‘The Gilded Age’ and ‘The Great’ Costume Designers Detail Creating Comfortable Corsets
variety.comJazz Tangcay Artisans EditorCorsets were an essential undergarment for Victorian women, which lifted and supported the bosom, created a flat front and provided women a form-fitted figure.
But they were notoriously restrictive. As essential as corsets are to the 18th century, they are equally as important to period costume design in the 21st century.However, as period-era dramas filled the air, costume designers of many Emmy-contending shows followed up to dress their cast members in corsets — but with the modern twist of added comfort.Carrie Coon, who plays wealthy socialite Bertha Russell in HBO’s “The Gilded Age,” is no stranger to wearing corsets.
Her theatrical background meant she wore them on stage under heavy, upholstered fabrics that had to withstand all kinds of weather.
During a costume fitting for the show’s second season, Coon tells Variety: “Every job is different. No matter what the period and so they’re built differently.” The best corset comfort tip she ever received was during a fitting. “Expand your ribcage,” she says. “That means once you release air, you have room to breathe.
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