Myshuno! - Fashion/dressing Victorian.
Title: Corsets and Bustles, oh my.
Prompt: Fashion/the pros and cons of dressing Victorian.
Rating: U.
Spoiler rating: 1/10.
Summary: The Sophia sisters discuss fashion as they dress.
Notes: Basically this is just a nice little scene showing a bit more of both characters. The emphasis is more on fashion, than the pros and cons of their way of dressing, but that's in there too. Also, once I started writing these two, I realised I could have gotten very rambly, so I've tried to keep it on track.
Word Count: 1,377
Corsets and Bustles, oh my.
"Oh Sophia, look at this, it is just so pretty!"
Sophia looked over at the bed where her sister was flopped on her stomach, looking at the fashion plates she had picked up the previous afternoon in Simdon.
"Careful Lauren," she said fastening the last button on her combinations. "If you continue to speak in such a manner, I will start believing the persona you wear for the world."
Lauren threw her twin a dirty look. "Just because I am not as empty headed and concerned with finery as I pretend to be, does not mean that I cannot take a keen interest in fashion. You like to keep up with the trends too, do not deny it."
Sophia gave an odd shrug which could have been agreement or exasperated denial, it was difficult to tell, and picked up her corset.
"Now, come and look at this dress and tell me you do not think it pretty."
Sophia looked at it as she wrapped her corset around herself. "Oh that is pretty, I agree. The polonaise is certainly starting to gain favour."
"Indeed," Lauren picked the fashion plate up and looked at it more closely. "I wonder if Papa will allow me to order one. It is only two months since my last new dress was finished."
Sophia looked at her as she fastened her corset, pushing the two halves of the busk together, in order to make the hook and keyhole shaped eyelet meet. "I do not see why not," she said as she made sure the garment was sitting comfortably so she could fasten the final hook. "Papa gives us anything we ask for. Surely you have realised that by now." She turned her back to her sister and waved the laces of her corset at her. “Do you mind?”
Lauren scrambled off the bed and started to pull the laces of her sister’s corset tight. “Why are you so mercenary about it?” she asked as she worked her way down Sophia’s back, pulling the laces tight until she got to the waist, before starting at the top again.
“I am not mercenary,” replied her sister in between Lauren tugging at the lacing. “He is our father, and as such he should provide for us until we are married. Goodness knows he has given us little affection over the years. The least he can do is make sure our material wants are fulfilled.” Lauren gave a particularly vicious tug on the loops at the waist, causing the air to escape from Sophia's lungs in a little "omph" before starting to pull the laces on the bottom part of the corset tight, again working her way to Sophia’s waist.
“Sometimes my dear, you act as if you do not love him,” she said quietly.
Sophia shook her head and said nothing. Deciding against getting into an argument with her sister, Lauren changed the subject back to her fashion plates as she deftly tied the loose loops of the lacing into a bow. “I think I will ask for a new dress though. It will be nice to have another to choose from.” She picked up one of the plates and looked at it, before discarding it and picking up her own corset. “One thing that bothers me so about the depictions of the dresses, is how tiny the pictures always make the waists look. No one can achieve that, even with the best corsetry in the world.”
Sophia slipped on her corset cover, and turned to watch her twin fastening the front of her own corset. “Of course not. It is done for several reasons. To make the dresses look their best, and to create the illusion that the wearer, if they choose to have a dress made in that style, will look svelte and beautiful.”
“I realise that, but still I think it will encourage some to try to achieve a waist that minuscule.” Lauren turned her back to Sophia, and Sophia, taking the hint, started to tighten the laces. “Yes, I suppose not everyone is as realistic as we are. You have only to see some of the newer girls and how their bodices are too tight, revealing that ugly ridge where their undergarments are to realise that.”
“Urgh, yes. That does look nasty. One wants to say something, but I feel the advice would not be accepted in the spirit it is given.”
"I am certain it would not." Sophia finished tightening her sister’s corset and went back to getting dressed herself. She had just picked up her bustle hoop, and was making sure the tapes and steel hoops were not tangled, when Lauren said, “The growing popularity of the polonaise has me thinking. I wonder if any other Georgian fashions are going to become popular again.”
Sophia nearly dropped the hoop. “Oh lord, please do not let panniers become fashionable again. I do not think I could cope with having to go through doors sideways.”
Lauren laughed as she straightened her petticoat before picking up her own bustle. Her skirt and bustle were made of less layers and a lighter material than Sophia’s and so, she had chosen to wear a pad, rather than a hoop. “Well panniers were designed to show off the expensive material of the skirt, so who knows.”
“Hopefully having yards and yards of material in skirts and overskirts and bustles will suffice in showing wealth for the time being.”
