Corset History

Corset worship has been a part of life for both women and men for quite some time going back several centuries. The construction methods and shapes they produce have changed due to new technology similar to the changes in materials used. In order to reproduce the correct shapes, you need to have an understanding of the assortment of materials and items you can choose from.

Shaping the Body with Corsets

The oldest corsets are typically those the a minimal amount of reshaping. Your breast shape appears to be in compression and their appearance changed to look minimized. To develop this shape you have to constrain and work against the curves and shape of of a woman's body.

Boning and Busks

Success depends on two things: a) the strength and other factors of the boning material, and b) the ability to tighten the lacing. In order for the corset to fit you comfortably you can only lace up and tighten so much, the boning provides the remainder of the support.

A good boning material is spring steel coated in nylon that provides a light color base and comes in a group of thicknesses, widths, and lengths. When you are making a selection for the type of steel boning for a corset that will look like it was designed for you the width is of minor concern while your primary focus should be on the thickness. You are sure when you purchase a corset with the best 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 slide into and out of your corset without another person's help. The first time busks were used was near 1860 and started with a straight simple busk, the complications of the spoon busk was developed around 1870. All of these items can be found in our online corset store.