Before there was elastic and stretchy spandex available to the fashionable masses, there was smocking.  Smocking is an embroidery technique that was used to gather up fabric so that it would stretch and become more form fitting for the wearer.  Created and used originally in the Middle Ages, it was a look that was usually worn by the common laborer, though some stitching patterns were decorative and indicative of social status. 

Contemporary smocking comes from two distinct forms.  One was an iron-on transfer that gave the embroiderer a pattern on which to stitch together the fabric.  Another style of smocking came from smocking on gingham, on which the embroiderer uses the markers on the fabric to determine where the stitches should go.  Naturally, the modern smocking look is most seen in sundresses, tube tops, sleeves, and just about any kind of outfit that requires easy gatherings.  Smocking proved an easy to way to spice up an outfit and make it fit perfectly on just about anyone.