Lauren nodded, then gave a snort of laughter.
Sophia paused in tying the tapes of her bustle round her waist. “What is so amusing?”
“Panniers and bustle. Worn at the same time.”
Sophia laughed as the ridiculous image entered her head. “Oh my word. The female form would look positively deformed if that ever happened.” She put on a petticoat over the cage, before picking up her skirt.
“Yes, because of course the fashion of today is for the female form to be completely natural,” said Lauren, throwing a look at her.
“It could be worse. The silhouette is exaggerated, I agree and if the bustle gets too much bigger, then we women will start to look positively ludicrous. But at least the form is still recognisably female.” She turned and held out the tapes of the overskirt she had just put on to Lauren.
“Yes I suppose so. And perhaps the bustle will shrink away, rather than get bigger,” said her twin as she tied them up, and made sure the skirt draped properly over the form of Sophia’s bustle.
“Perhaps. That would certainly make one’s shape look more natural, but I think I would miss it in a way. Wearing a down pad such as the one you are, is a little bit like having one’s own cushion.” She waited while Lauren put her own overskirt on, before helping her with straightening the drapes.
“True, true. But it would be nice to have a bit more freedom at times, do you not agree? To not feel so constricted by one’s own clothes,” She turned away to pick up her bodice, and when she looked back, it was to see Sophia, doing up the hooks of her own bodice, a contemplative look on her face.
“I suppose it would. But at least one knows if one’s corset is laced correctly, then one’s bodice will sit well on it, and create a smooth line,” She ran her hands over her bodice as if emphasising her point. “One knows that the bustle pad or hoop will help the material of the skirt to drape nicely to the floor, and have a pleasing motion when one walks.”
Lauren smiled at her. “You do have a point.” She started to do up her buttons. “Oh well, I will continue to purchase fashion plates and watch with interest where the designers decide to go.”
Sophia smiled at her, as she slipped on her boots and started to fasten them. “And I hope you will tell me all about it.”
“Ha!” Lauren’s face lit up in triumph. “I was correct. You like to know what the current fashions are, as much as I do.”
“Of course I do. But I could hardly admit that without a fight, even to you, dear sister. It has become too much of a habit to do otherwise,” admitted Sophia with absolute candour. “Now are you nearly ready?”
“I have just my boots to put on, and then we can go down.”
Sophia waited patiently as Lauren did so, before the two of them left her room, and headed downstairs for breakfast.
Prompt: Fashion/the pros and cons of dressing Victorian.
Rating: U.
Spoiler rating: 1/10.
Summary: The Sophia sisters discuss fashion as they dress.
Notes: Basically this is just a nice little scene showing a bit more of both characters. The emphasis is more on fashion, than the pros and cons of their way of dressing, but that's in there too. Also, once I started writing these two, I realised I could have gotten very rambly, so I've tried to keep it on track.
Word Count: 1,377
Corsets and Bustles, oh my.
"Oh Sophia, look at this, it is just so pretty!"
Sophia looked over at the bed where her sister was flopped on her stomach, looking at the fashion plates she had picked up the previous afternoon in Simdon.
"Careful Lauren," she said fastening the last button on her combinations. "If you continue to speak in such a manner, I will start believing the persona you wear for the world."
Lauren threw her twin a dirty look. "Just because I am not as empty headed and concerned with finery as I pretend to be, does not mean that I cannot take a keen interest in fashion. You like to keep up with the trends too, do not deny it."
Sophia gave an odd shrug which could have been agreement or exasperated denial, it was difficult to tell, and picked up her corset.
"Now, come and look at this dress and tell me you do not think it pretty."
Sophia looked at it as she wrapped her corset around herself. "Oh that is pretty, I agree. The polonaise is certainly starting to gain favour."
"Indeed," Lauren picked the fashion plate up and looked at it more closely. "I wonder if Papa will allow me to order one. It is only two months since my last new dress was finished."
Sophia looked at her as she fastened her corset, pushing the two halves of the busk together, in order to make the hook and keyhole shaped eyelet meet. "I do not see why not," she said as she made sure the garment was sitting comfortably so she could fasten the final hook. "Papa gives us anything we ask for. Surely you have realised that by now." She turned her back to her sister and waved the laces of her corset at her. “Do you mind?”
Lauren scrambled off the bed and started to pull the laces of her sister’s corset tight. “Why are you so mercenary about it?” she asked as she worked her way down Sophia’s back, pulling the laces tight until she got to the waist, before starting at the top again.
“I am not mercenary,” replied her sister in between Lauren tugging at the lacing. “He is our father, and as such he should provide for us until we are married. Goodness knows he has given us little affection over the years. The least he can do is make sure our material wants are fulfilled.” Lauren gave a particularly vicious tug on the loops at the waist, causing the air to escape from Sophia's lungs in a little "omph" before starting to pull the laces on the bottom part of the corset tight, again working her way to Sophia’s waist.
