need to read or something! Today I saw Illinois spelled :Illinoise”….and just had to SMH.