Things I'm Wondering About

[ithildin]

Random things I'm wondering about today as my brain leaps from one fic to another.

Would the stays in a corset deflect a knife so that instead of it stabbing where it was intended, it would go in at a different angle, potentially causing a less serious wound?

What was the most popular serious/hardcore recreational drug during the Roaring Twenties? Was opium still being used heavily?

What about the teeth of Immortals anyway? Would they never wear down? Would they grow back if knocked out, or are lots of Immies wearing dentures?

Early nineteenth pistols. Need to know more. Must look through collected websites soonish.

Just what did happen when Charlotte went to Bali with Tony? Will they ever tell me? Do I really want to know?

If Ezra Standish had to choose another name for a new persona, what would it be?

Later: Wow! I wasn't expecting so much random pondering help [g] And some of these aren't even for any specific purpose, just idle curiosity. Like the immie teeth one. Why am I wondering about it? Not a klew! I just am.

Comments

[mzlizzy.livejournal.com]

The real fun of a knife in a corset would be with an Edwardian one, and having the tip get caught in the spiral steel boning.

Check out http://www.farthingalesla.com/spiral_bones.php to see what I'm talking about.

I can just picture some idiot with a fine tipped stiletto trying to stab a woman in the kidneys and getting the blade stuck in the boning. The assailant would be disarmed very quickly!

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

That would a nifty scene. Will have to keep it in mind if I ever write anything in that time period. I'm afraid this is 1817 though. But thanks to all of you, I feel much more confident about my initial idea!

[mzlizzy.livejournal.com]

1817 is late Regency/Empire (depending on whether you're counting in England or France) and the corsets of the period don't have a lot of bones, mostly they are stiffened with cording. There does tend to be a couple of pieces of whalebone where the lacing is at the center back, but not much more than that. The main stiffener is a massive busk at front that was made of wood, whalebone or ivory sometimes carved with decorations. The piece was an inch or more wide and was part of the reason that the Regency corset was nicknamed the 'divorce' corset -- because it divorced the breasts from each other.
For a good resource on Corsets from different periods check out http://laracorsets.com

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I know I've told you before, but I really do love your shop! One of these days.... :) I have two Edwardian style coats that I would love to have a corset to wear with.

[mzlizzy.livejournal.com]

Thanks! We're currently working on producing corsets ourselves, in hopes of being able to offer good quality at a better price. As soon as we have them on the website I'll let you know.

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure when I get one I want to do it 'live'. I have an oddly proportioned body. The one time I tried to buy a pre made period dress, the top portion was like a halter top on me [g] Hopefully we can make a trip down to SoCal at some point next year. But yes, I'd love to see the stuff on the website!