SNARK WEEK: WTFrock Is a Stomacher?

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If you’ve been around our blog for any length of time, you may have noticed occasional complaints about sewn-in stomachers or clunky stomachers or even missing stomachers. Maybe you wondered what the frock we were talking about! Well, I wrote a super-detailed research post all about the historical dress item called a “stomacher,” what periods it was worn in, and what movies and TV series actually show it properly.

The TL;DR is that a stomacher is, essentially, a triangle of fabric that’s pinned into the front sides of a woman’s gown to close up a front opening. If a gown opens in the back, you don’t have a stomacher because there’s no point in gown having two openings (as we’ve ranted about before). Stomachers were not commonly worn until the 1580s or so, and they went out of fashion at the end of the 18th century.

While we understand that movies and TV shows have budget and time constraints (we’ve written about that before too), nitpicking the historical accuracy of onscreen costumes is the reason Frock Flicks exists! This is our specialized beat, we’re like sports writers are to the rest of journalism. We geek out on these details, and during Snark Week, we delight in pointing out where its wrong!

Movies & TV Shows Where the Stomachers Are Missing

I’m talking about when you clearly need a stomacher but, hey, you’re just wearing a dress over a corset. Like this lady, I don’t know what’s going on here, but her ensemble needs something more in the front.

1660s – Molière (2007)

I love seeing Phillipe cross-dress, he looks great! Except that he’s just wearing a loose dress over a corset, which isn’t accurate, and as the king’s brother, he could afford correct kit.

1660s – Versailles (2016)

See? Just a corset. A nice one. And yeah, this simplified outfit was probably so he could more easily fight, but a stomacher pinned in wouldn’t slow him down that much IMO.

1660s – Versailles (2016)

But wearing a corset and missing a stomacher is better than this — it looks ouchy!

1680s – Frenchman’s Creek (1989)

She does have a stomacher for this dress, but she only sometimes wears it. Huh?

1680s – Frenchman’s Creek (1989)

Dressing without a stomacher is totally a thing she does throughout the flick, along with clingy smocks.

1680s – Frenchman’s Creek (1989)

All the better to slice through her gown. sigh

1680s – Frenchman’s Creek (1989)

I can’t tell here if this is an overgown worn over an undergown or what. But something looks like it’s missing, so I’m putting this one here.

1700s – Blackbeard (2006)

Ahh, the old “maids are so poor, they run around in just their corsets” trope. No, that’s not a real thing, just a movie/TV thing. This girl needs something covering up her corset, a stomacher, a shirt, a real jacket!

1720s – The Cook of Castamar (2021)

Pinning an apron to your jacket doesn’t help!

1720s – The Cook of Castamar (2021)

Then there’s this weird “skin-tone” stomacher, which makes it look like her gown is missing something in the front. And no, that was not a period aesthetic.

1740s – Maria Theresa (2017)

Likewise, doilies don’t work as stomachers.

1770s – TURN: Washington’s Spies (2014-17)

You can throw some trim on it, but I can tell that’s just your corset, not an actual stomacher!

1770s – TURN: Washington’s Spies (2014-17)

Movies & TV Shows That Have Stomachers Attached All Clunky

These get an “E” for effort, but they just aren’t up to snuff. This first one does have a correct stomacher, but they needed to use more pins so it’s not gaping like crazy. The top edge of stomacher should also sit closer to the bustline. This is riding way too high.

1590s – A Discovery of Witches (2021), photo: Simon Ridgway/Bad Wolf Productions/Sundance Now

This is just Shit That Doesn’t Fit. Why didn’t they make a new stomacher for this gown??? A quarter-yard of fabric would have fixed this.

1760s – Velikaya aka Catherine the Great (2015)

This is also a fit issue (or maybe just a pinning issue), less egregious but clearly visible from both directions, and it irritates me.

1770s – Sons of Liberty (2015)

And this has A LOT of issues, but I’m going to start with the manner of attachment. The stomacher is obviously sewn on one side and uses hooks and eyes to close on the other, all of which is very theatrical, but worse, it just looks ugly AF. Also, any time you see piping around the edges of a so-called “stomacher,” watch out! That’s a Victorian thing, so a sure sign of a fake stomacher.

1770s – Valmont (1989)

I totally understand using hooks and eyes as a closure for film and TV, but plenty of other productions do it in a tidy and less-noticeable fashion.

1770s – Valmont (1989)

Movies & TV Shows With Cardboard Stomachers

AKA, your stomacher should not be trying to hold up your boobs — because it will fail. Actually, this first one looks like a pice of plastic, not cardboard!

1590s – A Discovery of Witches (2021)

This one’s awfully chunky. There’s no need for that much bulk in the stomacher — it’s decorative! It’s not a structural garment. The corset underneath it does all the work.

1720s – The Cook of Castamar (2021)

Cardboard-y and cut too high. The neckline should be about an inch lower, then it won’t gape out. For an older or more modest character, you can fill in with a fichu or  chemisette (you see this a lot on Madame de Tourvel in 1988’s Dangerous Liaisons).

