The fichu, a kind of scarf, covered plunging 18th-century decolletés. These triangular cloths came in different sizes and materials, usually white. You wrap the cloth around your neck and tuck the edges into your corset. This protects your bare neckline from unwanted glances and the sun. This batiste fichu has a ‘shadow work’ border: a form of needlework in which the thread behind the transparent fabric fills in the design like a shadow. [text 2025]