RetroXotique

By "Mike"

That same day the corsetiere had delivered her evening corset. It was a completely different affair from the day corset she had been wearing, she had requested that it be to the same design as Mrs Farnworth's evening corset, the corsetiere had hinted that it would require extra boning and a longer waist to achieve the desired shape, but Beatrice remembered being amazed when it had been delivered. It had been a prodigious construction, she had held it up against her body and remembered being amazed at its length. It was of the cuirass design and stretched from upper thigh to just under her bosom. It’s weight was more than double that of her current corset and the extra bones made it so stiff that it could easily stand up on it’s own.

The first tryout of the evening corset had been a trial, even unlaced it held her rigid from bust to thigh and as it was laced she had immediately felt the affect of the heavy boning, which forced her hips and waist into the smooth long line shape required by the fashion of the day. On the first day she had fainted but still only managed a waist of 24", after being revived with smelling salts, she had stopped Anne loosening the laces as with only a week left before the ball, she knew that she would have to wear the corset almost continuously if she was to manage a 22" waist for the ball without fainting.

That day and all night, she had suffered agonies, she wore the corset permanently, only removing it for washing. She had felt constantly on the edge of fainting, but she persevered. Even though the corset had become more comfortable as it had settled to her body, any easing was immediately taken up, when she had urged Anne to repeatedly tighten the laces at the chest, waist and hips as they strived to get her down to the required dimensions to fit into her ball gown.

The shape of that long corset just did not want to fit to her buxom body, it wanted to make her the same shape as Agnes Farnworth, and she was the perfect long line shape for the current fashion (although her corsetiere had later confidentially told her, that at that time Agnes Farnworth had been as thin as a rake and had required discrete padding at the hips and bosom to give her that oh so fashionable shape). Beatrice had discovered that the straight lines of the top of the corset squeezed her chest unmercifully leaving her less breath than the 22" day corset, the long waist pushed up at her ribs and down on her pelvis and the lower part crushed her hips like a vice. But she had struggled on, walking as much as possible and when she tired, she had had to lie down, she had tried sitting but in that corset it was an impossibility. Then after a short time the bones of the corset would begin to chafe and Beatrice would help her up trying to keep her in straight line so that any bending would not increase the pressure on her waist, ribs and hips. One time when Anne was out of the room and she could not reach the bell pull, and so rashly, she had tried to get up on her own, and sliding sideways off the bed her foot had slipped and she ended up trying to sit on the floor, of course the corset had not let her, but the sudden increase pressure on her waist, had made her faint clean away.

She had somehow managed that day with intermittent walking and resting, although the skirt of the corset on her thighs had restricted her stride. The night though had been and endless round of tossing and turning trying to find a position that the bones of the corset did not dig into her tender flesh, with only occasional periods of fitful sleep. The next day she had felt so tired, but she made sure that the corset was retightened and then resumed the walking to ease the nagging pain of the ever-present tightness of the corset. Later that morning the boot maker sent round the white evening boots, which she had asked to be made as tight as possible to make her feet look small. She immediately lay down and had Anne to fit them on, Anne had tugged and tugged as she forced them on and then pulled on the laces to close the gap. Beatrice felt like her toes were being crushed while still lying and had dreaded standing up and putting her weight on her cramped toes. But she had to do it, and with painful and uncertain steps on what she then thought were much too high 2" heels, she had hobbled over to the mirror and had to admit that those twin instruments of torture with what seemed at that time a towering heel had indeed made her big ‘country feet’ look elegant and small.

The rest of the day was she had struggled between hobbling around on the crippling shoes and lying down when the pain in her feet had gotten to much, she had had to lay down, to relieve the pressure on her toes, and then the corset bones had dug unmercifully into her skin until she was forced back onto her crushed feet to get some relief from the corset.

Beatrice recalled that at the end of that day, she had considered capitulating and returning to her normal easy clothes. But when Joseph returned from a business trip that night and saw the evening corset and boots for the first time, he had been so enthusiastic with her ‘new’ shape, and he had kept telling her that she would be the belle of the ball and ‘show his sister’. Beatrice had shared his enthusiasm and did not tell him of her troubles, except that she was worried about being able to get down to the 22" waist required to fit into her ball gown, Joseph had just said

"Don’t worry my dear, I have every confidence that you will manage it"

When Beatrice had mentioned that dressmaker was coming the next day for the final fitting of the ball gown, she had been surprised at the time that Joseph had immediately said that he would return from work to be present.

The next day after another restless night, Anne had retightened Beatrice’s corset and then they soaked Beatrice’s feet in salt water for an hour before forcing her feet back into the boots. The soaking had seemed to ease the pain from the boots slightly or maybe it was the boots stretching a little after continuous wear. Joseph had arrived back in good time, before the dressmaker arrived. Beatrice had managed to get her waist down to 23" and even with Joseph’s urging could not manage any better than 22½". The extra ½" had left Beatrice panting for breath and on the edge of fainting. It was only by lying down quietly on her bed for half an hour that she had managed to calm herself ready for the dressmakers visit.

