Corset Story

Corsets have been used as a fashion item by both men and women for centuries. The shapes formed by the various construction methods have been able to be modernized similar to the updating of the items and materials used. If you are trying to reproduce the shape you covet, you need to have an education of the types of materials used in today's corsets.

Body Shaping Corsets

The corsets from earlier times have usually been those with a moderate amount of curves or reshaping. The breast flesh tends to be greatly flattened and provide the appearance of a minimized breast profile. To attain this straight silhouette you are having to "fight" the natural curves of most women’s bodies.

Boning, Busks and Other Corset Techniques

A quality corset depends on two factors: a) the type and material used in the boning, and b) how tight you can snug up the lacing. To ensure you are comfortable while wearing your corset you can only tighten and lace up to a point, the remainder of the functionality is provided by the support delivered by the boning.

A good choice in boning material is steel covered with nylon that is typically a light color and is found in different length, thickness, and widths. When you select a spring steel for the corset you choose the "thickness" is more important than the width. Spring steel, when it is of the proper thickness it is somewhat flexible but is quite difficult to bend.

You can construct a corset with busks that open and are often used on the front of corsets to enable you to slip into and out of your corset unassisted. The busks were created in the 1860's and initiated with a very simple busk, the more complicated spoon busk was developed in the 1870's. Any of these corsets can be found in our corset superstore.