Regency 101: Renee Rose On Regency Undergarments

Thank you to Renee Rose for this wonderful guest post on Regency Undergarments.

Thank you, Celeste, for inviting me here today!

 

In picking the date to set a historical novel, it's often about the clothing.  Hoop skirts are awesome, but maybe not if you wanted a stealthy heroine who can climb trellises or slip undetected in and out of rooms. Or perhaps you're going for a certain alluring look-- in which case, you might not choose late Victorian era because, well, high-necked lace collars aren't quite as sexy as showing a little skin.

 

I picked the year 1835 for The Westerfield Affair solely on the clothing I wanted my heroine to wear. You see, I really envisioned Kitty swooning from being spanked by Westerfield because her corset restricted her breath. He would then be forced to loosen her corset, which adds all kinds of exciting scandal to the already compromising situation.

            “Ow, oh, please, Lord Westerfield!” she gasped. “I will not sass you again,” she promised.

            “Thank you, Miss Stanley,” he said. “I am almost finished.”

            He applied his hand firmly and after another interval of spanking, realized she had given up all fight and lay quietly over his lap, accepting her punishment. He looked at her face where it lay on the settee and then froze.

            She had not submitted—she had swooned.

             Kitty blinked up at the worried face of Lord Westerfield. She appeared to be on the floor, cradled in his arms. Her bottom was throbbing—a tingling burn to remind her of the humiliating position in which she had just been.

            “You fainted,” he explained at once. “I opened your corset so you could breathe.”

            “Oh,” she said, coming to a full realization of her new predicament. Though her dress was still on, the bodice was unhooked in the back, her corset was unlaced, and her drawers were still down around her thighs.

            A hysterical giggle bubbled up in her throat.

            “I’m sorry. I should have considered the effect of discipline on your breathing before I took you over my knee. That was very stupid of me.”

 

If you think of Jane Austen's heroines, they were wearing the “Empire waist” gowns-- dresses that were closely fitted to the torso just under the breasts, falling loosely below. For this style, waist-cinching corsets were not necessary.  By the 1830's, however, the natural waist had returned, along with big poofy sleeves and wide, open necklines.  So I set The Westerfield Affair at the very tail end of the Regency Era before Queen Victoria took the throne in 1837. By then, they were also wearing drawers under their skirts, a habit that was barely coming into fashion when Miss Downy, my poor heroine in Pleasing the Colonel, found her skirts lifted for a spanking and had nothing underneath to protect her. In the 1820's drawers were still optional; in fact, I read somewhere that the dance floors in Regency times were sometimes spotted with menstrual blood (TMI?).

The Colonel had walked around to her side of the desk. He patted the top of the desk. “Bend over,” he said.

Her breathing was coming in fast, short gasps. She stepped to the edge of the desk and hesitatingly leaned over it.

“Lift your skirts,” he commanded.

Oh mercy. She had not adopted the new fashion of wearing drawers under her dresses, so lifting her skirts would mean completely baring her backside for his view and punishment. Embarrassed by the mere thought, she slowly reached back and gathered the skirts of her dress and petticoat in each hand, hiking them up to her waist to expose her bare bottom for his view. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block out the humiliation that was making her skin feel hot and flushed all over. The edges of the skirts still hung over her bottom, offering a bit of cover, but she felt the brush of his sleeve and the skirts were flipped up onto her back.

  

By the 1850's, the hoop skirts made wearing drawers necessary, as hoops could be wildly unpredictable. While they're a far cry from the g-string, drawers were considered risque because they resembled male pant legs. They basically consisted of two tubes that were tied at the waist, leaving an opening for doing one's business, or in the case of The Westerfield Affair, conveniently administering bare-bottomed spankings.

 

So there you have it—the scoop on Regency Era underclothing.

 

Renee Rose is the author of two Regency Era spanking novellas:  Pleasing the Colonel and The Westerfield Affair. She loves historical novels, most likely because they're the best place to find unabashed corporal punishment.

She can be found at www.reneeroseromance.com or on
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