1700's Women in the US
By: Elizabeth and Megan
1700's clothing
A shift would be made of linen and would serve as both nightgown and slip.Everyone wore socks called "stockings" that came up over the knee. They were commonly hand-knitted of wool or linen. Elastic had not been invented yet, so stockings were held up with garters. For modesty sake, a woman wore a kerchief of silk, linen or cotton.A common woman would have one or two pairs of shoes. They were hand sewn by "cordwainers", or shoemakers, and had no rights or lefts. Women's clothing did not have attached pockets. A pocket or two would be tied on around a woman's waist before she put on her final layer.Stays are a support garment stiffened with whalebone, wood or reed; that provides good posture and the ice cream cone-shaped silhouette that was popular throughout most of the 18th century.A woman would wear up to four of five petticoats, depending upon the weather. A stomacher was a decorative piece, often of nice fabric, that a woman would pin to the front of her stays to hide them and make her outfit a little fancier. A cap covered dirty, possibly lice-infested hair and kept it away from the fire. A woman would wear a cap both indoors and out. Belts were optional for women's clothing. They were made of leather with brass or silver buckles. Some women kept their sewing equipment handy by using a scissors clip that hooked onto a belt or apron strings.