A study of three padded bustles in the Kentucky Historical Society Collection, showing how thrifty women stayed fashionable on a budget.

Mark discusses the issues around bra industry sizing standards, and explores how to create bras for different sized cups that are both proportional and attractive.

Part 3 of our bra pattern drafting/making series. You have taken measurements and drafted a pattern - now it's time to break out the sewing kit!

Dresses of the 1770s-80s were worn over a “bum” or “rump,” but there is little extant evidence as to what shape and proportion these rumps took.

Mark takes the basic corselet further by adding shaping or control panels to it. He also shows how to adapt the corselet blocks to make other foundation garments.

In the Napoleonic period, what was once taboo came out from hiding, along with the natural female form. Suddenly, it became necessary to keep the world from glimpsing too much.

Trying to date a particular corset, track changes in lingerie fashion down to a few years, or just looking for new inspiration? Plenty here to keep you busy...

Mark shows you how to adapt the basic "darted cup" bra pattern into three further styles, including a strapless bra shape.

In this article on bra design we will look at more cup shaping options, push up bras, and sling bras, and try to solve the problem of "east westing". 

Part 2 of Push Up and Sling Bras series. You've drafted the cups in part 1, now we'll draft the bra wing with gated back fastening, and sew the push up bra.

An open pair of cotton drawers in the style of the 1840's  (but dated late 1850s to 1860s), with delicate whitework embroidery, sewn on a chain stitch machine.

In this article Mark looks at some of the load-bearing theory behind underwires in bras, discusses what they do, and shows you how to make your own underwires.

Marion shares with us a knitted silk undervest with a crocheted yoke that could date anywhere from 1880 to 1910.

Wendy puts her earlier research on transitional Regency stays into practice and reproduces a set of stays for herself, walking us through the fitting stages.

The search for the perfect strapless bra is always ongoing. Instead of pushing up from below, let's have a go at suspending from above with "overwires".

Marion walks you through all the different layer options of the nautural form era, starting from the skin out, with variations in necklines and politics.

We talk to Mark Garbarczyk, a British foundationwear maker who's tried and rejected formal training in favour of taking his own learning journey...

The search for the perfect strapless bra is still ongoing. Could this 1952 example be the one? Mark gives full instructions so you can try it for yourself.

Marion shares a linen chemise circa 1879 from her collection.

By popular demand, over the next few articles Mark will put down the “underwires from hell” and we'll draft and make some bras without any wiring.