Title: Women's Accessories in the 1700s - Geri Walton
Headings: Women’s Accessories in the 1700s
Women’s Accessories in the 1700s
Content: 5] The Prince sympathized and resolved to wear nothing but buckles, even ordering his household to do the same. “ But neither his example nor his influence were sufficient to stem the tide of fashion, and in a few years the use of shoe buckles was discontinued, except among the aged.” [ 6]
Spectacles —Spectacles were made by hand and could be held in place by hand or by exerted pressure on the nose. These women’s accessories came in two versions — old sight and young sight — and the modern style glasses, with temples passing over the ears, did not appear until 1727 and were not immediately adopted. By the latter part of the eighteenth century, scissor-glasses (used to correct distance-vision and mounted on scissoring stems) or lorgnettes (handled spectacles) were popular. Also popular was blue colored lenses. If you are interested in learning more about eighteenth century spectacles, click here. Stays —Stays were another important element counted among women’s accessories. They were a fully boned, laced bodice or the term referred to the boning inside a garment, with each bone known as a stay. Stays created a stiff, inverted cone-shaped torso and supported the bust.