Corset Story

There has always been a following for corsets by both sexes for many hundreds of years. The shapes formed by the various construction methods have been able to be modernized similar to the updating of the items and materials used. In order to develop the best shape for you, you might be better informed if you have an understanding of the items available to you today.

Body Shaping Corsets

The older corsets tend to be ones with a moderate amount of curves or reshaping. The breast flesh tends to be greatly flattened and their shape diminished. To attain this straight silhouette you are having to "fight" the typical shape and inherent curves of woman's body.

Boning and Busks

Success depends on two things: a) strength of boning used, 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 remainder of the support is done by the boning.

A good boning material is spring steel coated in nylon that provides a light color base and is made in an assortment of widths, lengths, and thicknesses. When you select the spring steel 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. The steel boning characteristic makes a perfect corset because it is pliable but it is really hard to bend.

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. 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.