Brazilian Beauties

The corset was then allowed to settle, while the maids attended to the black silk stockings. Each stocking was held tight by eight garters. Then the high-heeled boots. The boots had heels of 7" and were so high and steep that the sole actually bent backwards towards the heel, Floriella could never have managed the heels with her small feet without the 2" of padding in the toes. The boots were double-laced and came up to just below her knee, with boning on either side of her ankle and calves, to give her support and stop her turning over on her ankles.

Once the boots were laced, the maids returned to the corset, concentrating on the stem. Floriella braced herself as they started on the side laces, which only ran from 1" above to 1" below the stem; they were 1" open at the widest point. The maids pulled steadily until the gap was down to ½" as Floriella tried to stretch away from the crushing tightness. The maids halted while Floriella adjusted to the pressure, her breathing fast and her neck arched as she panted for air into her compressed lungs, her large breasts rising up to nearly neck level with every stifled breath.

When Floriella's breathing had settled, the maids slowly continued, alternating between the back and side laces, compressing the stem smaller into a stiff column and forcing the ribs and hips apart. When the side and the back laces were closed at the waist, the maids quickly re-tightened the laces at the hips and the waist to ensure a smooth line. The shoulder straps were then tightened back, lifting her now extremely prominent, heaving breasts even higher.

Next came several black petticoats, Floriella wobbling rapidly on each ankle as she lifted each in turn to allow their fitting. The first one was thick rustling taffeta, which swirled easily with any movement. The maids then tied on the 2" inch thick pads over her already ample hips, which fitted smoothly over the boned hips of her corset, considerably increasing the visible hip spring with respect to the tiny stem. Similar pads were fitted under Floriella's armpits. Long gloves were smoothed onto her arms.

Then came the elaborate mourning dress, which was fitted from breast to knee, with a hundred tiny buttons closing it at the back. At the neck it was stiffened with spring steel into a 6" tall perfect tube. The collar rose above the tube out to the tip of Floriella's chin and up to just under her ears. When all the buttons were closed, Floriella's neck was only 4½" across and her chin was held high, as she struggled to get air to her corset-constricted lungs through her restricted neck. One maid then stood on a stool and touched up the heavy powder and rouge on Floriella's face, tidied up any stray tendrils from her high piled hair and then fitted the high brimmed hat was as wide as Floriella's shoulders. From the top of her hat to the tip of her high-heeled boots she was now 7ft tall. The last act was to fit the famous 7" deep silver belt over the corset stem, the two maids using a lot of effort to close it.

With some final fussing from the maids, Floriella tottered towards the door, using one of the maids' arm as support. In the hall was waiting her daughter Catalina. Catalina was dressed in an identical outfit to her mother. Both the stems were 7", but, while Floriella's was just under 5" across and 15" round. Catalina's was under 13" and only 4" across.

Catalina was the toast of the town and, with her radical figure, she was in great demand with the scions of Brazil's finest families. While Floriella had never been happy with the extreme figure modifications, Catalina was entirely happy with her striking figure and the attention it commanded, and was still at the age of 22 always trying to improve it.

Floriella always hoped that Catalina's figure would always be appreciated, but she worried that such extreme waist modification would fall out of fashion in Brazil, and she was not sure how the rest of the world would react when Catalina went on her travels to Europe. Last week, when she and Catalina were returning from the dressmakers after the fitting for the mourning outfit, they had stopped at the Hotel de Porto for coffee. Floriella had been extremely heartened for Catalina in the praise and obvious appreciation that they had received from a Frenchman who could not stop complimenting on their figures. He had mentioned that, while some stem waists could be found in Europe, mainly in Paris and Vienna, none that he had seen could compare to her and Catalina's.

Floriella and Catalina linked arms and teetered and tottered down the hall, steadied by a maid on either side, their steel tipped toes and heels tip-tapping on the tiled floor. They made an astonishing sight, both 7ft tall, with wide hips and shoulders; hip to hip the gap between the two stem waists was nearly 2ft.

Floriella smiled as she thought, This is the last time!

Finis

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I have enjoyed writing this story - it was inspired by this letter from London Life:-

Truth Stranger Than Fiction

I travelled pretty extensively prior to the war and in South America came across a club in Rio. My hostess at the time was a member as was her daughter, their particular "fetish" being the collection of really extraordinary waists and the wearing of extreme heels. Mother and daughter were remarkably alike, the former being 33 and the latter 17 years old. They were frequently taken for sisters and being practically the same height, encouraged this belief by always dressing exactly alike; and a brilliant make-up on the elder lady's part added to the deception.

The waist measurement of 10 or twelve inches you gave to one your characters in your story was not an exaggeration, as on several occasions I danced with the two ladies I am speaking of when their waist were exactly ten inches round and they stood on the tips of their toes mounted on seven inch heels.

...and several stories about Austrian Belts and stem waists in London Life.