Chest of Drawers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bloomers

Named after the early American feminist, Amelia Bloomer (1818-1894) - who famously said "When you find a burden in belief or apparel, cast it off" - bloomers were comfortable voluminous underpants which started at the waist and went down to the knees.

They were either tied by waist string (drawers) or elastic and were essentially shortened versions of the pantalettes worn by women in the early-to-mid-19th century. Bloomers became popular in the late 19th century and continued to be worn throughout much of the 20th century.

Answer: Corset

Just about the only place you will see a corset being sold these days is in an establishment catering for therapeutic appliances - and maybe a kinky shop, but I wouldn't really know about that. No doubt a medically designed corset can ease the pain of a bad back, but the type of corset my grandmother wore for 'fashion' actually gave her a bad back!

Answer: Petticoat

Most skirts these days are lined so the need for a petticoat has largely disappeared but they are still available in specialist lingerie shops. The petticoat had several purposes in my grandmother's day. It was hygienic (petticoats can be washed easily, but thick skirts cannot); it served as a comfortable barrier between the skin and a scratchy skirt (if you were not wearing stockings); and it was often used in flirting rituals - apparently showing a bit of petticoat once drove men wild!

Answer: Bodice

Bodices were worn on the chest and were vaguely similar to a corset but their purpose was not so much to constrict ample bosoms but to keep them warm, offer a bit of support and act as a modesty barrier between the flesh and a blouse. They came sleeved or sleeveless, and because women needed to be able to breast-feed while wearing them they buttoned up in the front.

Answer: Waist whittler

A waist whittler was similar to a corset, but very much smaller and was specifically designed to squeeze in the waist rather than the whole stomach area. It could be worn with or without a full corset, and was responsible for many fainting episodes!

Answer: Stockings

Before nylon was invented, stockings were commonly made of cotton or wool and generally came in three colours - black, white and brown. The thought of going out bare-legged would have appalled my grandmother. Remember, in her days showing a bit of leg was considered risqué!

Answer: Suspender belt

A suspender belt was used to hold up one's stockings and it was similar to the suspenders some men wear today to hold up their socks. However, it was worn around the waist and had long strings with fasteners that went down the leg to meet the stockings. How uncomfortable!

Answer: Bustenhalter

The bustenhalter, or brassiere, has had many prototypes since antiquity but it was in 1889 that the first modern bra was invented by Herminie Cadolle of France and another one was patented by Christine Hardt of Germany in the same year. The contraption my grandmother wore bears little resemblance to the pretty bras we wear today, but it probably did a better job at doing the job for which it was invented!

Answer: Handmade washable fabric sanitary pads

Compared with the array of manufactured sanitary products available to today's women - different sizes and shapes, with or without wings - it must have been awful to wash and re-use fabric sanitary pads. And yet, considering that my grandmother also used fabric nappies for her babies, washing sanitary pads was the least of her problems!

Answer: Bustle

Bustles to enlarge and enhance the buttocks were well out of fashion by the early 20th century. We then went through a fad of flat chests and bottoms - epitomised by the Flapper girls - and then we went through the Big Boob fad. It is interesting to note that after decades of padded bras and breast enhancement surgeries we are now re-entering the Big Booty fad that we left 100 years ago!