Corset
Elizabeth Swann fitted into a corset.
A corset was clothing that served as a woman's foundation garment, reinforced with stays, that supported the waistline, hips and bust. An integral part of women's wardrobes, corsets were a support garment commonly worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape, traditionally a smaller waist or larger bottom, for aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or with a more lasting effect), or support the breasts. It was most often laced in the back, and was, at first, a garment reserved for the aristocracy.
History[]
The Spanish princess Carolina hated the corsets and petticoats and piles of lace and uncomfortable shoes.[1] During the quest for the Shadow Gold, the crew of the infamous pirate ship the Black Pearl visited Suvarnadurg, the island fortress of the Indian Pirate Lord Sri Sumbhajee. The two female crewmembers, Carolina and Marcella, were taken to the women's quarters of Sri Sumbhajee's palace, where they were urged to put on a sari, the local female clothing. When she realized the sari was just a very long piece of silk that was wrapped around the body, Marcella immediatelly started complaining and demanding a corset.[2]
Elizabeth Swann once wore a corset for Commodore James Norrington's promotion ceremony. However, Elizabeth found it very tight and made it very difficult for her to breathe, leading her to lose consciousness and topple over Fort Charles battlements to the ocean below. However, Elizabeth was rescued by Captain Jack Sparrow, who cut off her corset once she was taken to the docks to recover.[3][4]
Behind the scenes[]
- Corsets first appeared in the 2003 junior novelization for the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.[3][4]
- On Elizabeth Swann's physical changes in The Curse of the Black Pearl, actress Keira Knightley said, "I've got the best of both worlds. I get to look every bit the prim and proper young lady in beautiful dresses, albeit tied up in a corset [...] Poor boys, they wore the same outfit every day for six months."[5]
- In Elizabeth Rudnick's 2006 The Curse of the Black Pearl novelization) after he saved Elizabeth Swann from drowning in the Port Royal harbour Jack Sparrow continued holding her corset which he later used to disarm the only marine that was holding a pistol pointed at him when he escaped from James Norrington.[6]
- On Angelica's costume for On Stranger Tides, costume designer Penny Rose said she wanted to accentuate Penélope Cruz's figure, "so she's wearing a leather corset curtsied in strips, which accentuates the upper part of her body."[7]
- There are a number of popular misconceptions surrounding corsets depicted in Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The garment worn by Elizabeth in The Curse of the Black Pearl was known as (a pair of) stays; the term "corset" did not come to be until the 19th century, and refers to a later invention. Corsets and stays also did not cause the wearer to faint, as tightlacing was not common practice.[citation needed]
Appearances[]
- Jack Sparrow: Poseidon's Peak (Mentioned only)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned
- Legends of the Brethren Court: The Turning Tide (Mentioned only)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- Pirates of the Caribbean Online (Mentioned only)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War
Sources[]
External links[]
Notes and references[]