“Sometimes my dear, you act as if you do not love him,” she said quietly.
Sophia shook her head and said nothing. Deciding against getting into an argument with her sister, Lauren changed the subject back to her fashion plates as she deftly tied the loose loops of the lacing into a bow. “I think I will ask for a new dress though. It will be nice to have another to choose from.” She picked up one of the plates and looked at it, before discarding it and picking up her own corset. “One thing that bothers me so about the depictions of the dresses, is how tiny the pictures always make the waists look. No one can achieve that, even with the best corsetry in the world.”
Sophia slipped on her corset cover, and turned to watch her twin fastening the front of her own corset. “Of course not. It is done for several reasons. To make the dresses look their best, and to create the illusion that the wearer, if they choose to have a dress made in that style, will look svelte and beautiful.”
“I realise that, but still I think it will encourage some to try to achieve a waist that minuscule.” Lauren turned her back to Sophia, and Sophia, taking the hint, started to tighten the laces. “Yes, I suppose not everyone is as realistic as we are. You have only to see some of the newer girls and how their bodices are too tight, revealing that ugly ridge where their undergarments are to realise that.”
“Urgh, yes. That does look nasty. One wants to say something, but I feel the advice would not be accepted in the spirit it is given.”
"I am certain it would not." Sophia finished tightening her sister’s corset and went back to getting dressed herself. She had just picked up her bustle hoop, and was making sure the tapes and steel hoops were not tangled, when Lauren said, “The growing popularity of the polonaise has me thinking. I wonder if any other Georgian fashions are going to become popular again.”
Sophia nearly dropped the hoop. “Oh lord, please do not let panniers become fashionable again. I do not think I could cope with having to go through doors sideways.”
Lauren laughed as she straightened her petticoat before picking up her own bustle. Her skirt and bustle were made of less layers and a lighter material than Sophia’s and so, she had chosen to wear a pad, rather than a hoop. “Well panniers were designed to show off the expensive material of the skirt, so who knows.”
“Hopefully having yards and yards of material in skirts and overskirts and bustles will suffice in showing wealth for the time being.”
Lauren nodded, then gave a snort of laughter.
Sophia paused in tying the tapes of her bustle round her waist. “What is so amusing?”
“Panniers and bustle. Worn at the same time.”
Sophia laughed as the ridiculous image entered her head. “Oh my word. The female form would look positively deformed if that ever happened.” She put on a petticoat over the cage, before picking up her skirt.
“Yes, because of course the fashion of today is for the female form to be completely natural,” said Lauren, throwing a look at her.
“It could be worse. The silhouette is exaggerated, I agree and if the bustle gets too much bigger, then we women will start to look positively ludicrous. But at least the form is still recognisably female.” She turned and held out the tapes of the overskirt she had just put on to Lauren.
“Yes I suppose so. And perhaps the bustle will shrink away, rather than get bigger,” said her twin as she tied them up, and made sure the skirt draped properly over the form of Sophia’s bustle.
“Perhaps. That would certainly make one’s shape look more natural, but I think I would miss it in a way. Wearing a down pad such as the one you are, is a little bit like having one’s own cushion.” She waited while Lauren put her own overskirt on, before helping her with straightening the drapes.
“True, true. But it would be nice to have a bit more freedom at times, do you not agree? To not feel so constricted by one’s own clothes,” She turned away to pick up her bodice, and when she looked back, it was to see Sophia, doing up the hooks of her own bodice, a contemplative look on her face.
“I suppose it would. But at least one knows if one’s corset is laced correctly, then one’s bodice will sit well on it, and create a smooth line,” She ran her hands over her bodice as if emphasising her point. “One knows that the bustle pad or hoop will help the material of the skirt to drape nicely to the floor, and have a pleasing motion when one walks.”
Lauren smiled at her. “You do have a point.” She started to do up her buttons. “Oh well, I will continue to purchase fashion plates and watch with interest where the designers decide to go.”
Sophia smiled at her, as she slipped on her boots and started to fasten them. “And I hope you will tell me all about it.”
“Ha!” Lauren’s face lit up in triumph. “I was correct. You like to know what the current fashions are, as much as I do.”
“Of course I do. But I could hardly admit that without a fight, even to you, dear sister. It has become too much of a habit to do otherwise,” admitted Sophia with absolute candour. “Now are you nearly ready?”
“I have just my boots to put on, and then we can go down.”
Sophia waited patiently as Lauren did so, before the two of them left her room, and headed downstairs for breakfast.