A bodice is an article of clothing for women, covering the body from the neck to the waist. Clothing (also called clothes, accoutrements, accouterments, or habiliments) protects the Human body from extreme Weather

The term comes from pair of bodies (because the garment was originally made in two pieces that fastened together, frequently by lacing).

In common usage, bodice refers to an upper garment that has removable sleeves or no sleeves, often low-cut, worn in Europe from the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century, either over a corset or in lieu of one. Sleeve ( O Eng ''slieve'' or ''slyf'', a word allied to slip, cf The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system A corset is a Garment worn to mold and shape the Torso into a desired shape for Aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or To achieve a fashionable shape and support the bust, the bodice was frequently stiffened with bents (a type of reed), or whalebone. Phragmites australis, the common reed, is a large perennial grass found in Wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the Baleen or whalebone is the means by which Baleen whales feed These whales do not have Teeth, but instead have rows of baleen plates in

Countrywoman's bodice, 19th century

Bodices survive into modern times in the traditional or revived folk dress of many European countries (see, for example, Austrian dirndl or the Aboyne dress worn by Scottish highland dancers). National costume, also known as national dress, regional costume or folk dress, expresses an identity through Costume which usually A dirndl is a type of traditional dress worn in southern Germany and Austria, based on the historical costume of Alpine peasants The Aboyne dress is the name given to the prescribed attire for females in the Scottish national dances, such as the Flora MacDonald the Highland lilt The term Highland Dancing is used today to refer to a style of athletic solo Dancing which evolved into its current form during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

Bodice continues in use to refer to the upper portion of a one- or two-piece dress to distinguish it from the skirt and sleeves. A dress (also frock, gown) is a garment consisting of a Skirt with an attached Bodice or with a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped Garment that hangs from the Waist and covers all or part of the Legs In European culture, skirts are usually The bodice of a dress was called the corsage in the nineteenth century. Corsage refers to the Bodice of a dress In the 19th century corsage was a common term for a woman's bodice or jacket The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar

Bodices are commonly seen today at SCA events or a Renaissance Fair. Society for Creative Anachronism (usually shortened to SCA) is a historical re-creation and Living history group founded in 1966 which A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire, or Renaissance festival is an outdoor weekend gathering usually held in the United States, open to the public and

See also

• Dirndl

References

Arnold, Janet: Patterns of Fashion: the cut and construction of clothes for men and women 1560-1620, Macmillan 1985. A dirndl is a type of traditional dress worn in southern Germany and Austria, based on the historical costume of Alpine peasants (ISBN 0-89676-083-9)