RetroXotique

Milly had never been greatly interested in fashion. She tried to wear "nice" clothes, but the character she played in The Terrace was a blameless but not very stylish woman, and she matched her character's tastes well. She had a few good outfits, but she never read Vogue or the like, and paid little attention to the clothes of other women. There came a day, though, when this could no longer be tolerated. A letter arrived on her mat one morning to announce that she had been nominated for her portrayal of Annie Trent to receive an award, and would she therefore like to turn up at     (an expensive and fashionable London night-club) for the ceremony... which would be televised. She was not afraid of TV cameras, but it was one thing to appear on them in character and another to appear as herself. Thousands of people would see her, they would see Milly Beckford, and they would judge her against all the fashionable people around her. She began to panic.

A phone call to a more fashion-conscious, society-oriented TV friend soon calmed things down. "It's all right, Milly. Just go to Maybury's in Oxford Street. They've assistants there that know what to wear for what better than you know your lines. If you admit you're in trouble, you don't know what to do, they'll be pleased to help you."

So it was that one cold spring morning in 1953 Milly Beckford entered Maybury's Ladieswear, her heart in her mouth and her best handbag under her arm. She chose the most senior-looking assistant, a woman in middle years with a firm figure and a complicated hairstyle, and explained her problem. Nowadays the idea that "the customer is always right" is drummed into most shop assistants' heads when they first start their training, but in those high and far-off times the women who served in ladieswear shops could be quite frightening. Shy women were sometimes terrified of them, and could be cowed into buying things they didn't like simply because of their fear of the assistants. Such a shy woman was Milly Beckford, and such an imperious creature was Irene Stone, chief saleslady at Maybury's. It was an exclusive, costly shop, and some of her clientele were duchesses and the wives of captains of industry, so she needed a good deal of self-possession to stand up to the smugness that type radiated; but giving her to someone without any knowledge of fashion and little confidence in her own opinions was like giving half a pound of opium to a child with a sore throat.

Irene Stone had a good idea of who needed to be buttered up, and who could be ordered around, and she instantly realised that Milly came into the second category. Having weighed up her income and put it mentally into the highest bracket of her shop's customers - the really rich went to Paris, or to London couturiers - she realised that she was in a position to unload whatever dress she liked on her; money was no object, since Milly would be able to afford anything the shop sold, and she would be easily overcome on matters of taste and personal preference. Irene therefore led Milly over to a dress on a dummy at the back of the shop. It was based on a Dior original, but the shop had been unable to unload many of them, especially in the smaller sizes, as the style required a very tall elegant figure to carry off and even then it was hideously uncomfortable and impractical. The dress was made of heavy black taffeta, with a plain strapless bodice running straight in to a tight skirt. The skirt remained fight to a few inches below the hips; then it dissolved into a mass of flounces and horizontal folds, all attached to a very narrow underskirt to maintain the shape, with a train at the back ornamented by a huge bow. The shop dummy wore it with long gloves, an accessory, Milly was assured, which was vital to the whole look. The fact that it was a style which was far from suited to a shortish, plump woman, as she was, was not mentioned. Milly had her doubts, indeed, but she bowed before what she imagined would be the other woman's superior knowledge of fashion and better taste.

Then came the first hitch.

"Well, can I try it on?"

"Of course. Might I see what Madam intends to wear under it?"

Milly paused in confusion. "Well, I hadn't thought... just what I'm wearing now, I suppose."

"Ah, Madam has come for her fitting wearing her evening corset. An excellent decision! If Madam would like to follow..."

"Hang on a minute. Did you say 'corset'?"

"But of course."

"I'm not wearing a corset."

Irene blinked. "Surely Madam does not intend to wear a dress like this over a bra and girdle? Madam must surely be aware that a dress like this requires that she wear a corset."

"I didn't know that. I don't even have a corset."

Irene shook slightly. What was a woman like this doing in her shop? She got a grip on herself and went on.

"I must advise Madam that a dress like this really should be worn over a corset. It is a most elegant style, and well suited to the situation Madam has outlined, but it is a demanding line, and one which requires perfect silhouette control."

Milly said nothing; she was nervous, and felt out of her depth. Picking up on this, Irene said

"Of course, Madam could be fitted with a corset here and now if that is desirable."

"That... sounds like a good idea."

"Then if Madam would come with me into the fitting room to be measured, one will be found to suit this gown."

Milly went with her and submitted to measuring. The numbers which came up were somewhat embarrassing; she was well aware that she was rounder than she should have been by fashionable standards.

When Irene asked "Is Madam satisfied with her figure, or does she wish to lose a little weight?"

She replied eagerly "Oh yes, I've been trying to for some time, but every time I get a little off it comes straight back."

Irene thought a little. "For this gown, how much weight would Madam ideally like to lose? Five pounds? Ten?"

Milly thought. "Well, I'd never be able to do it, but ideally, fifteen."

"Fifteen?" Irene paused. "Fifteen. If Madam would like to wait here, I will return shortly."

Milly sat down and waited. In about ten minutes Irene came back with a large flat box. She opened it, pulled out a large amount of tissue paper, and extracted a black evening corset which she handed to Milly to inspect. Milly admired it. She had never imagined that anything intended to be worn could be so rigid, or so strongly made. It looked bullet-proof. At the front there was a line of strong hooks and eyes, and at the back laces. Six suspenders hung from the bottom. The top was low cut, and equipped with heavily constructed cups. The heavy fabric was ornamented here and there with panels of lace stitched on top of it, or little bows, but the general effect was impressive rather than feminine.

"If Madam would take off her... underwear," Irene did not think that the bra and girdle she had discovered, obviously bought in a chainstore, merited the name of "lingerie", "I will help her to try it on."

Milly obeyed, and the corset was fastened round her. "Now, if Madam would take a deep breath and draw herself in... a little further... ah!" Milly had never known anything like it. Every second she thought it must be impossible for the thing to get any tighter, and every second it did. When at last the process was finished and the laces tied off behind, she felt as if she was suffocating. "How does Madam feel?" "Like she's being crushed to death," Milly gasped hoarsely. "This can't be right." Irene coughed. "It is Madam's choice, of course, but I must advise her that for fashionable evening gowns it is usually necessary to lace this tightly, or even tighter, unless one has an exceptionally good figure “. Milly pondered this. "You mean, there'll be other women at this party wearing corsets as tight as this?"

Irene smiled patronisingly. "But of course. If Madam were in the habit of following fashion closely, she would be accustomed to corsets this tight. I cannot predict what will happen, of course, but I should be surprised if on the evening there were not many women who were corseted as tightly as Madam is now, and probably there would be those present whose corsets were even tighter. If one wishes to be in the fashion, one simply has to accustom oneself to tight lingerie."

The customer thought a bit more. "One other thing. Is it safe? I mean, it's not going to explode in the middle of the evening?"

Irene laughed nervously. "Madam must be thinking of something else. Perhaps there are companies producing substandard lingerie which has been known to fail in action, but that will not happen in this case. Maybury's use only France Warranty Collection corsetry, and all their lingerie is warranted to remain intact as long as the conditions for use are kept to."

"What conditions?"

"If Madam buys the corset, she will be provided with a copy, of course. Basically, they state that the warranty does not apply if the corset is laced too tight or if the wearer attempts to bend or to perform tasks involving deep breathing, but otherwise the warranty states that if the corset fails in action during the warranty period it will be replaced or the money refunded, together with a compensatory payment to the value spent on it and on any repairs necessitated by the action."

Milly sighed and her corset creaked wearily. "I'll take it. Can we have a look at that dress?"