1720s – The Cook of Castamar (2021)

Now cardboard in 1980s couch print!

1720s – The Cook of Castamar (2021)

OMG, you can see the boning through this one. That’s not how it’s supposed to work!

1740s – Ekaterina (2014)

Maria Simonovna, do me a favor and get me a decent corset and a normal stomacher instead this hunk of fabric-covered cardboard I have to carry around on my chest.

1760s – Velikaya aka Catherine the Great (2015)

That super-wide triangle looks awfully flat and board-like…

1770s – Valmont (1989)

Ooof, you can see the sides of her gown falling under the unnecessarily stiff stomacher here.

1770s – Valmont (1989)

Movies & TV Shows With Fake or Sewn-In Stomachers

Now here’s the biggest category of sins against historically accurate stomachers. This includes all kinds of vague attempts at mimicking the look of a stomacher by using contrast fabric, adding trim, and otherwise sewing in that front triangle piece that should be a separate item. Though I’m trying to not include generic princess-seamed gowns since that’s a whole other rant for another day ;)

Let’s start early with some fancy trim!

1580s – Fire Over England (1937)

Contrast fabric with a 3D rose!

1580s – Fire Over England (1937)

Lots of trim and contrast fabric, but could maybe use some cardboard (or more accurately, a corset or stiffened undergarment) because look at that giant wrinkle across the front!

1580s – The Sea Hawk (1940)

This one has contrast fabric covered with pearls.

1580s – The Virgin Queen (1955)

Even better when you see the gown on display:

1580s – The Virgin Queen (1955)

Gotta love that triangle of patterned fabric sewn in!

1590s – The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)

At least here, the dark pink sewn-in triangle matches her petticoat.

1590s – The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)

In case you couldn’t see clearly in the first movie, this gown was reused a few times:

1590s – The Story of Mankind (1957)

This one looks like a proper stomacher!

1590s – Bill (2015)

But, oh no, it must be sewn-in because the gown laces up the back.

1590s – Bill (2015)

I hate this next miniseries so much. Someday, I’ll do a Snark Week recap that’ll just be me yelling. For now, join me in annoyance at this sewn-in stomacher on Queen Anne.

1600s – Gunpowder, Treason, & Plot (2004)

Naturally, the least historically accurate costumes in this movie have fake stomachers.

1620s – The Three Musketeers (1973)

For your viewing pleasure!

1620s – The Three Musketeers (1973), from the collection of Larry McQueen on Pinterest

Of course, there are Musketeers adaptions with worse costumes…

1620s – The Musketeers (2014-16)

Pretty in pink with a sewn-in stomacher!

1660s – Frenchman’s Creek (1944)

You can put ribbon laces over it, but we can still see that the stomacher is sewn in.

1660s – The Wicked Lady (1983)

No-budget costuming?

1660s – Juana Ines (2016)

Dressed up with shiny trim…

1670s – Angelique: The Road to Versailles (1965)

I agree with Kendra’s original assessment: Hideous.

1680s – Royal Affairs in Versailles aka Si Versailles M’était Conté (1954)

OK, there are court gown styles of this period that have highly decorated front pieces that are integral to the gown and not separate stomachers — these are the accurate back-lacing gowns that Kendra has pointed out many times before. The one on the left seems to be going for that look. But the one the right isn’t.

1680s – The King’s Whore (1990)

Ooooo, the piping gives this away! Nice try.

1680s – The King’s Whore (1990)

This movie has some rather historically accurate appearing costumes. This one misses the mark, alas.

1680-90s – Saraband (1948)

100% sewn in.

1720s – The Royal Exchange (2017)

The back-lacing is the giveaway here.

1730s – Manon Lescaut (2013)

And here too.

1740s – Joseph Andrews (1977)

Lordy, that side seam.

1740s – Young Catherine (1991)

In case you want a full-frontal:

1740s – Young Catherine (1991)

But it’s not the only crappy gown in that flick!

1740s – Young Catherine (1991)

Here, the wholly separate bodice and skirt is a giveaway.

1740s – Ekaterina (2014)

Sewn-in with piping!

1740s – Maria Theresa (2017)

All the same fabric, but clunky wanna-be stomacher sewn-in.

1740s – Maria Theresa (2017)

More piping!

1740s – Maria Theresa (2017)

Please make it stop!

1740s – Maria Theresa (2017)

Even from a distance, we know that sucker is sewn in.

1740s – Maria Theresa (2017)

Another back-lacer!

1740s – Maria Theresa (2017)

Piping and it might be a separate bodice and skirt.

1740-50s – Louis XV, le Soleil Noir (2009)

Follow the trim lines for the fake stomacher.

1760s – Catherine of Russia (1963)

Fancy embroidery doesn’t distract me from this thing being sewn right into the gown.

1760s – Angelique (2013)

So obvious when you hold up the gown!

