Corset Story

Corsets have been worn by both men and women for a long time - 100's of years. The construction techniques and the shapes they form have been upgraded with newer technology and so have the basic types of items used. If you are trying to reproduce the shape you covet, you should have an education of the types of items available in today's marketplace.

Body Shaping and Corsets - The Perfect Match

The corsets from earlier times have usually been those with a minimal amount of curves or shapes. The breasts appear to be pressed down and create the appearance of a minimized profile. To attain this shape you have to contain and fight the general shape and curves of a female's body.

Busks and Boning

A successful corset design is related to two components: a) the type and strength of boning used, and b) the level of lacing tightening. If you want the corset to feel comfortable when you are wearing it you are only able to tighten the laces to a point, you can rely on the boning material to deliver the remainder of the support.

A useful boning material is nylon cased spring steel that delivers a pale color base and is constructed in a wide variety of thicknesses, lengths, and widths. When choosing a spring steel for your corset the "thickness" is more important than the width. Spring steel, when it is of the proper thickness it is really flexible but it is almost impossible to bend.

You can also use busk fasteners that open and are typically used with the front of corsets to enable you to put on and take off your corset without calling someone in for 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. These items can be found in either our online superstore or our online auctions.