…now went over the hips with the whalebone being carried down tabs so they wouldn’t poke the waist. The bodice now had diagonal side seams.
This arrangement of boning gave a rounder shape and a more slender appearance to the woman, which made her appear to have an oval neckline that tapered down to very small at the waist. It was still made of two layers of heavy linen or canvas which had been stiffened with paste or glue, with whalebones inserted between in long rows of stitching.
(1660’s stays and bodice)