Corset Background

Corsets have been idolized by both women and men for a long time - 100's of years. The various shapes and construction methods have come from a variety of backgrounds. and so have the components and materials used. If you are trying to create the figure you covet, you should have an understanding of the items and materials you can select from.

Body Shaping and Corsets

The first corsets have usually produces figures with moderate amounts of reshaping. The breast flesh looks to be extremely compressed and the subsequent reshaping of the breast mass gives a minimized appearance. To attain this profile you have to contain and fight the usual shape and typical curves of a woman's body.

Corsets: Lacing, Boning and Busks

Success depends on two things: a) strength of boning used, and b) tightness of lacing. For the sake of comfort you are only able to tighten the laces to a point, the rest of the support is delivered by the function of the boning.

One of the most popular types of boning is steel boning covered in nylon that provides a light color base and is made in an assortment of widths, lengths, and thicknesses. When selecting the spring steel boning for the best corset for you the thickness, and not the width, should be of primary importance. You can tell when you have selected the proper spring steel boning because it is flexible and pliable, but it is very hard to bend it.

There are also busk fasteners that open and are used for the front of corsets to allow you to put your corset on and off without help. These did not appear until around 1860 and began with the straight busk, the spoon busk appeared shortly afterward in about 1870. All of these items can be found in our online corset store.