Mrs Baxton the dressmaker arrived and the fitting of the off-white silk ball dress commenced, the dressmaker and her assistant laid the gown out on the floor and Beatrice stepped into the ring of the skirt and the rest of the of the gown was lifted up around her. The gown fitted like a second skin from bosom to hips over the evening corset and then cascaded down to the floor in a series of vertical folds at the front, tightening at the knee and widening slightly to the floor, at the rear it was overlaid by a long train. Beatrice had immediately noticed how tight the skirt was at the knees and could feel the internal tapes that pulled it tight at the front, she was also surprised at the weight of the skirt. The assistant who was behind Beatrice, whispered to Mrs Baxton who inspected the back of the dress. Mrs Baxton had then diplomatically said

"I am afraid Madame that we have made the dress a little tight at the chest and waist, if Madame will permit we shall remove it and let it out a little"

Beatrice had made a decision earlier that she would manage the 22" waist and so said to Mrs Baxton

"Just let it out a the chest will you I will lace down further for the ball"

The dress was removed and the assistant took it into another room where she unpicked the chest seams. The assistant had been extremely quick and the gown was soon refitted and the long process of hooking up the back began, from below her hips all the way up her back. They left it open in the waist area and they hooked it up at the top Beatrice felt her bosom being squeezed and flattened, she had commented to Mrs Baxton that it felt a little tight, but Mrs Baxton assured her that it was required to be so, so that it reduced the size of Madames too prominent bust. Joseph had obviously been delighted with the gown and had asked Beatrice to walk around her bedroom. Beatrice had tried but found the tight skirt pinioned her knees and had nearly fell at the first step, she recovered and by taking tiny steps she stuttered and stopped her way around the room the tight skirt and the long heavy train dragging at her knees at every step and wrapping itself around her ankles at every turn. But Joseph had proudly said

"Does she not look wonderful Mrs Baxton, is she not perfect, I am sure she will make a good impression ".

The look on Mrs Baxtons face had told Beatrice and Joseph that something was amiss, and Mrs Baxton then said.

"Madame looks enchanting except for one tiny thing, when she walks her knees are plainly visible against the skirt and her shoes show on every step, I am afraid this would be not seen as quite right… but if may suggest it is a common problem and there are several methods to correct this problem.

Joseph had jumped in and said

"Lets have them all, Mrs Baxton we want nothing to go wrong at this ball, everything I repeat everything must be perfect"

Mrs Baxton had suggested that not all the methods would be required, but Joseph had persisted and Mrs Baxton had been forced to agree that if all three methods were used, nobody could possibly comment on Beatrice’s gait. Mrs Baxton had taken her assistant aside, and the girl quickly left to back to Mrs Baxtons premises and returned a short time later carrying a small bag.

The dress had been again removed, and her 2 light petticoats were rolled up to her waist, Mrs Baxton was handed the first item from the assistants bag, adjusted some straps and buckled some more wider straps around each of Beatrice’s legs just above the knees.

"This is a knee hobble Madame, I have adjusted it so that your knees will not touch the skirt of the dress"

The next item was a made up two more straps joined by light chain, the straps went around her ankles and Mrs Baxton adjusted the chain and made it three links shorter, a longer chain was then clipped to the knee hobble and then clipped to the middle of the ankle chain.

"This is an ankle chain Madame, it can be adjusted so that your boots will not show under your skirt, and this middle chain is to support the chain so that if you bring your feet together the chain will not drag on the floor"

The last item was a slightly stiffened chamois leather tubular petticoat, Beatrice was assisted as she stepped over the stiff rim and the petticoat was eased up around her knees up to the bottom of her corset. At the time Beatrice had been lost for words.

"How", she had thought, "was she supposed to walk wearing the petticoat, it was even tighter at the knees than the gown."

Her initial reservations had been overwhelmed, by Joseph’s enthusiasm.

"Yes" he had said "excellent design, I can see how they solve all the problem’s"

Once in the dress, Beatrice again tried to walk around the room. Anne had to support her at her arm when she nearly fell at every other step as first the knee hobble restricted her stride, and then the ankle chain snapped taut and next the stiff petticoat dragged at her shins.

"Mrs Baxton, how can anyone walk trussed up like this"

"I am afraid, it is just practice Madame, if you would look at me, my skirt is as tight as yours and I am wearing a chamois leather underskirt the same as you."

Mrs Baxton had then neatly glided across the bottom of the skirt swaying slightly, but the hips rotating quickly as the only sign of the rapid leg movement that must be going on beneath the skirt.

Beatrice had seen, that it was possible to walk with her legs trussed up like that, but was not sure at that time with only two days to go before the ball that she would be able to master the skill.

"It is best to start out making tiny steps, Madame and try not to walk to quickly at the start"

Mrs Baxton had left with the gown to re-sew the altered seams, and Beatrice had asked Anne to unlace the corset and draw her a bath. Joseph had asked if she was going to able to manage 22" for the ball. Beatrice had replied

" I just need a rest, dear I will retighten it as soon as I have finished my bath"

The next day the corset was re-laced down to 23" and Beatrice spent the day trying to master the art of walking with the knee hobble, ankle chain and the tight chamois leather petticoat. During that day with three attempts they had tightened the evening corset down to the required 22". Beatrice suffered the numbing tightness for nearly two hours, before she had asked Anne to let it out an inch to 23" for the night. The practice had continued during which Beatrice had developed a rapid leg movement with tiny strides, the strides had been constrained by the knee hobble, she had found that the maximum stride was obtained by pivoting her hips putting one foot directly in front of the other, starting by rotating one knee in front of the other to the limit of the knee hobble, and then keeping the calf parallel to the tubular chamois leather skirt and then extending the ankle until just before it reached the limit of the hobble chain. She had repeated this action until in a straight line at least she mastered a smooth if rather sedentary motion. Turning corners had proved more difficult to master, with her legs always seeming to get tangled by the restrictions of the knee hobble.