It is called the "instrument of temptation," and is quite fair - armed, it means dangerous.
"DANGER" and its name itself, which comes from the French "Décolleté", that is, "with the cut-off neck." But you can not be afraid - it will only go about the neckline, cutting, sometimes a female costume.
However, "why just"? He has his own story and its own morals. Someone does it outraged someone admires someone, someone prefers closed clothes, someone is ready to step over the line of decency ... in a word, cutout, opening in one way or another, chest and shoulders, designed to attract attention - Matter so The same delicate, how and the areas that it opens.
Round and square, "boat" and "heart", asymmetric, opening one shoulder, modest and bold ... Do you think the neckline is not for you? Or, on the contrary, happily wear clothes decorated with deep (or not very) neckline? In any case, we are not the first and not the last.
Long skirt, closed shoulders and spin, and ... Fully naked chest.
However, the "goddess with snakes", as this image is called - after all, the goddess, not an ordinary woman, so you can not hurry to conclude that all the critical tricks three thousand years ago were inflated in a similar way.
But we are transferred during the time when the nudity has long been considered inappropriate, but, in fact, the neckline appeared, allowing at least a little, but to admire that hiding dense tissues.
So, the age of XV, when the lawmakers of the mod was the richest Duchy of Burgundy.
In the Burgundy yard, the burgundy courtyard includes dresses with a V-neck, quite deep, but quite decent, because the bottom dress was visible in it and the shirt was visible under it. And, nevertheless, beautiful Burgundy decided to open the neck and chest, whose tenderness contrasted with heavy velvet, cloth, dense silks and fur.
They did not lag behind them and Italian - True, their cutouts were at first were rounded, and more opened her back, rather than breasts. However, then they seduced the ability to show luxurious tissues of lower dresses in a deep pointed neckline.
And the famous favorite of the French king Charles VII, Ansn Soror, who was considered the first beauty, loved luxury and deep cuts no less than her beloved mother, Isabella Bavarian. Anise served as a model for Madonna, written by the court painter - and in the same way, with one open breast, it is depicted on another portrait, written after her death. Until now, when it comes to bold neckline, Anya ...
The XVI century is the era of rectangular wide cuts that did not come out of fashion throughout the entire century.
Frenchwoman, Englishwomen, Italian proudly exhibited in them with gentle skin, sometimes hiding behind, completely or partially, the finest inserts. Well, the more modest decollete could be covered with a more dense bottom shirt, and the contrast between the colored dress and the snow-white cloth was also very effectful.
The neck could cover the collar, so the neckline seemed to be and was not at the same time.
And it was possible to wear a dress in general without a neckline.
Well, not to all the same was equal to, for example, luxurious Venetian curtains, which the rules simply prescribed to bare the chest fully ...
However, it was striking to make not only the curtains.
On "masks" (theatrical and dance performances) in England began the XVII century ladies danced in very bold costumes, not only shorter than usual, but also with deeper necklies.
And the Queen, and her court ladies, taking part in such fun, discovered in deep square cutouts as much as they do not decide to open in their evening dresses now.
And the deep round neckline of elegant embroidered jackets was supplemented with lace collars, which even more emphasized the chest exhibited almost entirely.
Here is the portrait of Gerieta-Maria, the French princess, which became the queen of England and who lost his spouse on the scaffold. But before the English revolution a few more years, so while the Queen rejoices life and bears luxurious dresses.
Deep square neckline, however, not just borders a wide lace collar; It is also covered with the finest gas shock, fastened at the throat itself, even above the pearl necklace. Beauty hidden ... Although taking part in "masks", the queen allowed himself more.
There were at the same time in fashion and other decolletes - quite wide oval cuts that open not only the chest, but also part of the shoulders and backs. Probably, it can be said that this is one of the most beautiful shapes of the cutout, feminine and elegant, opening not too much and is not too little - quite a lot in order to admire the beauty of the lines, and enough enough to simultaneously give will imagination and observe the decency.
This beauty could be covered with a tank, and it was possible to move it downward, turning into a kind of frame, which even more emphasized nude. To such a reception will be resorted later.
By the end of the XVII century, rectangular cutouts "Kare" - the neckline opened only part of the chest, leaving the shoulders closed. That is deep, then small and square, then with straight corners, then rounded, these decolletes for almost the entire XVIII century stolen the ladies, especially with a lush bust, creating a lace framing for the face and chest beauties Rococo era. And tightly covered necklace or frills from velvet, satin and lace even more emphasized the luxury of the cut, square or rounded.
However, those who, due to age, provisions or modesty, did not want to attract attention to this area, covered it with a lace or gas gauge, called "Fishu".
True, if you wish, these brazers, as already mentioned, could not so much cover the neckline, how much attention to it - what is hidden behind the folds of the fabric, sometimes completely transparent?
