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 materials used. In order to reproduce the correct shapes, you should have an understanding of the items and materials you can select from.

Body Shaping and Corsets - The Perfect Match

The oldest corsets are typically those with moderate amounts of reshaping. The breast flesh looks to be extremely compressed and create the appearance of a minimized profile. To develop this silhouette you must work against the natural shape and curves of a woman's body.

Busks and Boning

A corset of high quality depends on two main factors: a) the characteristics of the boning material used, and b) the level of lacing tightening. 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.

Spring steel boning is nylon-coated steel that is white in color and comes in different widths, thickness and length. When choosing a 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 and flexible, but it is nearly impossible to bend them.

You are able to also find busks that open and are mainly used on 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 corsets can be found in either our corset superstore or our corset auctions.