Antique-Gown

Swiss Belt or Swiss Waist, ca. 1860. Origin: Vienna (without label). Made of velvet. Back closure with hooks and eyes. Decorated in the front with gold-colored buttons and a color-coordinated cord. Very well preserved.

A Swiss waist is a boned, pointed underbust garment worn over skirts and blouses or dresses. Unlike a corset, a swiss waist never fastens with a metal front busk. Swiss waists can have a flat front, with no front opening, or can lace up the front with hand worked eyelets. Swiss waists were extremely popular in the 1860s, worn by empresses and common women alike. In the 1860s they were more likely to be called corsages (an un-specific term for a bodice), swiss bodices, swiss belts, or swiss waist belts or simply waists, than swiss waists. They returned as an indispensable fashion accessory in the 1880s and 1890s, which is when the name swiss belt became common.

 Price: 280 Euro