Stomacher
A stomacher is a decorative, usually triangular panel that filled the front opening of a woman’s gown, worn from the 1680s to the 1780s.
A stomacher is the panel at the centre front of an open-fronted gown. It is usually a long triangle pointing down to the waist, often stiffened, and frequently the most elaborately decorated part of the dress, embroidered with silk or metal thread or covered in ribbon bows.
How was it worn?
The stomacher was pinned to the stays or the gown, or held with ribbon ties, so one gown could be worn with different stomachers. It was part of fashionable women’s dress from the 1680s to the 1780s, and it is a key element of the court mantua and the robe à la française.
Sources
- Stomacher, 1700–1720 (catalogue entry). Victoria and Albert Museum
- Stomacher. Fashion History Timeline, Fashion Institute of Technology
- Metal thread embroidered stomacher. The Underpinnings Museum
See also
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