mala_14 | A little more stays info

These stays, dated 1780s-1790s are a pair that are part of my inspiration for my current stays. They are also part of my justification for being able to use the stays that I'm currently making for earlier than 1790. Partly I just really liked the lines of the 1790 stays from the Salen Corsets book, but I also wanted stays that were a little later than the generic 18th century stays, which to me always look about 1770s, something that would definitely give the right look for the 1780s. I didn't think that these ones would end up quite so short (I would maybe have liked another inch or two in length, but didn't want to alter the original pattern too much), but if the shorter ones from the Met are dated 1780s, I feel like I can justify using my stays for the 1780s too, because as much as I love redingotes and zone fronts, I still want to be able to make polonaises and such without it looking odd. Or maybe I'm just being anal and uptight about this and need to not be such a stickler. :)