Luxury, but heavy dresses of this pore will replace the ampir style air dresses - an overwhelmed waist, falling fine fabric, and protruding from this, like foam, beauty of the female body.
The neckline varies around the form of a wide "Kare", sometimes assembled in the center so as to form a "heart", oval, opening and shoulders, and chest.
When the waist returns to his place, and the skirts will again become magnificent, the neckline, fully opening the shoulders, combined with huge wide sleeves, will visually do the waist not just fine, but extremely thin.
Natalia Nikolaevna (yes, of course, "That is the most", Goncharov, then Pushkin, then Lanskaya) is depicted in such a dress on the famous his portrait of Brillov's brush - the perfect beauty of that era.
Although - why only that? An oval of the face and the outlines of the shoulders attached to the deep neckline of the outfit, it is impossible not to love now ...
The XIX century gradually approves strict rule - from the variety of ladies of ladies (and there were many - the dresses morning and daytime, for visits, walks, balls, theaters, etc.) only ballrooms and evening should have been with large cutouts.
The rest are modest, preferably closed.
But if with the neckline ...
Which in 1850 was disturbed by Jen Carlisle, the spouse of the Scottish Esseist writer, who went to the ball? What she will be "naked - and this is at my age, after so many years in closed dresses"! Jen at that time was already forty-nine, a very mature lady and according to the current standards, but fashion demanding ...
"So, I got a white silk dress - at first he had a small cutout and long sleeves - and on the day of the ball he was sent to the alteration to cut off the more and make it just immodest. When I put it, I almost dispelled - but when The light of the candles, I looked captivatingly, and when I entered the rooms that were full of naked ladies, I felt in such a security that I almost immediately forgot about my hands and neck. "
So writes an adult woman, all his life wearing modest outfits, and decorated on the neckline only for the holiday.
Young girls who have just started to go out into the world too, must be inappropriate feel uncomfortable.
Remember the first ball of Natasha Rostova?
"Her bare neck and hands were thin and ugly in comparison with the shoulders of Helen. Her shoulders were thin, the chest is uncertain, the hands of the thin; but on Helen was already like a varnish from all thousands of glances, sliding her body, and Natasha seemed to the girl, Which for the first time they were ill and which would be very embarrassing it was, if it would not have assured it that it was necessary. "
The heroine of the novel about the "little women", which they collect on the ball: "The dress had such a deep neckline that, looking at himself in the mirror, Meg, who was not accustomed to such an open neckline, blushed from embarrassment."
Of course, not everyone was so shame. Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol in the poem "Dead Souls" were the "ladies of the city of N" on the ball, they were happy to decol in the last St. Petersburg fashion.
"Everything was invented and provided for themselves with an extraordinarious prudence; neck, the shoulders were openly so much as needed, and no further; each exposed her possessions until he felt in his own conviction that they were able to destroy a man; the rest is all It was planted with an extraordinary taste: or some gentle tape tape, or a scarf easier for a cupcake, known under the name "kissing", essentially hugged the neck, or were released because of the shoulders, from under dresses, small gentle walls from thin bat , famous for the name "modesty". These "modesty" were hidden to be in advance and behind what no longer caused the death of a person, and meanwhile forced to suspect that there was exactly the most dying ... "
But is it possible not to admire these and really swan necks, luxurious sloping shoulders, raised tight corsets bust in the cuts of dresses of the XIX century? ..
The times have long passed when the shape of the cut is dictated exclusively fashion. Now you can choose exactly what you to face.
Why do it at all? You can do without a neckline ...
But if you take into account the features of the shape and form of the face, then you can even fix the flaws.
Wide neckline, attracting attention to the top of the body, will help balance the figure with a narrow "riding" and a wide "bottom".
Full shoulders and bust? Well, remember the beauties of the XVIII century and select a square cutout - everyone will take about the shortcomings and will admire extremely advantages.
Insufficiently long neck or too wide shoulders fix the cutout in the form V or U (though, comfortable letters to describe the neckline?).
The same shape decollet, only more and less deep, can and hide, and emphasize, and ...
In short, the choice is yours. In the end, it is interesting to try everything!
You have a solemn event, and you are proud of your figure? Select the neckline, opening your shoulders, and imagine yourself the beauty of Pushkin Pore. The hair removed into the smooth hairstyle, long tremble pendant earrings - in such an outfit you can even feel like the French Enerris Evgenia, the legislator of his time, the middle of the beginning of the century.
And let the centuries go, let the canons of beauty change, but who and when will refuse to admire the beautiful neckline? .. After all, almost any decollete is fine. Do not doubt.
True, they say, the French king Louis XIII, nicknamed "shameful", once spoiled wine directly in the neckline of some ladies, indignant by his "indecent" ... But let's not follow his example!
A source