Sheer Gowns & Black Silk Corselet/Swiss Waist

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Sheer gowns are lovely to wear in the warm summer months. Gowns made of sheer fabric are slightly different than other gowns of the mid 19th century. Since they are sheer, the lining most of the time had a half high neckline (like a ball gown neckline) and usually it had short cap sleeves so you could not see the chemise sleeve underneath. I have seen one sheer wool dress that has no lining at all and would probably have been worn with a corset cover. (The original gown with no lining is pictured at the bottom of the first page of the original sheer gowns.)

The black silk corselet/swiss waist was very popular in this era and mostly worn by teens and young women. It fastens with hand sewn eyelets in the back and a silk cord. I have seen many waists like these that fasten both in the back and the front and sometimes are let out more at the bosom, most likely to make the waist appear smaller and the bust appear larger.

You might want to check out the CdVs and Originals section to see examples of actual sheer garments and swiss waists.