Corset Report

Corsets have been idolized by both women and men for a long time - 100's of years. The types of shapes and construction techniques have changed over time. 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.

Shaping the Body with Corsets

The oldest corsets are typically those with moderate amounts of reshaping. The breast flesh looks to be extremely compressed and deliver the appearance of a minimal breast silhouhette. To develop this shape you have to constrain and work against the typical shape and inherent curves of woman's body.

Busks, Boning and Corset Construction

A corset of high quality depends on two main factors: a) the characteristics of the boning material 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 popular boning material is nylon coated spring steel that is usually a lighter color and is created in a group of lengths, thicknesses, and widths. 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. The steel boning characteristic makes a perfect corset because it is quite flexible and it is extremely hard to bend.

There are also busks which open and are used in the front of corsets to enable you to get into and out of your corset without help. The earliest busks were invented around 1860 and began with the inclusion of a simple busk, the more detailed spoon busk was created ten years later. All of these items can be found in our online corset store.