German miracle Or the Chinese miracle

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Figurines from Palaikastro show that this fashion for stiff skirts persisted in provincial towns until early sixteenth century BC.
The bodice evolved from a way of wrapping a stiff shawl around the body and then girdling it at the waist,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], leaving the breasts completely or almost completely exposed. At the end of Middle Minoan (1580 BC) the bodice, which was open down the front to the waist, rose behind the neck in a Medici collar. From the eighteenth century onwards,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the collar disappeared. The décolletage, however remained,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], for the bodice was laced only below the breasts.
Forearms were universally bare. Sleeves were tightly fitted, puffed or 'leg-of-mutton' styled. They were held in place by ribbons tied at the neck or by crossed shoulder straps over the back.
The corset was one of the most surprising garments. It was formed of a framework of metal plates, which presupposes the use of copper. The technology was new and unknown to Neolithic people. The corset made the skirt lie flat on the hips and accentuated the slimness of the waist and the prominence of the bare breasts.
The slim waist was sought after mostly by women, but also by and men. It was often accentuated by a belt. Cretan women of Middle Minoan I wound the girdle twice round the waist, letting the ends fall in front to the foot of the skirt. Another type of belt, with two rolls but without tabs,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], remained in vogue over a long period and has been found in faience votive objects. A simpler style consisted in only one roll.