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A bodice is an article of clothing
Clothing

A feature of all human societies, except perhaps the most primitive, is the wearing of clothing or clothes, especially in public. The primary purpose of clothing is functional, as a protection from the weather....
 for women, covering the body from the neck to the waist.

The term comes from pair of bodies (because the garment was originally made in two pieces that fastened together, frequently by lacing).

In common usage, bodice refers to an upper garment that has removable sleeve
Sleeve

Sleeve is that part of a garment which covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. Originally invented to serve as a snot-rag or handy handkerchief; the pattern of the sleeve is one of the characteristics of fashion in dress, varying in every country and period....
s or no sleeves, often low-cut, worn in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 from the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century, either over a corset
Corset

A corset is a garment worn to mold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes . Both men and women are known to wear corsets, though women are more common wearers....
 or in lieu of one.






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A bodice is an article of clothing
Clothing

A feature of all human societies, except perhaps the most primitive, is the wearing of clothing or clothes, especially in public. The primary purpose of clothing is functional, as a protection from the weather....
 for women, covering the body from the neck to the waist.

The term comes from pair of bodies (because the garment was originally made in two pieces that fastened together, frequently by lacing).

In common usage, bodice refers to an upper garment that has removable sleeve
Sleeve

Sleeve is that part of a garment which covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. Originally invented to serve as a snot-rag or handy handkerchief; the pattern of the sleeve is one of the characteristics of fashion in dress, varying in every country and period....
s or no sleeves, often low-cut, worn in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 from the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century, either over a corset
Corset

A corset is a garment worn to mold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes . Both men and women are known to wear corsets, though women are more common wearers....
 or in lieu of one. To achieve a fashionable shape and support the bust, the bodice was frequently stiffened with bents (a type of reed
Phragmites

Phragmites australis, the common reed, is a large perennial plant Poaceae found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world....
), or whalebone. The bodice was also different from the corset
Corset

A corset is a garment worn to mold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes . Both men and women are known to wear corsets, though women are more common wearers....
 of the time because of the way it laced. The corset was laced in spiral fashion, with one continuous lace. The bodice was laced like the modern tennis shoe, with eyelets facing one another. This was more convenient for women who had to dress themselves.

Bodices survive into modern times in the traditional or revived folk dress of many Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
an countries (see, for example, Austrian dirndl
Dirndl

A dirndl is a type of traditional dress worn in southern Germany and Austria, based on the historical costume of Alps peasants. Dresses that are loosely based on the dirndl are known as Landhausmode....
 or the Aboyne dress
Aboyne dress

The Aboyne dress is the name given to the prescribed attire for females in the Scottish highland dance, such as the Flora MacDonald the Highland lilt, and others....
 worn by Scottish highland dance
Scottish highland dance

The term Highland Dancing is used today to refer to a style of Competitive dance solo dancing which evolved into its current form during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the context of competitions at public events , where it is typically performed to the accompaniment of bagpipe music....
rs).

Bodice continues in use to refer to the upper portion of a one- or two-piece dress
Dress

A Dress is a garment consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice or with a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment.Dress may also refer to:...
 to distinguish it from the skirt
Skirt

A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped garment that hangs from the waist and covers all or part of the legs.In European culture, skirts are usually considered woman clothing....
 and sleeves. The bodice of a dress was called the corsage
Corsage (bodice)

Corsage refers to the bodice of a dress. In the 19th century, corsage was a common term for a woman's bodice or jacket.In modern usage, corsage is often confused with a corset, but a corset is tighter....
 in the nineteenth century.

Bodices are commonly seen today at SCA
Society for Creative Anachronism

The Society for Creative Anachronism , is a historical reenactment and living history group founded in 1966, which endeavors to promote the study and recreation of mainly pre-17th century Western European cultures and their histories....
 events or a Renaissance Fair
Renaissance Fair

A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire, or Renaissance festival is an outdoor weekend gathering, usually held in the United States, open to the public and generally commercial in nature, which emulates a historic period for the amusement of its guests....
.

See also

  • Dirndl
    Dirndl

    A dirndl is a type of traditional dress worn in southern Germany and Austria, based on the historical costume of Alps peasants. Dresses that are loosely based on the dirndl are known as Landhausmode....