The perception that Victorian colored corsets and underclothing are risque is a modern perception promoted by books and websites that also promote the idea that corsets and underclothing are inherently erotic. I'm not disputing that underclothing might have been used for erotic purposes by some Victorians, but the perception that that was its main purpose.
One very important aspect of woolen and silk underclothes, and of corsets, is that they are harder to clean than white cottons and linens. That does not mean no one wore them, but it does mean that colors were a practical choice.
My own book Reconstruction Era Fashions, which contains Harper's Bazar patterns of late 1867 through 1868, contains a pattern for a black alpaca underskirt trimmed (a wide bottom border) with striped red and black satin, and a corset of brown drilling. Red flannel was a perennial favorite for warm winter petticoats.
Fran Lavolta Press www.lavoltapress.com On 1/18/2012 6:22 PM, R Lloyd Mitchell wrote:
penny,? as you know, I am away from home and my referrences, but Cunnington has severel citations about underwear in general and?I think at least one I have seen re mourning.? Since (fashionable) women were just beginning to wear drawers and with the layers of chemise, corset and corset cover, etc, the color white was the only acceptable color for a Lady; other colors and trims that adorned the female form were only worn by the demi-monde or women who did not know better. Ehite stood for purity and respectability.
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