Edwardian underthings are the definition of extra. Combinations, petticoats, corset covers - all functional garments that the Edwardians covered in pin tucks, lace insertion, ruffles, and ribbons.
A few examples:
A common recommendation to historical costumers is to start a new era 'from the skin out'. This typically means making or acquiring the important underthings before moving on to your outer ensemble.
So once I knew I wanted to be able to make and wear Edwardian clothing, I started with the undergarments. (I'm not putting a specific date for Edwardian here because I strive for historically inspired instead of historical accuracy.)
The first item of clothing against the body in most eras is a chemise or shift. These are generally simple, easy to make, and functional garments. In the Edwardian era, however, chemises and their cousins - the princess slip (petticoat + chemise) and combination (split drawers + chemise) - tend to be incredibly frilly.
Many historical costumers draft their own patterns from period sources, but I prefer to start with a modern pattern which has been resized and tested for modern bodies. For my combinations, I used the Truly Victorian TVE02 pattern and pink cotton voile, pink satin ribbon, and white lace (all from Mood Fabrics).
The second item of clothing is generally a structured support garment which is at various times in history called a pair of bodies, stays, or a corset. I am not an expert in the differences here, but Abby Cox is and she has a fantastic explainer on her YT channel.
I could have made my own corset, but I didn't want to. I have made corsets (and stays) before and I both didn't enjoy the process and don't think I did a good job. So for my Edwardian undies, I purchased a corset from RedThreaded. It was expensive, but worth every penny. It is gorgeously made and fits me perfectly.
My combination (pre-attaching the drawers to the camisole) and corset can be seen in my IG post for #sundayundies of CoCoVid.
The next set of items are ones which help pad out the ideal silhouette. This takes many different forms across history, but for the Edwardian silhouette I'm aiming for this meant a ruffled corset cover (for that pigeon breast look) and a hip pad (to get that desirable S shape).
In the fashion plate, notice the full pigeon breast, the almost flat skirt front, and the curved backside. The silhouette creates the illusion that the torso leans forward as the pelvis angles back - thus "S-bend". More info here on the FIDM blog.
My ruffled corset cover was made from the same Truly Victorian pattern as the combination and the hip pad was from an American Duchess patreon pattern. Ultimately they're a little boring on their own, but they make a huge difference to the overall shape.
And once all those pieces were done, it was finally time for the piece I had been looking forward to since the beginning - the petticoat.
One day, a long time ago, I saw this petticoat on pinterest and it has lived in my brain ever since.
Extant petticoats for this time period exist in all sorts of patterns and colors - but I knew I wanted to stick to the light pink of the inspiration piece. I ordered several yards of ice pink silk taffeta from Renaissance Fabrics and then samples of (polyester) velvet ribbon from Mood Fabrics to match it. The original wouldn't have used polyester (which wikipedia informs me was invented in the late 1930s and not commercially available until 1941). My guess would be that the original used pure silk velvet ribbon, but that isn't readily available to me.
For a pattern, I toyed with drafting one according to this free pattern from 1907, but ultimately decided to use the same pattern I will use for a skirt - the Historical Fantail from Scroop Patterns. (Those back pleats!) Fortunately, I also had Authentic Victorian Dressmaking Techniques which features some very helpful tips on sewing "foundation petticoats". Using those I altered the Fantail pattern - creating a smooth yoke for the top and two sets of flounces along the bottom.
Not very impressive without all her trimming, but look at that sheen! I love silk taffeta. Victorian Dressmaking Techniques actually suggests covering the seams in trimming while attaching them, but I didn't have my ribbon yet so I left them plain.
I spent a lot of time playing with the size of the ruffled swags which extend between the ribbon bows and trying to decide if I needed to order more taffeta or I could make do with the scraps I had left. If I let myself, I would plan and pin and adjust things forever - so I made myself sew on a couple rows of the ribbon and essentially set the proportions for the trimming. It's amazing how easier subsequent decisions get once you narrow the options.
I hand sewed on all of the trim. Doing the long strips of ribbon was tedious, but easy. Sewing on the ribbon bows was tough. Even heavily pinned to the skirt they buckled and tried to unfold - after the first few I started using an embroidery hoop to keep the skirt fabric taut and that made it much easier.
Overall, I'm quite happy with my Edwardian undergarments. They definitely give me that Gibson Girl/S-bend silhouette I'm looking for.
Also they're just frilly and fun and make me feel fancy!
Next step will be working on my Edwardian blouse - for which I have a beautiful white lace fabric. In my current sewing project schedule I'll be starting that in April.