Have you ever wondered how “accurate” the portrayal of historic dress is in movies and TV shows? For example, in well-known shows and films like Bridgerton and different Jane Austen adaptations, do they show a good portrayal of historic dress? One piece of garment – the corset, with the way it’s usually portrayed in movies and shows, has gathered an infamous reputation of being a piece of “torturous” undergarment. How factual are those claims? How should corsets in historic dress be worn? (Hint: NOT directly on your bare skin.) How has dress history evolved throughout the centuries?

For today’s show, I sat down with dress historian and PhD candidate at Bard Graduate Center in New York City in the United States, Kenna Libes to bust some myths about corsets and historic dress. In our conversation, we focused mostly on historic dress in Europe and North America. If you enjoy nerding out and learning about history, hit play and join our chat! Stay tuned for part 2 coming out next week. You can follow Kenna's work on Instagram @kenna.sews and/or @stoutstylehistory