The Origins Of The Waistband

The waistband originated from the corset. In medieval Europe, noblewomen considered a slender waist beautiful, thus giving rise to functional clothing-the corset. Corsets appeared in the early 16th century, initially made of metal, later evolving to more comfortable materials. To achieve the hourglass figure that was considered the pinnacle of beauty at the time, wearing a corset could take several hours. Corsets were typically three-dimensionally cut, with 9 to 12 vertical elastic bands, and later evolved into two distinct garments: the waistband and the shaping corset.