1760s – Velikaya aka Catherine the Great (2015)

A treasure trove of sewn-in fake stomachers:

1760-70s – Madame du Barry (1954)

Can’t hide it with ruffles and fake bows.

1760-70s – Madame du Barry (1954)

Three ladies, three fake stomachers:

1760-70s – Madame du Barry (1954)

Chris-cross, fakey sauce!

1760-70s – Madame du Barry (1954)

Dunno if that’s piping or a seam line, but it’s fake.

1770s – Marie-Antoinette (1938)

Yikes, a fake stomacher in shitty satin! The real Rose Bertin would have done better.

1770s – If Paris Were Told to Us aka Si Paris nous était conté (1956)

Shitty trim on a fake stomacher, we expect nothing more from this one.

1770s – The Rebels (1979)

Ditto!

1770s – The Rebels (1979)

It’s a Turkish triangle, darling.

1770s – Amadeus (1984)

Yes, the gown is cute. No, it’s not historically accurate. There’s piping, and the stomacher is sewn in.

1770s – Valmont (1989)

The pink one isn’t as bad as the rest of what Annette Bening wears in this flick.

1770s – Valmont (1989)

PIPING. STOP.

1770s – Valmont (1989)

Great fabric, but poor choices were made.

1770s – Valmont (1989)

Why zig-zag some faux lacing over the outline of a stomacher on a front-closing jacket? These things don’t go together.

1770s – Marie-Antoinette (2006)

This gown was made for a different movie, but it’s here where the sewn-in stomacher is really prominent.

1770s – Belle (2013)

We’re not even trying here:

1780s – Scaramouche (1952)

So goddamn ugly!

1780s – A Tale of Two Cities (1980)

1780s – A Tale of Two Cities (1980)

A nice movie filled with ho-hum historical costumes:

1780s – Beloved Sisters (2014)

1780s – Beloved Sisters (2014)

Big ol’ side seam.

1780s – Interlude in Prague (2017)

And let’s just finish off with one that Kendra suspected might even be recycled from Valmont!

18th-century – Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)

Movies & TV Shows With Stomachers in Non-Stomacher Eras

Here’s your bonus round — I’ve collected a bunch of essentially Tudor costumes that have real(ish) or faked stomachers — but that’s not necessary at all! As I describe in my research post, stomachers didn’t become part of women’s fashion until the 1580s, at the earliest. So these are all wrongity wrong!

Whether they go with trim:

1510s – The Spanish Princess (2019-20)

Or contrasting fabric:

1510s – The Spanish Princess (2019-20)

Or make some attempt to look like lacing, plus a micro-penis tip:

1510s – The Spanish Princess (2019-20)

Big triangular contrast:

1510-20s – The Tudors (2007-10)

Doubling down on same.

1510-20s – The Tudors (2007-10)

This looks like an actual stomacher basted in (or just poorly sewn and coming apart). Doesn’t matter, that wouldn’t be a fashion for another 50 years!

1520-30s – The Tudors (2007-10)

Obviously sewn in.

1530s – The Tudors (2007-10)

Oh hey, piping!

1530s – The Tudors (2007-10)

Pretty decorations but still too early.

1530s – The Tudors (2007-10)

This gown would have at least worked for The Three Musketeers, but it still has a sewn-in stomacher.

1530s – The Tudors (2007-10) (first worn in 1993 The Three Musketeers)

This dress would be fine without the weird contrast strip faux stomacher thing on the front. I mean, sure, she needs a non-sheer smock, some kind of over dress, and a decent French hood too.

1530s – The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family (2021)

This stomacher is very cardboard-y and cut too high.

1530s – The Boleyns A Scandalous Family (2021)

Sewn-in and piped.

1530s – Anne Boleyn (2021)

This costume designer for miniseries had a whole rational for stomachers. Which had nothing to do with historical accuracy, of course. Read my full review for her story and my rebuttal!

1530s – Anne Boleyn (2021)

They’re SO CLUNKY.

1530s – Anne Boleyn (2021)

They’re fastened with snaps. If you couldn’t tell.

1530s – Anne Boleyn (2021)

They SO BIG.

1530s – Anne Boleyn (2021)

Even a series with otherwise excellent costumes fucked it up a little bit.

1540s – Becoming Elizabeth (2002)

Though I expect the problem more from a low-budget series.

1550s – El Ministerio del Tiempo (2020)

What’s going on with this dress? The top of the sleeves are a different fabric, and those cuffs aren’t an Elizabethan style. The sewn-in stomacher is almost the least of the problems.

1550-60s – The Virgin Queen (2005)

Ahh, let’s close out with an old fave! Not just prom dresses, in the final seasons, Mary and Elizabeth got some period-ish costumes. Emphasis on the “ish.”

1550-60s – Reign (2013-17)

Trim!

1550-60s – Reign (2013-17)

Almost the same dress, but different sleeves and different fake stomacher fabric.

1550-60s – Reign (2013-17)

Trim, bedazzled, and set off with little wing collars!

1550-60s – Reign (2013-17)

Have you noticed shitty stomachers in frock flicks?